Room At The Top…
The leadership of the North American Devon Association has been greatly strengthened by the appointment of Kim Miller as the new executive secretary. Miller’s experience in creating a major sustainable agriculture association coupled with President Gearld Fry’s respected 50 years of experience in cattle breeding and animal husbandry and you have the strongest team in association leadership anywhere.
Miller told us he “relished” the opportunity to serve the NADA membership. As he put it:
“The Devon breed provides an answer to the question that grass farmers have been asking for years, ‘When will we have genetically superior grass finishing beef cattle?’ NADA's job is to build both herd numbers and herd quality to play its part in the sustainable food movement. It is a privilege to be part of this endeavor.”
Miller, Fry and the NADA board will be meeting in Kansas City next month, not with any checklist of things that must be done, but to take time to consider where we are and where we’re going. The appointment of Miller came so close to our last deadline, that we couldn’t really do the new man justice. So here is the official bio:
Kim Miller, the new Executive Secretary of the North American Devon Association, has been an organic farmer in southwestern Pennsylvania since 1993.
But Miller today is a farmer in transition, moving from a small grass fed organic beef and pastured poultry operation, to a larger farm and a full-scale cow-calf operation. His new acreage has been home to a conventional Holstein dairy herd but Miller said it is a demonstration of the failed 20th century land grand university paradigm. Despite expert farmers with four generations of experience, the conventional approach with high capital expenditure and purchased inputs finally could not sustain the economic viability of the farm.
Miller, in addition to being on the NADA board, is the past president of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and a member of the Westmoreland Conservation District board, the Smart Growth Westmoreland board and the Green Forge. Under his leadership, PASA became the dominant sustainable agriculture voice in the nation and an organization that has been widely-copied. In his “other life”, Miller has been involved in building and property development, but always with an eye toward conserving land resources and with a careful selection of re-useable construction materials.
Miller says that, while the former owners of his farm have left for “greener pastures”, he and his wife, Diane, plan to develop greener pastures right there by substituting management skill and focusing on sustainable agriculture techniques he has not only practiced for almost 20 years but aggressively preached through PASA.
Devon cattle, he says, will be the centerpiece of his operation. “We see the Red Devon as an answer to the long-standing grass fed production problem of not having animals that are genetically predisposed to maximize their potential on a diet of 100% grass,” he concludes.
As Executive Secretary of NADA, Miller sees himself in a position to help resolve the primary challenge facing the organization: finding and/or creating enough Devon to meet the exploding demand. Miller says that just like most other breeders, he finds the search to find the Devon to build his herd a frustrating experience.
Our Founding Fathers…
Well of the founders of the first Devon Club anyway. ED was rummaging through some old papers and found something really antique: this draft of the first constitution of the American Devon Cattle Club dated March 26,1884. A group of seven men met at a hotel in Pittsburgh and drew up the rules for the new organization. If you wanted to join you had to be recommended by one of the seven and had to have a reputation as a “reliable and careful breeder of Devon cattle”.
The dues would be pretty steep by today’s standards: $50. Using an Inflation Calculator, that converts into $1,099.97 in today’s dollars. They must have thought it pretty steep, too, because they asked for $25 down and a promissory note for $25. A handwritten note on the document in our possession indicates that by the day of the meeting, the board had already called for $10 on the note.
You can read all about the early days by clicking on our new feature Wondering About Devon.
More from Olden Times…
Seems we’re not the only one going through old documents. Board member Steve Campbell of Idaho forwards a poem from the 1850s that in many ways describes standards that are relevant today.
"Farmers Magazine" –A Good Milk Cow
“She’s long in her face, she’s fine in her horn,
She’ll quickly get fat without cake and corn;
She’s clean in her jaws, and full in her chine,
She’s heavy in the flank, and wide in her loin.
She’s broad in her ribs, and long in her rump,
A straight and flat back, without ever a hump:
She’s wide in her hips, and calm in her eyes,
She’s fine in her shoulders, and thin in her thighs.
