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Let the fun begin…
…Church moves the first group of cows into the chute to begin the process of artificial insemination. This will be his first solo effort and he’s set an ambitious schedule…almost 30 heifers and cows to bring into heat. Included in the group is a wonderful English bull whose semen, unfortunately, did not score very high. But we wanted to give it a try. We’re also going to experiment with another breed—-British White—-as a terminal sire to gage its impact on meat yield. Here the cows are receiving hormone shots to trigger cycling. There’s a two-day wait before actual insemination. Church took a course this summer in artificial insemination and got…
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Thistlehill at sunset
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The bottom of the barrel…
…the stockpile barrel, that is.If there is a key in cattle raising, it is to avoid feeding hay at $100 a ton for as long possible. Here Church opens one of our last stockpiled pastures and the cows don’t need a second invitation. Video by Church Humphreys Native grasses here for the most part but will satisfy them until AI is scheduled for mid-month. Then we will bring a cover bull in and hope the grass will last until the end of the month. There’s 22 acres of grass left just across the road…tantalizing but Church has decided to feed that to our steers destined for meat. David
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Parade of bulls…
…TDA Ransom…a Wooz favorite maybe because his mama was Goldings Snowdrop…selected by her when the “wise old men” of the partnership were favoring others. She called him “Handsome Ransom”…and saw something in him even in his awkward teenage years. He’s come into his own now though Wooz is no longer with us to say I told you so. (That wouldn’t be like her anyway!) We keep eight to ten bulls in the same pasture. Why is it when they reach their prime they invariably stand apart and spend most of the day posing? Ransom’s sire is the great Millennium Falcon. David
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We don’t pay well…
…but the fringe benefit for managing Thistle Hill Farm is that you’re required to sample all the meat before it’s released to customers! Church takes that responsibility very seriously. We’re pleased to report that the first of our pork is back from the butchers and Church says the bacon is “very good”…which is a rave coming from him. Here’s his breakfast: We were particularly interested in this first batch. It’s from Mulefoot hogs…a Spanish heritage pig. Until now we’ve used English breeds but had an opportunity to try these. They’re easier to handle and now we know the meat holds its own with the best we’ve produced over the past…
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Meeting of the braintrust…
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Living in a resort…
…that’s what my 18 years at Thistle Hill have felt like. The farm has been in the family a lot longer…almost 75 years. And now a new generation…the fourth…is beginning to take hold. Grandson Church Humphreys is managing our Devon cattle herd and showing the same appreciation for the setting in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia that his great-grandparents fell in love with. Cutting through the picture…and the farm…is the beautiful Rappahannock River…the stream legend has it George Washington threw a coin across. (Actually a pretty easy toss). And no farm is complete without its fishing hole…and thanks to grandson Luis Gentry we’re well-stocked with large mouth bass perch,…
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The three little pigs…
…who went to market the other day averaged 230 pounds hanging weight. Exactly what we were aiming for! And Church reports the spread was only five pounds…227, 230, 232. Can’t wait for our share! There is no matching fresh farm-raised pork. It’s akin to corn or tomatoes right out of the garden. And Thistle Hill pigs have the advantage of browsing for acorns…producing pork like the Spaniards do (and charge so much for!). By coincidence, my daughters and their mother are in Spain right now…where raising pork is an art form. Every region has its own special taste…and pigs raised on truffles can bring as much as $300 a pound.…
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To be honest…
…we weren’t planning on becoming a unique source for pure traditional English genetics. That came later when we realized pure Devon genetics were becoming a rarity, even in England. Originally, we just wanted to see whether infusing those English bloodlines into our herd of American Devon would be worth the trouble. King David provides the answer. This two-year old bull out of THF X2a by the Traditional English Devon bull Victory has already produced his first calf crop…and they’re winners! And he’s still got a lot of growing to do. If you’ve bred your herd into a box we recommend considering a bull like Victory. We have several to choose…
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Everybody outta the pool…
…a momma black bear checks out our swimming pool! She almost certainly has a cub or two safely behind her but out of sight. For at least 17 years this bear has been raising her family in a den just below what is now Church’s house. More often she is content to splash around in the two-acre pond, again just down the hill. The cubs often think it’s great sport to slap the row boat oars and watch them spin in the oar locks. They’re no danger unless surprised or accidentally cornered. She also is clearly well fed with her very own 200 acres of vegetation and fruit and berries…