A Traditional Devon milestone….

….readers of this blog know that Thistle Hill, in cooperation with two other American breeders, has been selecting the best of pure English genetics (semen and embryos) and importing them.  The project is now 3 years old and our first heifers have finally been delivered to the vet for breeding.

The heifers are out of the English champion Tilbrook Cashtiller, who we bred to a great English bull, Cutcombe Jaunty.  The embryos were brought here and implanted in recips.

We decided to take the heifers to the vet because the early winter weather has been so unreliable we couldn’t be sure the AI process, once started, could be completed.  In the past we’ve even had to take the vet in the bucket of a tractor out to the cows to do the job.

The first class resulted in five heifers (two are in South Carolina where the weather is cooperating) and two bull calves.  More are on the ground and more are on the way.