…according to Bill Roberts, a NADA board member, there’s just one thing: not enough of them!
Bill has been the most active of our members in putting cows into our Recovery Registry and, as a result, he has had quite a bit of experience with DNA work. He has two pieces of information he passes along as a result of talking to the scientists at the University of California/Davis, which does the testing.
“Dr. Stefanie Oppenheim called me this afternoon in reference to my questions on the DNA testing. We had a wonderful talk and I was able to apprise her of what we are doing at the NADA and specifically the Recovery Registry. She was very enthusiastic in her support and interested in helping in any way.
“She also gave a bit of information I pass along: DNA hair samples are best made from tail hairs "pulled" not clipped as the root bulbs are the best source for the DNA tested. That is common knowledge. What was a revelation was the fact that once collected, if stored without touching the bulbs with one’s hands and keeping safely in an envelope, the samples are good "indefinitely,"
“This is huge in light of possible parentage questions down the road for a purebred breeder. I plan to place a hair sample in every cows file. If there is ever a discrepancy about parentage while the animal is alive or dead, a sample for parenting match is readily available.”
Bill’s “Viewpoint” this week discusses the shortage of Devon females and you can read his views by clicking here.
But before you go over to our Blogs, you might want to take a look at three generations of cows he has entered in the Recovery Registry. With a paper trail, DNA to confirm the parentage down the line, and pure Devon characteristics these cows are awaiting a final inspection before receiving their certificates. However, it should be noted that those certificates will always contain an identifying “RR”, full disclosure for future buyers.
A Follow-Up…
We recently pointed to Pat Kilcoyne of Brasher Falls, New York as an example of a cattleman on the “go”. Scroll down to “A Tale of Two Cattlemen” for the story. Pat is making the transition to grass fed Devon after years as an Angus breeder. But veteran Devon breeders with larger herds who are looking for marketing ideas may want to check out his website: www.kilcoynefarms.com.
Pat, like Bill Roberts, also has chosen to expand his herd quickly via the Recovery Registry. He already has 20 momma cows going that route. Embryo transfer is also in his plans.
By the way, we understand Pat has an excellent two-year old 688 son for sale as well as several very thick, rising one-year olds by his herd sire. Again the place to look is his website.
A Word of Introduction…
It is not uncommon most days to find that the government, research scientists, or the drug companies have come up with a new curveball to throw at the cattleman. But there has been so much in the past few days coming from so many directions, you almost believe the latest tactic is to confuse us.
The challenges give meaning to the old joke about the three least credible statements you’ll ever hear. Number Three being: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”
The most important development has been the ruling by the Feds that cloned beef is safe. Well, to be entirely accurate, they said it was as safe as other meat. Maybe there’s something hidden in that statement. Anyway, we offer some coverage of what one critic has called the government’s latest “don’t ask, don’t tell” regulation.
Our contributors include NADA board members, our own scientists, and NADA president Gearld Fry. Don’t miss his Ask Gearld column on the subject. (click here)
Almost as troubling, and bidding to become a serious challenge for NADA, is the apparent decision to try still another tactic in pushing NAIS, the National Animal Identification System. They’re going to try to force breed registries to demand NAIS compliance in order to register an animal. Meaning they want us to be the storm troopers!
But before we start all this, let’s pause for a picture to get at least something about Devon in this update.. Two heifers grazing through the snow at ED’s farm. Yes, they will find grass beneath the snow even though they’ve never seen snow before and there’s no one in this pasture to teach them what to do. We checked all our cows after this first snowfall of the season and experienced something that Gearld Fry has coined a phrase for. We don’t want to steal his line, so you’ll just have to read his column. Don’t miss it; it’s vintage Gearld.
Incidentally, to clear up any confusion that may be out there. We received a note recently from a Canadian reader of this website wondering just what kind of Devon a “North American Devon” was. Ain’t no such animal, of course. It is the name of the Association. We support the Red Devon as your best choice for “gourmet beef on grass”.
Now to Work…
The FDA ruled this week that cloned beef is safe, at least as safe as any other meat. There is a world of unintentional meaning in that comparison. Left out is any judgment of just how safe “any other meat” is. For now, we’ll leave out the obviously contradictory evidence about natural beef and stick to the politics of this. As Gearld asks: “How could they possibly know?” Read his reaction to the ruling by clicking here.
