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I’m confused…
…and understandably! About four inches of snow sandwiched between 60- and 70-degree days. One of Thistle Hill’s fine young American bulls trying to figure out the recent change-able weather. He’s a combination of excellent bloodlines from Rotokawa and Lakota. And he’s one we not only use ourselves but loan to small farms who can’t manage a full-time bull. Contact Church for his and other availabilities. David
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Hanging out with the guys…
…three of our bulls doing their own version of intensive grazing. On the left Guardian, a Rotokawa-bred animal, and then two of our English bulls, Essington and Highwayman. The last two are both sired by the great Ashott-Barton bull, Millenium Falcon. My guess is they’re all favoring the grass right there because an underground stream is just beneath. David
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This isn’t all that bad…
….one of the mainstays of our herd, T2, interrupts her grazing after the first snowstorm of the season. As you can tell by her nose, she had no difficulty burrowing though the snow to get at grass. (There’s hay nearby, if she wants it.) Officially we had six inches of snow overnight though not quite that in this pasture. T2 is a Rotokawa 93 sired cow out of our R2. She is our template for a perfect Devon cow and we feel she holds her own even against our imported traditional English Devon. David
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Ma, our baby boy is all growed up!
His name is Augustine and he’s packed with Rotokawa 667 genetics. He’s also the son of one of our favorite cows. With all the attention we’ve been devoting to our English project, we didn’t want to give the impression we’ve been ignoring our breeding of Rotokawa offspring. At Thistle Hill, under the watchful eye of Ken McDowall, we’ve been interweaving our three favorite lines: 688, 974 and 667. Augustine is still shy of 2-years….imagine what he’ll be like “fully growed”!
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A battery of bulls….
….actually, our bull inventory is pretty low right now. Our two-year olds are all sold and the group of yearlings is sandwiched between Traditional Devon™ Wellington on the left and Thistle Hill Jackpot on the right. To the left of Jackpot is a particularly exciting young English bull—TDA Highwayman—and next to him is another excellent prospect, Thistle Hill 126. 126 is descended from the Rotokawa 667 line. Second from the left is Thistle Hill 08, an exemplary result of pairing the English bull Millennium Falcon with Goldings Snowdrop. He is Wooz’ special project and she “done good”. (Somehow a steer got in there and is in the middle, in the shadows)
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Rotokawa is back….
….we were pleased to learn that our friend Henry Hauptman, is putting some of his two-year old bulls up for sale. Henry has been quietly re-building the famed New Zealand herd in recent years but is now marketing 20 two-year olds. These are from Ken McDowall’s original herd and Ken took part in the breeding plan. If you are looking for a young bull, here’s the place to start (and finish). For more information contact Bill Roberts at 12stonesgrasslandsbeef@gmail.com.
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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…
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The Rotokawa 243 family….
….is beginning to make an impact on Devon herds in this country. After a slow start due to the feud inside the Rotokawa partnership, things have settled down and now we expect a whole new shipment of 243 semen will be heading to Henry Hauptmann’s Rotokawa America. Regina and Tom Tesnow are justifiably proud of their 243 son….a product of Thistle Hill farm they have nick-named Casino. Regina reports he’s been doing a wonderful job with her Tomina Farm herd in Tennessee and you’ll be able to see him at the RedDevon USA meeting later this year. Casino’s half brother Jackpot, another 243 son, is here at Thistle Hill and shares herd…
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243…the formal portrait…
….well, actually we liked the one we ran the other day, 243 fresh from work, splattered with mud and head covered with hay. But Ken McDowell cleaned him up so here’s New Zealand’s finest: Rotokawa 243. Ken’s not saying but that fact that he went to all this trouble and gussied him up and put a label on the picture tells us that the shortage of 243 semen here in the States may be about to be remedied.
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Ken’s best….
….a current picture of Rotokawa 243, the bull New Zealand’s Ken McDowell feels is the best he’s ever produced. This is the one bull that was too young to make the trip when the Rotokawa herd was shipped to the United States. 243 is the sire of our herd bull, “Jackpot“, and we’re very impressed with the first calves that he’s fathered for us. He did, by the way, achieve 100% of his assignment. Regina Tesnow, in Tennessee, purchased a 243 son from us a year ago, and she also reports being very pleased with her calves. It’s the most uniform crop she’s ever had.