-
Updating upgrading…
…our pastures. Four days after seeding with a mix of cover crops we see the first sign of success!! Young cow peas are the first to germinate…can the turnips and radishes be far behind? David
-
Time flies…
It’s hard to believe but it was 10 years ago when we saw the first results of our traditional English Devon project. TDA 7 was the first calf we selected from our first English flush and she remains today one of the mainstays of our herd. “7” is the daughter of the great English cow Tilbrook Cashtiller by another great, Cutcombe Jaunty. Three years running Cashtiller was the Grand Champion in English shows and three of her sons topped later Devon national sales. In a few weeks ”7” will be calving again…always an exciting event. David
-
A great leap forward…
…for grandson Church as he departs Thistle Hill for veterinary school. For the past two years Church as stepped up in my absence to handle our Red Devon herd. All the while he also completed an advanced degree in biology. Now it’s on to Cornell University and one of the leading veterinary programs in the country. The competition for admission is fierce…exceeding only by the pressure from his high-powered class mates. Church has an amazing knack for handling animals. They just seem to want to do what he asks. We have no doubt that he will become a leading light in the veterinary world. Just to keep an eye on…
-
Sad to report…
…the passing of legendary Devon breeder Ken McDowall of New Zealand. Ken’s Rotokawa bulls were at the center of the great Devon resurgence at the turn of the century. While there is some dispute over just who “discovered” Ken, there is no doubt it was Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn who popularized the great Rotokawa bulls in America like 688, 982, 667 and many more. Eventually Fry, Shinn and a partner brought the entire Rotokawa herd here to the States where they’ve settled in Hardwick, Massachusetts. Ken was a great friend to Thistle Hill and he spent many days here freely dispensing his breeding wisdom. I treasure those conversations as…
-
The class of ‘21…
…welcomed to the Perrine’s nearby Slainte farm by the year around dog in charge, Molly. This group of 14 includes both heifers and steers. The Perrines and their neighbors, the Ferro’s, have been taking our young calves for a number of years. That larger calf to the right is a Devon-Senepol cross…a testimony to the magnifying effect of heterosis or out-crossing. The mama cows remain at Thistle Hill and they’ll be delivering new babies in about two months. Separating these calves enables us to bring bulls to the main herd for rebreeding. Incidentally these calves aren’t the entire class of ‘21. There are another 7 that have moved under the…
-
Waiting for the jury…
…well actually TDA35 is waiting for his first Thistle Hill calves…due in a few months. We’ve loaned him out to neighbors in the past who had just a few cows. 35 is the result of a mating between two great traditional Devon herds…Goldings in Cornwall and Ashott Barton in Sometset. Church was pleased with the results our neighbors got. If we like his Thistle Hill calves we’ll consider whether to promote him to cover the main herd later this year. What looks good on paper doesn’t always turn out in the real world. David
-
It’s been almost a year…
…since the birth of what we hope will be another line of pure, traditional English Devon at Thistle Hill. H364 was sired by Champson Defender via AI ten months ago and is now ready to be weaned. He was an early success story for Church, who is now waiting for Defender #2 to calve in October. Pure Devon genetics are increasingly difficult to find. Even some English breeders we know have given up because bulls are in such short supply there. Seeing what was happening, in both England and the States, Wooz and I decided we would create a living archive here in Virginia. David
-
The time capsule…
…F212 carries genetics from many of the milestones in the 20-year history of Thistle Hill Devon. 212 is the daughter of Lakota 180…a natural daughter who until she died recently at the age of 19, had produced some of our best bull calves. So when 212 came along we grabbed her and now have great hopes for this young cow. On the other side, her sire was Highwayman…an English cow by Ashott-Barton Millenium Falcon. And now, to top it off, she is expecting a calf by Lakota P60, one of the finest meat sires in the breed! So if there’s a legacy cow on our pastures it is 212…with an…
-
An early morning stroll…
…but with a purpose. This part of the herd has finished strip grazing the East pasture and is moving to fresh grass in the West pasture. This is not the entire herd…just the mamas with their steer and heifer calves. At about eight months we move the bull-calf pairs to an auxiliary field. An important thing to note is how well-behaved our Devon are. Church is taking this picture and they come at his whistle…no shouting, or whips or dogs. Of course the cows know there’s ice cream at the end of this trail, and though there’s pretty good grass where they’re walking, they want to do as Church asks.…
-
Just a quick tour…
…this past weekend. (Warning: no pigs; they’re off at freezer camp) First stop the shipping pen where this four-year old bull is waiting for his ride to a commercial operation in southwest Virginia. Clark Family farms have been good friends and customers for a number of years. The Clarks also selected one of our young English bulls with Tilbrook Cashtiller genetics. For three years running Cash’s sons topped the English national sales. At one of our auxiliary farms we checked the progress of some of our other yearlings…three pure English calves and their dams. In recent years we’ve found it best to separate the bull and heifers calves at about…