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Parade of bulls….Esprit….
Esprit….aka 180-6…is the result of a mating between our “wow cow”, as one cattleman called her, and the famed Rotokawa 688. Frankly, he was slow to mature but now we’re glad we waited. He’s not quite two he has a lot of growing still to do. We like the combination of Rotokawa genetics with some of our best cows. They seem to do best in the Virginia heat. His dam, Lakota 180, consistently produces our top bulls. Esprit is polled and was bon in October 2011.
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Parade of bulls….Red Lad….
Red Lad….known as X3 in the registry…is another descendant of Rotokawa’s 974. “Lad” is six months to a year or more younger than the other bulls you’ve seen so far in the parade. But we think he is in line to take over the job when U2 moves on. The dam is one of our top 5 cows….R3….who I saw being calved years ago while visiting Lakota Farms. I claimed her on the spot and Jeremy Engh made good on his promise and delivered her six months later despite Dad’s opposition. Year in and year out, R3 produces outstanding animals and two of her daughters are in our main herd. From…
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Parade of bulls….Oh My….
At least this name makes sense! “Oh My“….actually 688-6….is an impressive 30-month old line bred bull. Son of the famed Rotokawa 688 out of a 688 daughter, R6, the star of our herd. R6 has produced more calves, and more winning calves, than any other at Thistle Hill. And she has some stiff competition. Oh My may look massive in this picture, but like all Thistle Hill animals, he’s actually moderate-sized. And he has been de-horned.
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Parade of bulls – Double Trouble
First of all, don’t ask me about the name, entirely inappropriate for this gentle four-year old. Wooz named him and says “no reason, I just called him that”. Are you married? Anyway, Double Trouble….formally U2….is a grandson of Rotokawa 974 and he’s given us a string of wonderful calves, male and female. With as many daughters as he has in our herd, this is probably his last breeding season. And that decision is made easier, knowing that he has a son coming along. Mom is an excellent Lakota cow that I stole from the Enghs when they were distracted. If I was forced to sell all but five of our cows,…
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Parade of the bulls….”Jackpot”
“Jackpot“…or W18…is approaching three and the Crown Prince of Thistle Hill. We’d anoint him number one but it seems more fitting that we should, at least, see the kind of calves he sires. The first ones are due in October. The sire is Rotokawa 243, who Ken McDowall describes as his “final and best bull”. And who are we to argue? The dam—Q18—has consistently produced our top bulls and heifers. She was selected as one of four cows to serve as recips for our English embryos and at Thistle Hill being chosen as a recip is our top honor, particularly for those expensive English embryos. She didn’t let us down and…
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Parade of the bulls….
For the next few days we thought we’d highlight some of the bulls in our Thistle Hill inventory. The three bulls at the front of the parade here are just about two years old. “Tail end Charlie” is not a runt. He’s not even a year old and knows his place in the pecking order. We’re indebted to Ken McDowell not only for his Rotokawa bulls but for the counsel he has provided on his many visits to Thistle Hill. We’ve combined Rotokawa genetics with our best females to produce animals that we think are particularly suited for American pastures. All Thistle Hill bulls come with a money back guarantee…a…
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The Thistle Hill alumni club…..
….well, half of her anyway. This beautiful heifer is the daughter of Thistle Hill’s Magic out of 12 Stones Grasslands Beef’s Hope. The combination was put together by Regina and Tom Tesnow at Tomina farms in Tennessee. I repeat, Tennessee! Tomina Farms has quickly come to the front rank of Devon breeders in just a few years and we’d like to think we’ve played a small part in their success.
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All in the family….
….keeping with the theme of the earlier post. Our “big city” nieces are a delight: pretty, smart, and lots of fun. Keira’s 2nd grade project was to report on someone who is a Community Helper….and I am proud to say she chose a farmer. Actually, specifically her Uncle Dave! Sister Quinn is the other half of this “dynamic duo”. I won’t say it’s been a long time since we’ve seen them, but it was back when I had hair!
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A VIP visitor….
…great-grandson Rowan dropped by to check the cows and pigs…and have some ice cream. (He brought his own peanut butter sandwich.) At two, I think he’s ready to pick up some chores but you can tell Wooz wants to coddle him awhile longer. Rowan has a baby brother now….but he’s stuck in the premature nursery at the hospital. At 3-pounds-8 ounces, Lachlan has got some catching-up to do!
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Myth busting – Part 3….
….I’m from the government and I’m here to protect you. Bt toxin has been around for a long time; a major ingredient in pesticides farmers use on crops such as corn. But those clever folks at Monsanto developed Genetically Modified Corn that puts the Bt toxin right in the seed. Well, along with all the reservations about GMO food, some experts worried that it would only be a matter of time before those clever bugs developed a resistance to Monsanto’s “wonder seed”. Even the government’s own advisory panel argued against the product but, of course, the USDA ignored it’s own experts and sided with Monsanto. So now, the expected as…