She’s light in her neck, and small in her tail,
She’s wide in the breast, and good at the pail,
She’s fine in her bone, and silky of skin,
She’s a grazer’s without, and a butcher’s within.”
Starting at the Beginning…
…that’s what Gearld Fry does in his current “Ask Gearld”. Gearld outlines the traits he’d look for in building a Devon herd dedicated to producing Gourmet Beef on Grass. You can read his blog by clicking here.
NAIS Australian Style…
The Australians call it RFID, but it’s pretty much the same as the national animal identification system the government and Big Ag are trying to force on it. Turns out NAIS/RFID is every bit as bad---even worse---than we feared. You can read a report on the talk an Aussie cattleman gave to an American group in Denver recently by clicking here.
Food Safety, American Style…
There’s an old saying: “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” That has been the suspicion all along about the government’s give-away of municipal sludge to be used as farm fertilizer. The grass sure gets green but it masks the hidden danger of heavy metals. Here’s a real-life example of what happened to some farmers in Georgia while the government insisted…and still insists…sludge is safe! (click here)
An Antidote for Troubled Times…
Sure you’re under a lot of stress…what with NAIS, cloned beef, and high prices for just about everything. But ED has the cure: harmonica music! About as welcome as a massed accordion concert, you say. And what’s it doing on a Devon website anyway? Good point, but from time to time ED finds a way to protest his low wages! Turn up your sound and join us in Carnegie Hall. (click here, 8.58 megs, WMV)
Miller Named Executive Secretary…
Kim Miller, of New Alexandria, Pennsylvania has been named to the newly-created position of Executive Secretary of the North American Devon Association. Miller, pictured addressing the 2007 annual meeting of NADA, assumes operational responsibility for NADA, freeing President Gearld Fry for strategic planning. With his wife Diane, Miller farms in Western Pennsylvania and, until recently was the president of the powerhouse Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Under his leadership, PASA, with more than 4,000 members, became the dominant voice for natural agriculture not only in the Keystone State but in the nation.
Tying Up Some Loose Ends…
None Dare Call It Bribery: well maybe ED did, exaggerating only a little. We had been alerted to an item in the Western Livestock Journal that said a major cattle organization had received more than $2-million from the USDA to “promote” the controversial animal identification system. NAIS is supposed to be voluntary, of course, but the Feds have been using everything from subterfuge to arm-twisting to get voluntary cooperation.
Now it appears they’re trying the carrot. Not only did the National Cattle and Beef Association get 2-million bucks in exchange for its support of NAIS, but if you read farther down in the Journal story, you noted that the American Angus Association had some kind of involvement.
Wondering just what kind, ED went Google-ing. Turns out that sometime back there was a press release from USDA announcing a “partnership” with the Angus Association but on the surface it was just a little handshake among friends. The Angus folks also had a little soire announcing the partnership but no mention of any funding.
Going the next step we queried the Angus org on whether any money was involved. Just a little, was the answer from a spokesman. Okay, try again. How much? Like $594,585. Not much by federal program standards to be sure, maybe not much by AAA standards either. But NADA could sure stage a heck of an educational program for a lot less. The money, we’re told will be to “educate” Angus members on NAIS. Apparently Angus breeders are slow learners.
The American Angus Association has another partnership, with ABG, Inc, which makes the NAIS ear tags. But they weren’t willing to provide any details on that.
So it pays to cooperate with the USDA (there’s a bulletin), at least if you’re a big breed association. What if you’re a smaller one, say like the North American Devon Association? Well here the Feds don’t bother with carrots, just the stick. The government is threatening to require us to force our members into NAIS by linking it to the right to maintain a registry.
Devon on Devon: we finally have posted the photo album from Bill’s Most Excellent Adventure in Devon, England. The nattily-dressed gentleman at right demonstrating proper attire when going cattle viewing in Devon is our own Bill Roberts. Bill spent several days last year touring Devon operations in the cradle of the breed but some of the pictures were locked up in his Brownie. Younger readers can go Google to find out what a Brownie is, the rest of us can look at the pictures by clicking here.
