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Today’s blessing…
…a little heifer THF 11…weighing 70 pounds. She’s a three-quarter English calf and was an elusive little girl…still needs a tag. The ratio is still tipped heavily in favor of bulls though…8 to 3. David
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Just in time…
…for Thanksgiving. The advance guard of a flock of wild turkeys crossing Thistle Hill farm. We’ve seen the return of a number of birds to the farm since we eliminated all “cides” about 20 years ago. In fact there’s been an up-swing of all wildlife including our very own resident bear. Almost all our pastures have adjacent riparian areas including water. But our partners are increasing bold. These turkeys are right in front of the main house. David
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Lest we forget…
…pork is on the way. Five pigs that look like they’ll be ready from now to Christmas. This year we’re raising mostly Berkshires…with some Tamworth thrown in. Most pig growers seem to eventually settle on Berkshires for the flavor…and all-around performance. In the past we’ve favored Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot, but we thought it was time to try the popular favorite. All three of English heritage breeds and each has their advocates. These Berkshire are the best-mannered we’ve had so far…and finishing faster than others. In this picture they’re being fed a mixture of spent brewers grain and a growers ration heavy on corn. Ours pigs are raised entirely…
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Proud mother…
…and son. The bull calf is now a week old and shows promise. He certainly has the pedigree: his grandmother was the great Tilbrook Cashtiller…who dominated English show rings for many years. And for three years running her bull calves topped the sales! We think the sire was from another well-known line, Champson Defender. But we won’t be sure until we get the DNA. This was the first success at AI-ing for grandson Church. We’re hoping for more than 25 calves over the next month or so. You’re always welcome to drop by and talk Devon. David
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You should know…
…the food you eat. China is the leader in world pork production…that is when disease isn’t decimating their pig farms. Somehow we suspect this innovation isn’t going to make things any better. And you need to remember, Chinese pork is now in our food system…and without country of origin labeling! David https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/18/a-12-storey-pig-farm-has-china-found-a-way-to-stop-future-pandemics-
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The latest arrival…
…a combination of an English bull with the best of our American herd. Dam THF U3 and sire from the wonderful old Essington herd in England. Wooz and I were just getting started in Devon and visiting Lakota Ranch when I saw the grandmother of this little guy being born! I asked for her on the spot and Jeremy Engh promised eventual delivery! She turned into the prettiest American cow I’d ever seen…and Jeremy took grief from his Dad when he later came upon her on a visit to Thistle Hill. We eventually bred grandma to Watson…a descendant of the Rotokawa line. And the progeny have been equally beautiful. Cows…
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Our latest mama…
…is one of our favorites heifers and she’s handling motherhood like an old pro. The baby is a 70-pound bull calf…a blend of our American “2” line with the English bull Highwayman. The “2’s” were always Wooz’ favorite and Highwayman’s grandsire was England’s famed Millennium. Mama is camped out a safe distance from the herd and once she is sure Junior will behave they’ll rejoin the others. E192 has handled pregnancy and delivery and early motherhood exactly as we hoped. (And once we take away the temporary electric fence we’ll knock down the wingstem!) David
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Here they come…
…our first calf of the season is a pure traditional English Devon…THF 1. He’s an 80-pound baby bull. The mom is from our great Cashtiller line…the cow that won three straight national championships over there. The sire is a mystery though. The calf may be the result of an AI with Champson Defender or the cover bull who was put in a few days afterwards. This birth comes right at the dividing line between the two. The size of the calf makes us think Defender will turn out to be the dad. An 80-pound preemie doesn’t seem likely but we’ll just have to wait for the DNA results. David
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The vegan wars…
…have spilled into print. There are three giants in the chemical artificial burger fight…and it ain’t pretty. Neighbor Joel Salatin is enjoying the fight, though, and you can read his blog – https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog/9/1/2020/when-the-vegans-fight David
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Scenes we’d rather not see…
..son-in-law Curt Humphreys was out bushhogging the other day when he flushed two young coyotes. With calving just around the corner this is a worry we’d just as soon not have. We hear coyotes howling fairly often…but from the nearby mountains. Actual sightings though are rare. We’ve never lost a newborn to coyotes but others have. Not much we can do except hope this scare from the bushhog chased them back into the hills. David