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Sad to report…
…the passing of legendary Devon breeder Ken McDowall of New Zealand. Ken’s Rotokawa bulls were at the center of the great Devon resurgence at the turn of the century. While there is some dispute over just who “discovered” Ken, there is no doubt it was Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn who popularized the great Rotokawa bulls in America like 688, 982, 667 and many more. Eventually Fry, Shinn and a partner brought the entire Rotokawa herd here to the States where they’ve settled in Hardwick, Massachusetts. Ken was a great friend to Thistle Hill and he spent many days here freely dispensing his breeding wisdom. I treasure those conversations as…
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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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Roundtable: Can I make money selling grass fed beef?
It’s a question that comes up whenever a new Devon breeder recognizes the gourmet quality of the meat in his pasture: can I sell this animal at a reasonable profit or do I have to settle for the price dictated by the auction barn? That same new Devon breeder also quickly becomes discouraged when he realizes he can’t produce enough meat for the commercial marketplace. Not many Devon breeders have the numbers necessary to supply the needs of just one store much less a major supermarket chain or a wholesaler that buys thousands of steers at a crack. The marketing problem seems insurmountable. Edward Taylor of Vermont wrote us recently…