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Our namesake…
…and a stubborn little plant! The Canadian Thistle dominated our pastures 20 years ago…along with Rosa multiflora. It’s taken a long time (and many grandchildren serving hard labor) to get both weeds to manageable proportions. We simply keep cutting them to ground level and eventually the plant gets the message and quits trying. The multiflora was an earlier brainchild of someone who wanted to duplicate European hedgerows on this property. While neither is considered edible, we’ve heard of people successfully training their cows to consume thistles. They simply spray the plants with fish oil, the cattle love it and eventually the fish oil isn’t necessary. David
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King David reigns…
…over the American part of our herd anyway. He is now in his third year and making stunning growth…300 pounds and 2.5 more inches scrotal growth…in recent months. King David is the result of crossing one of our pure English bulls with an American cow. The idea was to mate the best to the best…hoping in the process to reduce the size of our cows just a little. Obviously we’re pleased with the result. This fall will show us more about his impact on frame scores. Meanwhile he is one of several cows we’ve been leasing. Talk to Church about that: (214) 802-1283 David
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The danger of Super-Sizing…
It’s been some years now since Michael Pollin set the beef industry on its ear with his article in the New York Times expanded into the book The Omnivores Dilemna. Speaking in England…Pollin pulls back the curtain on the real story behind McDonalds French fries…or as they’re called over there…chips! David
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Caution…grass at work…
…it may look like resting and that’s what graziers call it…but this grass is hard at work! The trick in grazing isn’t how much grass the cows eat…but how much they leave. Ideally we like them to bite off about a third…and trample a third…and leave the rest for regrowth. That’s what’s happening here. The cows have left…we’ve topped off the weeds and seed heads…and now the roots which have died back to mirror the amount of leaf surface above ground…are regrouping. It’s that new growth which is most nutritious and the cows will be returned in 45 days for another pass across this pasture. Not only will there be…
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An excellent explanation…
…of just what holistic grazing is all about. About seven years ago we were introduced to the concepts of Alan Savory and even hosted a session here with Michael Mitchell-Innes. It was a milestone in the history of the farm, particularly for Wooz, who had grown up here. In sum, holistic grazing puts the land into the perspective of the entire ecosystem. It can be pretty heavy stuff so I was delighted to come across this short video…just three minutes…by Blaine Hitzfield of Seven Sons Farm in Indiana. In everyday terms Blaine describes what it has meant for their farm. The experience Blaine describes…raising organic matter from two percent to…
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Strip grazing…
…and the main herd has settled in…changing paddocks with no more than a whistle. I’m sure you could set up an automatic gate opener and they’d move themselves. There are 33 pregnant cows in this group. The section already grazed is in the foreground. By enlarging the picture you may be able to see the single strand of polywire which is all we need to keep them together. The grass as we began was about a foot tall, and we’ve taken the top half before moving on. In recent years a technique has developed called “mob grazing”…or “high intensity grazing”…that is jamming the equivalent of 500 to 700 cows into…
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End of the trek…
…we take this for granted now but it is quite an advantage to raising Devon…particularly Thistle Hill Devon. Here the herd has moved itself from one of our main pastures to another…perhaps a half mile with lots of tempting grass in-between…but they trust Church and don’t break ranks. (Looks like they’ve survived the winter pretty well, too!) David
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Happy new year…at last…
…the scene we wait all winter to see! The main Thistle Hill herd moving from the western to eastern pastures to begin strip grazing. Here temporary fencing already has been put in place. That will allocate roughly one acre paddocks per day. The confined space increases the trampling effect….the cows pointed toes grinding in some of the grass…the result is organic matter and food for the soil. This is the first pass over the eastern pasture…and if Mother Nature is good…there’ll be one and maybe two more. That’s Church…our manager/foreman…supervising the herd. Someone tell him he needs a haircut! (Inside family joke) David
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The Thistle Hill Alumni Assn…
…well maybe not technically. But he was bred here and went on to serve at Rich Hamilton’s Elim Springs Farm for the past 8 years. His name is Rojo and he’s been used in the Elim Springs meat business for the past decade and is still going strong. Rich uses him as a terminal sire on his Senepol cow herd and it’s a winning combination! Rojo’s pedigree on the dam side is packed with well-known Devon greats including Noyl Boy, Buckeye and Kinloch. As for his sire, he is the first bull that made a major impact on our cows: Watson. We found Watson at Don and Heather Minto’s farm…
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There’s nothing we like better…
…almost…than seeing the final result of what we do at Thistle Hill on a customer’s table. (Well maybe being invited over for dinner is a little better!) Thanks to Jim Houck, he orders halves and wholes to share with his family, for sending this photo of a Thistle Hill rib roast. Jim says the flavor was “amazing”! Not many of our customers ask for the standing rib…preferring smaller steaks instead. But Jim is a contractor and needs his protein! We’re about to harvest a beevein a few days but there’s only a quarter left! Contact Church quick for your amazing eating experience! And contact Jim if you need a contractor. …