Why is it so important that we put Devon back in our pastures?

There are more reasons than I can list here. And others would have even longer lists of their own. But if I was going to sum up my answer in a single sentence it would be:

Because the consumer deserves a healthy and delicious eating experience and no animal is better equipped to provide it naturally than Devon!

We don’t know how long Devon have been around but they were certainly noted about 2500 years ago. That makes them an “aboriginal” cattle meaning they were native to the area where they developed. More important, while most of the other breeds have been diluted and “hybrid-ized” through the centuries, Devon have come to us with their genetics intact.

In 18th century England, Devon were known as the “butcher’s choice” because of their taste, tenderness, texture and juiciness. So when they called the honor guard at the Tower of London “The Beefeaters”, they were talking about Devon and it was a name of honor. It was grass fed Devon that became the standard of taste and excellence…the finest meal you could enjoy….throughout the western world right up until the end of World War II. That’s when the American cattle industry, confronted with the need to use up corn surpluses, the need to increase the herd by breeding everything in sight to everything else, to rush maturity and jam feedlots with sickening cattle that the market changed.

Consumers here could no longer be sure of a consistent, quality product. They got accustomed to the taste of the corn fed animal to the point that some now say grass fed beef “tastes funny”. (In New Zealand, they say our corn fed beef tastes funny.)

But a not so funny thing happened on the way to the table. We were producing beef that had not only lost its flavor, we were producing beef that became linked with serious health problems. The rush to produce “to fit the box” had left cattlemen in a box.

Fortunately, Devon breeders did not participate in the corn feeding frenzy. And so we are positioned to not only rescue consumers but American agriculture. A recent speech by a Clemson university researcher puts it in a nutshell. I encourage you to read the remarks by Dr. Susan Duckett in a speech in Nebraska just posted on our Info Page.

Grass fed beef offers a superior, and healthy eating experience and Devon, because of its original and pure genetics, performs better on grass and fits more environments than any other breed in America. Most breeds have been so “hybrid-ized” that they simply cannot finish on grass without giving up a good eating experience. And that’s why I am so opposed to what some call “up-breeding”….crossing Devon with other breeds to create what I call “instant Devon”. The North American Devon Association is the only association totally committed to keeping the breed pure.

There are no shortcuts to excellence! Devon has the genetics; they don’t need to borrow from another breed to offer the best, most healthful eating experience.

If you’d like to Ask Gearld a question, just email him at contact@northamericandevon.com