New Wrinkles: we finally got around to breaking the Info pages into yearly Archives (you get there by clicking the “button” at the top of this page) but observant eyes may have noticed still another renovation on our home page.
One button is labeled “Wondering About Devon?”. It’s a new section that will be devoted solely to telling the Devon story, the background on our breed and the benefits of using Devon genetics, either exclusively in a pure bred herd or, if you’re a commercial cattleman, the value of putting Ruby Red into your operation.
We debut with a lengthy article by NADA board member Ridge Shinn reviewing the yesterday from days of yore, to the first hoof landing at Plymouth Rock, to the first Rotokawa landing at JFK. Check out Wondering About Devon?
(Incidentally did you know what Rotokawa means? Mrs ED woke up in the middle of the night saying she had figured it out; it meant Red Cow in German. Well I asked our German correspondent and she said no; try Latin. It could mean wheel or better yet, “route”. Her theory: Kawa is in the Nubia/Sudan and the end of an important desert road. Maybe something to do with the African origins of Devon?
(Mrs ED then came up with another theory: maybe it was Welsh or Irish since they populated New Zealand.)
(So we did what we should have done in the first place, ask Ken MacDowall at the Rotokawa farm. His answer: “The word Rotokawa means ‘lake of bitter waters.’ Roto means lake and kawa means bitter water. The lake, which is on our farm, is formed by the oxidation in the iron sand base forming an impervious layer where it meets the clay soil of our front country. The lake is 12 1/2 acres and at the moment has about 1500 ducks and a swan in residence.”)
ED gets the big bucks for checking out stuff like that.
There’s a second new box on our home page, but it’s still under construction. All we’ll tell you now is we’re calling it “NADA U”. You’ll just have to wait for the details. Isn’t reading the Info page an adventure?
Profile: Hi-Gain Ranching
For most of us, the numbers would be over-whelming: 825 mama cows, 67 bulls and 750 stockers, 11,000 acres divided between two operations 160 miles apart in western Canada. You’d think the manager of all that, Brady Wobeser, would look a lot more worn down than this. Brady is also a board member of NADA to keep him occupied in his spare time. You can read the entire story by clicking here.
Dr. Fry, Professor of Epigenetics?
Not long ago we featured an article by NADA president Gearld Fry on the many influences on a calf from the time of conception. What was ground-breaking about the article was Fry’s thesis that the influences started a long time before that. ED’s daughter, Dr. Carolyn Matthews, a cancer surgeon at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, quickly disabused us of the idea that Fry was off on another tangent.
Turns out there is a whole field in medicine working under the heading “Epigenetics”. There, too, the argument is we’re not only what our grandmother ate and what she smoked but apparently what pasture she hung out in. We’re going to have to reconsider the old argument over whether heredity or environment is the greater determinant. Turns out that to a large extent, they’re the same.
Meanwhile, I guess we’ll have to call him: Gearld Fry, PhD.Ep. Sounds even better than being a professor of animal “science”.
Best Photos of 2007…
…okay, we’re a little late. But lot’s been happening recently. So finally here is an album of fun, interesting and inspiring pictures of our fellow travelers on this planet.
***
The Feds and Bribery…
“Bribery”, seems to be the right word for it, and that’s how the USDA is getting the “voluntary” help of the major cattle organizations for its animal identification scheme (NAIS). The Western Livestock Journal reports that the government has given the National Cattle and Beef Association $2.1-million to promote NAIS.
Among those organizations who are also in on the deal: The American Angus Association. Surprise! You can read the editorial by clicking here.
Now you might ask why an organization which already is supporting NAIS needs $2.1-million of our money? Or why big cattlemen who already get a price break at the expense of the little guy under the NAIS regs, should get this extra dough? You might ask, but then ED would have to label you a cynic. Let’s just say two-million bucks will buy a lot of ear tags!
