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Call me Brexit?
Just a thought after all the hoops we had to jump through to get this little girl and her sister out of England. We spotted her granddam years ago but her owner—-Shiamala Comer—-didn’t like the wear and tear flushing eggs put on a cow. Fast forward 10 years and Wooz finally convinced Shiamala to sell us a Bribery heifer. That she was to be a gift to grandson Church and that this would be Wooz’ last trip to England secured the deal. Still we had to wade through a ton of export paperwork while we waited for our heifer to grow up. Finally we flushed her to one of our…
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Best meat in the world…
…well even we wouldn’t go that far! But one of customers wrote that on his check last weekend. Church didn’t notice the comment until later. But thank you John and Robin L! Maybe no better meat in the world? David
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Chip off the old block…
…D168 is just four…a lovely blend of English and American genetics. Dad is our English Highwayman from the Ashott Barton and Cutcombe lines. Again we’re pleased to see the deep ruby red coloring of the English Devon passed on to the next generation. The female side is thanks to the Lenoir Creek and Lakota herds. Coincidentally, we just sold the 14-year old dam of this young cow. One of the things we like to emphasize at Thistle Hill is longevity. A 14-year old is by no means our oldest. Just the other day a 19-year old quietly went to sleep and didn’t wake up. She had been a wonderful stress-free…
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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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A gift to us…
…from us. What Santa left under our tree. A new 24-foot Wilson cattle trailer! Needed with Church increasing our bull leasing and seed stock sales. Oh, not to mention more frequent trips to the butcher. Our old trailer…16-feet and bumper mounted…had been driven into the ground. A goose-neck with excellent tracking was clearly called for…particularly on some of the mountain roads we have to navigate. So if you’re in the market for animals get in touch with us quickly while delivery comes in a bright new and clean trailer! David
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Our Christmas child…
..on the home page is descended from the historic Cutcombe line in England. In fact, his sire was Thistle Hill Cutcombe…an embryo import. Cutcombe genetics bred by Margaret Elliott played a key role developing our pure traditional English Devon line which now numbers 16 females and 7 males. Ten years ago, after being impressed by several bulls with Cutcombe in their pedigrees, we had to track down their breeder. Margaret did not disappoint! A small powerhouse of a woman, she had made a major impact at a time when cattle breeding was a male-dominated world. When her animals were not in the show ring, she was there herself as a…
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What were the odds…
…with four daughters what were the odds they would all marry men who love to cook? I’m a lucky guy and am particularly blessed when Thistle Hill can supply the entree! Son-in-law Curt Humphreys demonstrates what a pork loin should look like: perfectly pink. You won’t find flavor like this at a supermarket. Curt did a simple topping of garlic and rosemary and a few fresh mushrooms. David
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An alternative view…
Joel Saladin has been in the forefront of the battle for natural food…particularly pastured meats. His Polyface farm down the nearby Shenandoah Valley is a kind of Mecca for farmers and foodies alike. In a recent blog, Joel opens another controversial topic: why the explosion in Alzheimer’s in our society? The real villain may be: Grain…and Vegan-ism! https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog2/12/12/2019/alzheimers-is-not-genetic David
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Parade of (baby) bulls…
…features three of the yearling bulls we’re holding back to see how they develop. The first is the final pairing Wooz selected on her last trip to England. His dam comes from the famous Tulip line. The breeder resisted collecting her and after some to and fro, we bought her outright! Then we had to figure out the complexities of owning a single cow…both physically and legally. We are greatly indebted to Tilbrook’s Gavin Hunter for providing the umbrella and eventually the transport to the clinic where Tulip was flushed to Cutcombe Jaunty. Gavin also arranged a permanent home for Mom. Too bad we couldn’t have arranged a Thistle Hill…
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King David on assignment…
…we’re fortunate to have some cooperative farmers to handle our heifers (and keep them away from the bulls)! But this is NOT that time of year. Here is the King (2nd from right), a half English Devon bull from the old Essington Park herd, and his harem of eight English and American heifers. Between munches he can be heard saying “tough work but somebody’s got to do it”. If you’ve been wondering: yes there’s a plan in our breeding. We start with the heifers and then the artificial insemination before moving to the main herd. That spaces the calving so we are generally watching the right cows at the right…