Our guest blog is on this subject as well. Mark Kastel is the co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a progressive farm policy research group based in Wisconsin and director of its Organic Integrity Project. Kastel has a number of concerns including the threat of epidemic if this science goes awry. Read his “Realities of Cloning” by clicking here.
We also surveyed several NADA board members. Ridge Shinn in Massachusetts called the ruling “the top of a slippery slope and no one can predict where it will end”. Ridge adds “there are clearly no long term scientific studies on how any of this affects meat or humans.” The words were barely out of Ridge’s mouth when news came that, in fact, they are now cloning human tissue!
Cathy Morris of Nebraska points out that since this only eliminates what has been a voluntary ban, it is likely that cloned meat already is in the food supply. She is particularly worried that labels won’t specify “cloned beef”. In all, Morris accuses the FDA of a rush-to-judgment in ignoring the protests of 30,000 people who took the trouble to file comments with the agency.
Bill Roberts in Tennessee chimes in: “Our previous visit to the ‘freedom of information bank’ on cloning research hosted by the government concluded that 4 to 13% of the genomes in a cloned animal are mutant or irregular causing immuno-suppression, disease and a short life span for that animal. If ‘you are what you eat’, what are people who eat mutant food?”
And if you want to know just what may lie at the bottom of Ridge Shinn’s “slippey slope”, there is this from New Harvest, an organization dedicated to developing meat “substitutes”.
“One novel line of research is to produce meat in vitro, in a cell culture, rather than from an animal. The production of such "cultured meat" begins by taking a number of cells from a farm animal and proliferating them in a nutrient—rich medium. Cells are capable of multiplying so many times in culture that, in theory, a single cell could be used to produce enough meat to feed the global population for a year. After the cells are multiplied, they are attached to a sponge-like "scaffold" and soaked with nutrients. They may also be mechanically stretched to increase their size and protein content. The resulting cells can then be harvested, seasoned, cooked, and consumed as a boneless, processed meat, such as sausage, hamburger, or chicken nuggets.”
A veterinarian who advises cooperative breeders in the Thousand Hills natural beef program, Will Winter of Minneapolis, manages to find a silver lining in all this and it is fitting to conclude with his note:
“Turns out it was a rat veterinarian (yuck, my profession!) in Kansas (yuck, my home state too!) that is contaminating breeding stock all over the nation!
“Here's the good news, like E. coli, Mad Cow, hormone use, antibiotics in meat, lagoon run-off, and other issues, this will help turn more and more people away from commodity meat and towards the sustainable, natural food that we make. We really need to continue our work of DIFFERENTIATING OUR PRODUCT from commodity. We need to add "NO CLONES" to our labels now!
“This is also the time where we can start ANNOUNCING our pride in our genetic programs, declare bovine geneticists like GEARLD FRY as true leaders in the renaissance of elegant and truly safe genetics. Long live the purebred, long live clear-visioned livestock breeders, long live healthy vibrant DNA!”
Now About That Other “Help”…
…from the USDA, where else? A little known regulation implemented just last month included a provision that targets breed associations to be tools of the Feds’ desire to implement the National Animal Identification System. What they want NADA and others to do is require members to supply their NAIS number in order to register their cattle. And the “action date” is not far off.
Here’s what one opposition group---the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture---is telling its members.
USDA plans to use breed associations to force NAIS registrations, beginning as early as March 2008, less than two months from now. USDA's Business Plan calls for breed registries to start using an official Animal Identification Number, or "AIN" in their registry. And since you must first register your property in NAIS before you can obtain an AIN, this could effectively implement the first two stages of NAIS for anyone in those registries! The breed registries for cattle, horses, sheep, and goats are potential targets, but the Plan does not indicate which breed registries have agreed to implement NAIS.
This news arrived literally as NADA’s executive committee was meeting this week and, while there was unanimous opposition to refusing to cooperate with the USDA plan, any formal position will have to come from the full board.
Personally, ED has begun taking defensive measures at headquarters. The chain link fence is almost ready…the Lab has been taking attack training…and Chuck Norris has been contacted about assuming the job of Executive Secretary!
