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Just like the first robins….
….spring brings out the first cattle folk looking to either enlarge or upgrade their herds…or both. Thistle Hill welcomed Connie and John Moelker of Ontario, Canada recently who were making a circuit of US Devon farms. The Moelkers had recently purchased a Devon from the Lakota Bull Test but were now looking for females. After their first inspection, they came back the next day to buy two bred heifers and four open heifers approaching breeding age. John’s comment: “We haven’t seen anything better, anywhere!” The Moelkers not only have ambitious plans for their own herd but want to see Devon more widely used in Canadian cattle circles. We took some satisfaction in…
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Hooray for spring break….
….increasingly we plan our calendar around grandson Church’s school breaks. He can do anything Grandpa ever did…and better. He’s always loved the farm but now his physical ability is catching up with his enthusiasm. On this Spring Break he eschewed the usual Florida getaway of many college students….even a vacation in Sicily….to give us a hand at Thistle Hill. The chores including fence and gate repair, putting out minerals, seeding a recently reclaimed wooded area for pasture (it had grown over with scrub trees), and most important sorting and preg checking cows, then bringing in the bulls. It was a full week of work for a “vacation”. And I’ve by…
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Sunrise over Thistle Hill….
….the cows have the best view Photo by Duane Ard.
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Thistle Hill Alumni Club….
….a bouncing baby boy by Thistle Hill Red Lad. Brooke Henley in Burkittsville, Maryland says he’s “growing like a weed” despite being born in a snowstorm. Brooke and husband, Tom Garnett, are calling him Snowball. Dad is descended from our Watson bull and our first really outstanding cow, R3, who is still producing beautiful calves for us here in Virginia. You’ll want to keep an eye on Tom and Brooke’s “Spring Pastures Farm”.
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Let Spring begin….
….others look for the first robin….or first blade of grass. A cattleman, of course, looks for the first calf. And ours was born overnight to one of our Devon/Senepol dams….the proud papa (though he was a half-mile away in another pasture) was one of our TDA English bulls, Highwayman. Wooz had to go and tell the dad, of course, and swears he was looking very pleased with himself. He’s got a son! Actually, we prefer our calves to be born in the fall, after the summer heat in Virginia. This heifer mama lost her calf last year and we rebred her immediately to keep her from getting too fat.
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Now you have seen everything….
….in England, pink wrap for hay bales….part of the breast cancer awareness campaign. Thanks to Juliet Cleave of Kew Herd in Cornwall for the picture.
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In March….a young cow’s thoughts….
….turn to what it was like last Spring. (Particularly when there’s a forecast of 8 more inches of snow!) Our belle of Cornwall—Juliet Cleave—digs out a picture of last year’s turnout of the Kew herd. Green grass instead of white. Happy Days!
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Meanwhile, back home….
….our English partner, Gavin Hunter, continues to breed exceptional bulls. In fact, he probably sells more Devon bulls than any other breeder. His great cow, Tilbrook Cashtiller, had an unbroken string of three top sellers in the Devon show and sale. And now her daughter, Cashtiller 10th, is carrying the flag. Here’s her son, Tilbrook Oz. The sire was an Australian bull, Bongalabi Atlas.
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Like grandma…like grandson….
….as regular readers know, we’ve been checking the performance of the animals we’ve imported from England via embryo transplants. Our leading lady in England, of course, is Tilbrook Cashtiller…the three-time national grand champion bred by Gavin Hunter. She’s also the dam four years running of the top-priced bulls in the Devon Society’s annual sales. Her son, raised here at Thistle Hill, is TDA Churchill. And now, at just over two months of age, we noticed Cashtiller’s grandson, Thistle Hill Merlin, drudging through yesterday’s blizzard, alongside his mom. She’s Thistle Hill’s Magical 64, who in turn is a daughter of Thistle Hill Magic. Are we on to something? You be the judge. The picture…
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The “romance” of farming….