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A lucky stroke…
By grandson Church who bred this two-month old heifer. The semen tested poorly but we liked the son Church produced last year so we tried again. She’s the daughter of Defender, the most recent star of the famous Champson herd. Her brother will have the chance to breed for the first time this year. We like Defender very much and are pleased to have him round out our battery of pure traditional English Devon bulls. Up for discussion is whether to risk a live flush which is now scheduled for about a week. The dam of this heifer was our TDA 4…a “smallesh” cow even by English Devon standards. This…
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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…
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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.…
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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…