We had missed the USDA announcement when the American Angus Association joined the Feds NAIS club. But after a little Google-ing, sure enough we found joint press releases back in August announcing the “partnership”. No dollar-amount was mentioned but the program was described as follows:
Under the agreement, educational efforts will include on-site educational discussions through the Association’s Outreach Seminars and other educational programs, print advertising, direct mail as well as e-mail communications. In addition, with the assistance of ABG, Inc., online training programs will be available to cattle producers across the nation. The online program will describe the value and benefits of registering premises and the steps necessary to complete an enrollment.
Whether it was just for fun or that the old reporter in him answering the bell, ED has sent a query to the Angus people asking if they’re getting any grant, bribe or other consideration for their cooperation. Oh, and also what form of “assistance” they’re getting from ABG, Inc., manufacturer of all things NAIS.
We’ll let you know the answer, but none of us should hold our breath!
Sometimes You Gotta Wonder…
Candy Brisendine of Lennon, Michigan writes in reaction to Joel Salatin’s guest blog about his battle with Whole Foods. Candy says it’s not only big corporations that just don’t get it. You would think in Michigan…home to some wonderful apples…the State Farm Bureau would support a state industry. It’s probably too much to expect the Farm Bureau to support organic farming. Here’s Cathy’s letter:
Michigan Farm Bureau hosts a dinner every year at our county fair for members. This year the caterer supplied apples that were imported from Washington State. Our family buys organic apples from a local orchard that is exploring new ways to control disease in their crop using natural methods. This year they did research with pigs being turned in under the trees to eat the fallen apples and break the life cycle of the pests that would use them to hatch their young. Why Michigan Farm Bureau doesn't support local Michigan agriculture and make use of the healthy food we have right here is beyond me. So the problem isn't limited to Whole Foods.
Some New Wrinkles…
…on our webpage. You’ll notice that we’ve added a button above that says “Archives”. And that’s what it links to; the beginning of one anyway. We’ve had several complaints that the Info page takes too long to load when you’re still stuck with one of those old-fashioned telephone connections.
The first step was to break out and separate the first two years of postings. Frankly, we were surprised at the amount of material there. From this time forward, we’ll break down the months and eventually get around to a topic index. Any volunteers?
The Archives also will soon include past blogs and Ask Gearld’s and Profiles.
Finally we have a new feature we’re anxious to debut; hopefully within a month. But this one is a bit more technically challenging…it’s still got a few bugs…and, of course, we don’t use pesticides.
Our Pic of the Month…
…is entitled (not facetiously) “Spring Returns to Trinity C Ranch”. We wrote that because this snow picture was taken after a serious thaw. There used to be four feet of snow on the ground at Steve and Debra Campbell’s ranch in High Meadows, Idaho. How these calves---out of Rotokawa 861----managed in that much snow is something we hope Steve will explain.
Oh, and speaking of the future, as we were above, this week we also received a set of pictures showing Devon and Devon-influenced cattle at Hi-Gain Ranches near Westminster, Canada (yes, plural; two operations 160 miles apart!). The ranches will be featured in a Profile that will be posted soon. Hi-Gain is an 11,000-acre family operation whose latest generation is Brady and Shauna Wobeser. Well, not quite the latest. The Wobesers have two little cowpokes!
NADA has members who breed and enjoy Devon in all kinds and sizes of operations. From the Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch (see below) with 5 pure bred Devon to Hi-Gain Ranch with 700 cattle, this Association is a diverse bunch with one thing in common: a love and appreciation of Devon!
An Important Trend…
…not really a change of subject, but ED read an article once on page make-up. Devon were right there for the opening of the Western Frontier. They were, after all, the oxen which hauled most of the wagons. But Devon disappeared over the years, as the ranchers were sucked into the Industrial Ag paradigm: the bigger they are and the more grain you can pump into them, the better.
Now however Devon are reappearing in the bigger operations, first as crosses to improve the Angus, Shorthorns and others already there. But increasingly, among ranchers who are developing grass fed herds as a part of their bigger picture. That’s where you can expect to see geometric growth of Devon in the very near future.
