Earlier this week a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that eating more organic foods was statistically significantly associated with a reduction in risk of cancer. French researchers reviewed the diets of 68,946 middle-aged French adults by questionnaire, assessing how often they reported eating 16 organic foods. The average time on study was 4.5 years, during which time 1,340 cancers developed. Participants who were in the top quartile of eating organic food were 25% less likely to develop cancer over the ensuing years than those in the lowest quartile. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 75% less likely in the organic food eaters, and postmenopausal breast cancer was 21% less likely. I’ve…

…pure, traditional English Devon heifer. She’s out of a very famous English line…one that we fell in love with when we saw a Bribery heifer on Shiamala Comer’s Ashott Barton farm in Somerset. This heifer came 10 days early and is a few pounds lighter than I’d like. (BW 59 pounds) But my prediction is she’ll grow up and hit our target for a two year old heifer when she’ll be bred. I base that not only on her genetics but that recipient cow watching over her. THF 257 was Wooz’ favorite…and a steady performer. I think maybe 257 wanted baby on the ground before she got too heavy. Can…

I visited the American Heart Association website recently and it recommends getting 5 to 7% of our daily caloric intake from saturated fat. This would be the equivalent of a 1 oz cube of cheese. This perspective perpetuates the idea that saturated fat in the diet leads to high cholesterol, which leads to heart disease. A large review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2014 found no link between dietary saturated fat and heart disease. In 2016, researchers reviewed data from over 40 countries and concluded that there was no link between red meat and heart disease. The problem is not red meat; it’s the high glycemic carbohydrates:…

…two hours later. Up and exploring his new world. David

…would be a good name for this just-born English embryo calf. Mom was Tulip, one of the most famous Devon females ever named for a flower. We’re always struck by the deep ruby red coats of the English Devon…at least the pure traditional ones. Compare the coloring to the recipient cow behind her. David

Grandson Church made a quick trip to South Carolina this weekend to complete our herd of pure traditional English Devon cows. TDA 6 should have come north with her herd mates…but she stayed behind at Bill and Nancy Walker’s Century Farm to have a baby heifer. The two curious calves to the left welcoming the newcomers are Thistle Hill veterans. TDA 6 is out of our original Devon cow Cashtiller. This calf’s sire is Victory…out of Buttercup by Falcon. All spotless English Devon pedigrees… almost impossible to find today even in England. That’s why we started archiving the best English bloodlines some years ago…and why today pure, traditional English females…

…and an emotional milestone at Thistle Hill. Just over two years ago, Wooz decided she wanted to take grandson Church to meet our English partners in Traditional Devon. And if, along the way, we discovered a likely cow she planned to make a gift to Church of embryos from that cow. Not surprisingly we found what we were looking for at Shiamala Comer’s Ashott-Barton farm in Somerset. We had to be patient while the young heifer grew up…and then endure disappointment when none of the first four implants “took”. This year we implanted the final four embryos and again two were a failure. But we also learned we had two…

…with “herd bull” tattooed” on their chest. That’s the case with this not-so-little guy who arrived recently. In this picture Equinox is just a few hours old and looking for horizons to conquer. He’s descended from Buttercup, a pure Traditional Devon from Brian Drake’s herd in England. Sadly Brian has now fully retired and dispersed his herd. The sire is TDA Churchill and he goes back to the great English champion Cashtiller, dam of four bull calves that topped the British annual sales. That’s a record that will probably stand forever. Cash, herself, won every Devon show she ever entered! With that much history packed into his 70 pounds, this…

Yes, you heard that right- REVERSAL of dementia. I’ve been listening to some amazing talks over the last few days at the Integrative Medicine Menatl Health Conference here in Dallas.  Yesterday morning, Dr. Dale Bredesen, author of  The End of Alzheimer’s, spoke in two plenary sessions about his pioneering work in reversing cognitive decline with the ReCODE protocol. His case presentations totally undermine the traditional medical model that once you have dementia there is no reversing it. It’s not easy though- not something a single molecule medicine is going to make a significant impact on. It takes a lot of commitment and work on the part of the patient. Dr.…

For the past three weeks, this young heifer has been going off by herself….a sure sign of an impending calf. But once Z103 was sure she had Church’s attention she would slip back into the herd. This morning the game finally ended. Born on daughter Carolyn’s birthday, that’s gotta be her name. But the family is still deciding. Grandpa and sire are both English bulls who certainly have transmitted their deep ruby red hair coat. Wooz nicknamed grandpa “Handsome Ransom”. Over the years, I expect our herd will fill out with his beautiful coloring. David