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The Thistle Hill Alumni Club…
…features THF Magic…now 10 years old and still active in Louisiana. Magic is the son of Rotokawa 93…grandson of Rotokawa 688. On the dam’s side he is out of one of the best bulls Lakota has produced, 48N, in turn traced back to the early Kinloch herd. Before leaving here, and it was not easy letting him go, Magic made a major impact not only on our herd but on our thinking. In many ways, we still seek to replicate him. David
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The Thistle Hill Alumni Club….
“Shenandoah“….a yearling heifer who is the result of a pairing here at Thistle Hill. The dam is Q1 and the sire, U2 “Double Trouble”. Q1 was an older cow we sent into retirement in the South—Tomina Farms in Tennessee—but, as you can see, she’s still working for Regina and Tom Tesnow. Actually, at 8 years of age, we find a Devon cow is really right in the prime of her life. There are quite a few Thistle Hill cows at Tomina Farms and, I think I mentioned before, that Regina tends to give them “Virginia names”, thus “Shenandoah“. “Brandy Station“, another yearling heifer and another result of Thistle Hill genetics…
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Thistle Hill alumni club…
….a match that began here at Thistle Hill but consummated at the Hendrix farm in South Carolina. THF 64’s new heifer by THF 31. This is now the third heifer in a row for 64. Grandma is still in our herd and also producing mostly heifers. The sire, THF 31, is a Thistle Hill Magic son. Magic seems to specialize in small calves that explode around Month 6.
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Mission accomplished….
….we’ve just returned from delivering a load of six females to South Carolina, to Linda Hendrix and her son Dr. John Hendrix. Their farm in Pacolet is rapidly becoming Thistle Hill South. The shipment included four bred heifers, being off-loaded here by our good friend, Glen Covington, who in real life manages our local co-op. For some reason, he enjoys long distance driving as much as I try to avoid it. Included in the load was a lovely young heifer out of Thistle Hill’s “Niner Magic”, who is one of our three lead herd bulls. And this little one keeps intact the record of our “64” cow, who only knows…
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The Thistle Hill alumni club…
…well the son of an alum, anyway. This young seven-month old bull, Tomina Farms Titan, is the son of Thistle Hill’s Magic. Magic was the meatiest bull we’ve ever raised here and he’s seen herd sire duty first at Tomina Farms in Tennessee and then gone on to Louisiana. Whenever Regina Tesnow sends us pictures from Tomina Farms, our animals seem to have improved with the trip and we wonder if we should have hung on to them. The heifer was born here just six months ago. Regina calls her Shenandoah. Actually she was born alongside the Rappahannock river, but I guess that’s not a good name for a little girl. …
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Magic becomes a centerfold….
….our thanks to Tomina Farms and Regina Tesnow for featuring Thistle Hill Magic S484 in their center-spread ad in the American Devon Cattle Association newsletter. Magic’s fame is certainly spreading and Tomina Farms is now marketing his semen. Here’s the centerfold: tominafarms2pgspread You can contact us if you’d like semen and we’ll pass on the order to the Tesnows.
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Praise from across the pond….
…our English friend and partner, Angus Cottey, saw the picture of Thistle Hill Magic on our home page and wrote a glowing appraisal. We’re immodest enough to share it. Angus knows cows and a compliment for an American bull from the Brits is no small thing. He writes: “Magic looks a tremendous Bull, I recall your photo of him as a young calf. He certainly has grown on well. I particularly like his top line and how flat he is across the top. A good beef animal should not be pointed across the shoulders but broad and flat. They say snow should be able to settle, certainly not like a…
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Magic semen available…
If you come direct to this blog and skip the home page, we’d like to suggest you go back. Featured is Thistle Hill Magic, a bull we sold awhile back to Tomina Farms in Tennessee. Now Regina and Tom Tesnow have collected his semen and it’s available for sale both at Tomina Farms and here at Thistle Hill. Magic is the “meatiest” bull we’ve ever seen and couple with his Frame Score 1, he can make a big impact on your herd. Straws are $25 and there’s a 10 straw minimum. You can email david@thistlehill.net or phone (540) 364-2090 for more information or to place your order.