A number of NADA members are positioned to benefit from the coming boom…men like Brady Wobeser in Canada, who we mentioned above, Steve Campbell in Idaho, Glenn Barlow in Wyoming, Dave Mannix in Montana and Kelly Heaton in Utah. ED apologizes to anyone he’s left out; we’ll do an article soon and try to hit everyone. But while these Western cowboys are operating on a far larger scale than those of us with “Big Hats” back East, we have things to learn from each other. More than that, the success of Devon long run is absolutely linked to the success of the large Devon ranches out West.
We’re rooting for them. They’re the advance guard!
Profile: Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch
It may not be far from herb to herbataurus in the dictionary, but it was a long trip for Pam and John Trent before finally coming to ground on the family farm near Mineola, Texas. The journey from Texas (John) and Louisiana (Pam) included a detour through the oilfields (oil platforms?) of Norway.
The Trents are another important part of the total Devon picture. Read their Profile by clicking here.
The Norman Rockwell Life…
Now we don’t want to give you the impression that life is always idyllic on the farm. At least in the more sophisticated European agricultural communities, passion can get out of hand. We are indebted to our German correspondent for the cartoon.
First You Tell ‘Em…
…you’re gonna, tell ‘em, then you tell ‘em, and then you tell ‘em what you told ‘em. That old admonition, generally attributed to a southern preacher, is good advice to all of us selling grass fed beef. It’s natural (ahem) to get bored telling the same old story, but it takes repetition both to educate and to sell.
Most consumers still haven’t gotten the word about grass fed beef. Of course, neither have most farmers. But here are the basics once again…5 reasons why grass fed beef is best…thanks to Mother Earth News.
1. Grass-fed beef is low in saturated fat, yet high in omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, vitamin E, folic acid and antioxidants. Conjugated linoleic acid, thought to reduce the risk of breast cancer and diabetes, also is higher in pastured beef.
2. Grass-fed cattle don't require regular administration of antibiotics to combat the spread of infection that is common in densely packed feedlots. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 70 percent of the antibiotics and similar drugs produced in the United States are used on livestock, creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria that health facilities are finding hard to treat.
3. Grass-fed beef production practices do not typically include the injection of hormones to spur growth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six different kinds of steroidal hormones for use in food production, according to a report from Cornell University, and many are concerned that these pharmaceuticals increase the risk of breast cancer and reproductive problems in humans. (Wildlife, too, is affected; the hormones are present in cattle waste and end up in creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds.)
4. Grass-fed beef is much less likely to harbor acid-resistant E.coli. A diet consisting primarily of grain creates an acidic condition in a cow's digestive system, and the bacteria that survive this pH level are resistant to a human's stomach acid. The result is not pretty. However, a natural diet of grass does not create this acidic environment, and study after study has confirmed that there is much less E. coli in grass-fed meat products.
5. Grass-fed cattle herds have never been affected by Mad Cow Disease. Large confined feeding operations will add just about anything to the feed they use in order to produce the most weight gain in the shortest time possible. Sometimes this includes processed cattle brains, which is how the disease is spread.
Bulletin: The biggest meat recall ever...and the meat was destined for
kid's schools. The government says the health risk was "small"...but still
there were some pesky videos. You can read the details by clicking here.
What’s a Devon Bull Worth?
It was only a few months ago that we were excited that Devon cows, at our first Select Sale, averaged almost $5000 in auction. Now comes word that the host farm for that sale, Harrier-Fields, has just concluded the successful sale of two bulls for $8,000….each!
Buyer in the sale, facilitated by NADA president Gearld Fry, was Greg Hickl of Harvey, Arkansas. Greg and his wife, Lavonne, are fairly new to Devon circles but they’ve embarked on an aggressive breeding program as evidenced by the two bulls pictured below.
Abraham…
Abraham was sired by Rotokawa 688 and his dam was Harrier Fields November Glory, who is out of the Buckeye line on her dam’s side while her sire was 688, too. This is the kind of line breeding Fry says produces exceptional results and guarantees the right kind of offspring.
Joshua…
Joshua was sired by Rotokawa 974 and his dam was Grantland Glory, another in the Buckeye line. Like Abraham, Joshua is exactly two years old and ready to earn his keep.