On the Mend…
…Allison White, who served as NADA’S office manager from its inception to the first of the year. Allison underwent four hours of back surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital but is on the road to recovery. It will be a while, though, before she’ll be toting her new baby around. Allison is the secretary of Bakewell Reproductions and most NADA members met this lovely young woman at the annual meeting last weekend when the Field Day tour included Bakewell’s pastures at Hardwick.
Correction…
It was bound to happen. ED made a mistake!
The correct dates for the annual NADA meeting this Fall are October 17-19 in Rhode Island. Please make a note on your calendar and plan to be there. Once again the weekend will be chocked full of information, a farm tour, and the sale of beautiful Devon seedstock. As for his mistake, ED blames the strain of trying to consume too much resveratol. (click here)
A Tale of Two Cattlemen….
Within just a few hours recently, ED had a conversation with two cattlemen and the “Reality” and the “Mood” couldn’t have been more contrasting.
The first was with the manager of the local feed and fertilizer store. When we walked in he was busy preparing a plan to answer one of the epistles from on high: more sales, fewer expenses. Or else. This businessman, who also runs about 100 cows, looked at the scraps of paper spread out before him and admitted he had never been more pessimistic.
“I wonder what’s going to happen in the coming year,” he said. “I don’t see how anybody is going to be able to absorb all these increases.”
A ton of potash, for instance, is up three-fold in just over a year. Same for most of the other fertilizers. And seed for corn and rye has been cornered by all the big operators. Then, of course, there’s the cost of operating all those big tractors in the face of fuel prices.
But my friend glumly concluded that, despite the handwriting on the wall, the typical farmer he knows isn’t ready to change the way he does business. “It’s the way grandpa operated.”
This man’s conclusion: a big crash is coming in farming this year.
Contrast that with the mood of Pat Kilcoyn, a NADA member who raises grass fed beef in upstate New York. Pat says he’s expecting another banner year. He has neighbors finishing his steers, others selling for him at two farmer’s markets, he’s swamped by the demand from restaurants and stores, and he’s working with a distributor to hold down his liability insurance costs as he broadens his customer-base.
Right now, Pat is transitioning to Devon and is excited by the margins he’s looking forward to when he can market Devon, the gourmet beef. ED’s own mood roller-coastered in the short space of those two conversations.
Ranching for Profit’s Dave Pratt discussed what ails the traditional cattle industry in his latest newsletter. It is, he says,
“…the belief in the failed agricultural paradigm that profit is a function of production and prices. Basing their business model on that belief, North American producers have become the most productive and least profitable in the world. Strategies used to increase production usually rely on inputs….Faced with high overheads, farmers and ranchers adopted a “get bigger” strategy to try to recover the higher overheads with greater volume.”
Beef Magazine chimes in with its latest lesson on agricultural economics. Of course things are tough but that’s good…for the big operators.
“In the 1970s, a $30 profit/head for cow-calf producers was enough to trigger expansion. But $30 bought a whole lot more then than it does today, and cows were a lot less, too. Paying 9% interest on a $1,300 cow is a whole lot different than paying 7% on a $600 cow.
“Take a producer who is 60 years old, running 200 cows on a diversified farming operation, and beginning to think about retirement. Let's say he has no children who plan to take over. His $20 profit/head on the cow-calf side amounts to only $4,000. He can't even make payments on a new truck with that.
“Longer term, you'll hear a lot of concern that this downsizing of the industry is a negative. Unquestionably, everyone benefits from a growing and expanding industry, but the industry must respond to the change in the economic structure of our industry and that means a smaller industry.”
I guess I never thought I’d really read a flat-out statement by the Ag Establishment that the downsizing of the family farm is a good thing. We understand that Beef is primarily funded by its big advertisers, not its subscribers. But you do have to wonder who they expect to read their magazine in the future. You can read the whole thing by clicking here.
ED continues to believe that the path to survival for the family farm is sustainable agriculture and, yes, Devon cattle. He also believes it is only the family farm that can be trusted---if it is based on sustainable techniques---to produce a healthy food supply.
Which brings us full circle back to that feed store manager. Underlying his gloom is what other analysts have been saying for some time: the typical farmer would rather do what grandpa did (well maybe more) rather than change. We suppose at least it puts him out of his misery somewhat sooner.
