Third stop….

….on our Devon summer tour: the famed Rotokawa herd in Hardwick, Massachusetts.  Few breeders could be under more pressure than Henry Hauptman.  For the past few years he has owned the famed Rotokawa…and his first big decision was to withdraw the animals from the marketplace while he worked to restore their luster.

We think Henry’s “there”….he thinks it will take at least one more year.  There are imitators, but Henry’s are still the original genetics imported by Ridge Shinn, Gearld Fry and Chuck Lacy.  And Ken McDowall remains in close contact with Henry on all the breeding decisions.

After being transported from New Zealand….and then trucked around the countryside here in the States….the Rotokawa herd has certainly benefited from a prolonged stay in one pasture.  The young heifers…approaching breeding age…are remarkably similar.  And the older cows have snapped back to their original vitality.

Incidentally, we did see Ridge Shinn during our stop in Hardwick, though only for dinner.  He was busy all afternoon becoming a new grandpa again!  Congratulations to all the growing herds.  Henry’s and Ridge’s.

Next stop: another well known Devon name, Harrier Fields Farm.