Not everyone is happy with high prices for Devon. Read “A Warning to NADA ” by scrolling down just a little way.
Whatever Happened to Angus?
By coincidence we recently ran across two pictures that sparked that question. The first picture is 40 years old; of the Grand Champion Angus Bull in the 1965 American Royal. Clearly ready to go to work, too.
For comparison, we then saw this top-of-the-line bull in the new catalog of Wehrman Angus, one of the leading suppliers of animals to the commercial cattle industry.
What’s In a Name?
Well if the name is Angus and you’re a television anchorman, the pronunciation can be a daunting task. As a former one of that particular breed, ED is just a little sympathetic. This anchorman is fortunate he didn’t have to pronounce “Devon”.
Video (WMA File - 1.12MB)
Whole Foods – Friend of the Small Farmer?
That’s a question Polyface Farm’s Joel Salatin deals with in a blistering open letter to the supposed natural foods retail chain. A few of our own members have had similar problems with Whole Foods but were just a bit more circumspect in their stories. Joel burns bridges as well as Whole Foods in his guest blog. (click here)
At the recent meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, we were amused by the donation of the multi-million dollar leader in the natural foods industry….to help support the cause they sent some coffee! Not exactly native Pennsylvania farm fare.
If You Don’t Have Time…
…to read Michael Pollan’s new book “In Defense of Food”, you can access a pretty good summary by the author himself by clicking here. It’s interesting that in this essay Pollan makes no mention of the concerns he expressed about meat in the book itself. It’s interesting, too, that one reader slams Whole Foods. It seems the retail chain, which has based its sales on healthy food, has public relations problem. The comments after the essay drew the usual crowd of radical vegan/vegetarian “foodies”, but there are several favorable recommendations, particularly on grass fed meat.
A Warning to NADA…
A member of NADA wonders just how friendly the Association is to the small farmer, at least one who uses Devon genetics but is not interested in the pure bred variety. He’s Pat Kilcoyne (who you may remember was featured in our item about the contrasting worlds of two cattlemen) and is worried about the future course of NADA and the Devon breed. He suggests that many smaller, commercial farmers can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars for their bulls. We quote him at length:
My belief is that not everyone can afford a
$5,000 animal. If the breed is to be a success and
the Association is truly for the small farmer, then we
should possibly look at having a Devon grade sale (this
Fall) but have criteria set for acceptance to the sale.
I am one who gets turned off from papers dictating the
quality of an animal. I am in a business where I don't
eat the papers. We have a small number of Devon breeders
up here and none of us has papered animals. I know you
feel that papers are proof of purity but does it
always prove top quality? I am big on artificial
breeding. Even though they don’t have papers, I have some top animals
and from the photos I saw in the past sale, I believe mine are as
good or better.
The Association has to realize that if you’re going to
be a success, you can’t only cater to the people who could
afford to buy the $5,000 animals but help we small people
who bought the best we could afford. I feel there should be
a part for us also maybe at the end of the Select Sale.
We farmers are going through tough times and if NADA
can't figure out how to help the grade breeders then maybe
NADA isn't the association for me.
I just worry that the Devon could end
up the way the Angus breed went, too large to be
practical. I know because I bought Angus from a top breeder
in N.Y. state and have been breeding my Angus down to
an efficient-sized animal ever since. I see the
potential in the Devon breed as pure or crosses and if
it’s the mission of the Association to bring back small
farm viability then we should work for all Devon
breeders and not only the cream.
I plan on covering 80% of my Angus to Devon again this
year because I like what I see. The carcass data from
Hardwick beef also has played heavily with my breeding
Decisions.
Thanks, Pat
Thank you, Pat. We appreciate the time you took to produce your thoughtful letter and it’s been forwarded to the Board. President Fry already has commented that you make some valid points and they must be considered.
ED would add several general comments:
1.) Certainly papers are not a guarantee of the quality of an animal but they offer the best guide for those who are interested in the purity of the breed. The strength of Devon today is precisely in the purity of its gene pool when compared to other breeds. To that extent, papers are indeed an indicator of performance.
2.) We see no evidence in our travels that Devon are going toward the leggy, slab-sided monster cow that has so crippled the Angus breed in recent years. (see above). Pat made the right decision introducing Devon into his Angus herd.
3.) As to publicizing the top prices Devon have brought, it is our view that the breed has suffered for many years from a serious case of what the psychologists call “low self-esteem”. Publicizing those big dollar sales is one way of letting the rest of the cattle world know that Devon is a force to be reckoned with. We live in a society in which money talks! And not incidentally the prices at these sales are a rising tide that lifts all herds, and even those of the small farmer.
4.) We are all in a “branding” game. No better example is Certified Angus Beef, which, despite the decline of the quality of meat from that breed, has hung on to its claim on the consumer simply because of its promotion machine.
5.) NADA’s programs are all aimed at the sustainable, grass fed cattle producer and the lessons apply to Devon and non-Devon breeder alike, whether large or small. This website is read by more than 7,000 individuals every month; clearly only a fraction are Devon breeders but our surveys indicate most are farmers. Our annual meeting last year drew as many non-Devon people as NADA members. Actually, Gearld Fry’s perspective pertains to all cows and the standards he proposes apply to all breeds. Those standards not only identify the attributes which result in the best, most efficient, most fertile animal…but the best meat. All these are exactly what Pat wants…in his Devon crosses and from NADA.
Again, we thank Pat for provoking this discussion and the one which will take place in a future Devon board meeting. We’re also interested in your point of view.
The Prophet….
…that’s what Gourmet magazine calls Wendell Berry of Henry County, Kentucky. Gourmet does a delightful profile of the man who “was preaching the gospel of small farms and local foods when Michael Pollan was still in knee pants”. The 73-year old Berry’s critiques of the get-big-or-get-out school of industrial farming are summed up in his phrase “farmer-killing and land-killing”. He is fond of calling agribusiness the “pornographers of farming”. It’s worth getting a copy of the February issue to read the whole thing.
But What About Horses…
….you ask. Well you haven’t, but NADA board member Bill Roberts assures us this video will shake you to the very top of your riding boots. Frankly, ED thinks it is much less exciting than watching grass grow, but here for the initiated is a perfect example of “freestyle reining”. (click here)
NADA Fills the Bill...
Members of NADA provided most of the expertise for the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture(PASA) recent program on grass fed beef. The sold-out meeting forced some of the attendees to sit on the floor as they listened to straight talk on everything from selecting, managing your animals to selling natural beef.
NADA board member Ridge Shinn began the program with an excellent survey of what it means to be a grass fed beef producer. Shinn didn’t pull any punches in talking about self-styled grass fed producers who still insist on feeding grain in the last 60 days, saying that practice eliminates the very real health benefits of their meat. Shinn said being “sorta grass fed is like being sorta pregnant”.
Another NADA member, butcher Mike Debach of Leona Meats in Troy, Pennsylvania gave a treatise on how meat should be presented to customers. Debach said grass fed producers should focus on the unique nature of their beef and not whether it grades choice or prime. He added that while intra-muscular fat is not as noticeable in grass fed beef, it is certainly there in the grain. Debach noted that he has never seen a grass fed dark-cutter.
After lunch, Jim Gerrish finally finished a two-day journey out of the snows of Idaho to arrive at the conference, take a quick shower, and appear at the podium. Jim noted that during one airport layover he mentioned to a fellow traveler that he was a pasture consultant and the woman launched into a lecture on the benefits of grass fed beef. Not many years ago, he said, such a discussion would have been unthinkable.
Jim was followed by Heather and Don Minto of Rhode Island, who are pioneers in the grass fed business. Their Watson Farm is not only a working Devon farm but an important historic tourist attraction in their state. The Mintos are making history of their own, developing a strain of Devon directly descended from the celebrated Potheridge President, a Devon bull that dominated all breeds in the 1960s. The Mintos, incidentally, will be hosting the NADA annual meeting in October at their farm, which is located on an island just off Newport.
NADA member Dr. Sue Beal was instrumental in putting the program together and she kept things moving through not only the string of experts but the “seasoning” offered by three farm operators. Near the end, the entire audience was brought into the program with a give and take among the attendees on the issues that had been raised.
NADA president Gearld Fry was assigned the job of putting everything in perspective. He provided his own thoughts on what he had heard through the day. Fry urged producers in the grass fed field to avoid the USDA grading trap as they had stayed away from the EPD trap. He said farmers need to focus on the quality, taste and health of their beef; to switch the discussion to the unique flavor of their meat much like French wine- makers differentiate their wines based on the “terroir”, the land on which they grow their grapes.
More on Terroir…”tare-WAHR”…
While Fry avoided the word, too high-falutin for a country boy from Arkansas, he is definitely onto something. Clearly grass, but also soil, environment, genetics and management techniques can all affect the flavor of food and our “terroir” is a unique selling advantage we all have, particularly when marketing locally.
And both NADA and PASA are strong advocates of locally-produced food. It’s a key point made by the Weston Price organization, too. Consumers are increasingly demanding not only natural food; they want to know the story behind what they’re eating as well. You, your farm, your animals, your philosophy are all a part of the story they are anxious to hear.
That is neatly summed up in the word “terroir”. And the Washington Post had an article on the approach not long ago. (click here)
Fry continues to amaze with the important, and yet highly-individualistic, approach he takes to animal husbandry. This terroir business is only the latest example. He recently startled a veteran cattleman and NADA member in a farm visit with his insights, down to identifying the pregnant cows in the herd without getting close to them. As this cattleman put it:
Gearld came to the farm Friday morning. Spent the better part of the day looking at cattle and discussing everything from A to Z. It was a real treat to visit with Gearld for that long one on one. He is a national treasure on cattle, land, forage and the motivation of man.
Being associated with Gearld, being stimulated and challenged by the man, is one of the privileges of being a member of NADA.
Nurturing Your Terroir…
Earlier we mentioned PASA and the Weston Price Foundation as organizations that have inspired NADA. We should also add Holistic Management International to the list of organizations doing important work that you should be monitoring. You can check their website by clicking here and you’ll want to add it to your list of favorites.
Currently we have the Alan Savory classic “Holistic Management, A New Framework for Decision Making” on our bed stand as nighttime reading and ED has vowed that some day he will find the time to take the HMI course. But, meanwhile, in the recent issue their publication In Practice, you can find a kind of short course for grazing in line with HMI principles. (click here- Page One, Page Two)
Lest We Forget…
…certain battles are on-going. Like cloning, labeling, the farm bill and…NAIS. For those of you who have come late to the controversy over the government’s National Animal Identification System, Jim Spinner of Elm Creek Ranch near Raddison, Wisconsin passes along what might be called a primer on the plan. It’s a brief video that will bring you up to speed (or refresh your memory). Watch it by clicking here.
Another Primer for the Uninitiated…
At that PASA meeting, Ridge Shinn noted that about 25% of the population now “gets it”…they want natural food with a story behind it. That still leaves a lot of people in the dark. However, even that is changing. NADA member David Hawkins of Emerald Glen Farm near Munfordville, Kentucky spotted an item in the March issue of Consumer Reports that carries the message to an important segment of the marketplace. (click here)
Finally, Moose in the Nooz….
…we meant it as a play on the words, “moose in the news”, but “noose” isn’t far off either. Bill Roberts is our moose correspondent and he came up with the picture below. The big moose was nosing around in cable that was stretched out on the ground outside Fairbanks, Alaska. When the crew pulled on the tension the moose found himself suspended high in the air. Fortunately, the line crew discovered their catch in time…eased off on the cable….and lowered the moose safely to earth.
When he got back to his family, that moose had quite a story to tell. But when he got home, Mrs. Moose had a story to tell, too. She had given birth to Baby Moose right on the front lawn of a suburban house in Alaska. We’re told the proud parents don’t seem to mind that their offspring doesn’t linear measure all that well.