Speaking of Healthy Food…
Two articles continue the debate over “test tube” food…or as the Europeans have dubbed it: “Frankenfood”. Just how safe is cloned beef, for instance? The European Union has blocked not only meat from cloned animals until now…but genetically modified foods as well. That’s been a major problem for American producers. Apparently that’s about to change. (click here)
And Ridge Shinn warns of a “slippery slope” he’s spotted out West: GMO Alfalfa. It’s a double-whammy actually. Not only is the Alfalfa a tribute to modern chemistry courtesy of Monsanto but it’s resistant to Roundup. Until now, we’ve been able to argue that grass fed beef is natural but if the government has its way we’ll have to add the proviso “grass fed is okay as long as it’s not alfalfa”. (click here)
Christmas Cards…
The Christmas tree returned to the forest this week and the Christmas cards were stored away. Two cards caught ED’s eye this year.
NADA member Brian Parke of Gold Bar, WA sent pictures showing the happy integration into his herd of the cows he bought at our annual sale. Brian may now hold the record for the longest trail drive in history (MapQuest says it was 2,867 miles!) on a route that took him through Chicago and right down Michigan Boulevard. That’s not a bad watering hole and Brian writes he’s already planning to make the same trip next year!
And NADA member Cathy Cochran of Palmyra, VA featured a picture of her new calves at Oak Hill Farm. They look a little funny but they linear measure very well. (They’re Tamworth) We thank all of you for the cards. ED thinks he should have his ready within the next month or two.
Congrats…
…to NASA board member Bill Roberts, whose article on Leptin was picked up the Stockman Grass Farmer. Bill’s article, which first appeared on this web page in the Blog Section, details the workings of a little-known benefit of grass fed beef. For those who don’t subscribe to SGF, you can click here.
Time to Decide…
Loma Wright sends along details on the World Devon Congress. The link includes not only the agenda but registration forms. (click here)
The Real Crisis…
It’s not oil or global warming or jihad-ism. According to a leading economist, the real crisis is food. Couple the exploding numbers in the middle class in huge countries like India and China with the energy impact on food production, and there will soon be a demand that can’t now be filled.
That, of course, means trouble for cattlemen dependent on grain and a big opportunity for those whose production is based on grass. Read the article by clicking here.
More About Fat…
Michael Pollan (of Omnivore’s Dilemma fame) and Sally Fallon (head of the Weston-Price Foundation) had something of a dustup recently over the question of fat. Pollan has received some publicity for advocating a meatless diet to prevent things like heart disease. Fallon fired back that, to the contrary, the right fats are good for you. The kind, for instance, you find in grass fed beef.
Now the magazine Men’s Health reviews the evidence and comes down solidly on Fallon’s side of the argument. Thanks to Steve Campbell for the link. (click here)
Some Association Business…
Now that we’ve entered 2008, it’s a good time for a reminder that this is the final year to take advantage of the NADA Recovery Registry. The registry provides a path for animals which are purebred but unregistered Devon to achieve registered status.
This good-looking cow comes from the Womack herd of Louisiana and was purchased recently by Bill Roberts of Tennessee. She is almost-certainly a Devon but we can only say “almost-certainly” because she comes without papers. However, with her new calf, Bill says he now has the three generations necessary to face the final hurdle: the inspection phase. Bill has been aggressively searching out candidates for the Recovery Registry. According to NADA president Gearld Fry there are probably several hundred Devon cows out there which, through the disinterest or carelessness of their owners, don’t have papers.
For more information on the Recovery Registry, click here.
The year 2008 will also see the first election of members of the Board. One-third of the Board will be up for re-election: JJ Barto, Cathy Morris, Jeff Moore, David Schoumacher and Brady Wobeser.
If you would like to nominate a member to stand for election to the Board, simply email contact@northamericandevon.com. And of course you can nominate yourself.
The on-line registry now holds almost a thousand animals but of course we are looking for thousands more. It’s easy and convenient to simply go to the Registry section of this webpage to include your herd. Transfers are inexpensive: just $10!
But if the whole idea of user names and passwords bothers you, you can also register by simply accessing this form (click here) and fill in the blanks. Then you can either email or mail the form to the Association. All the information is right there on the form.
Annual Meeting, 2008…
Dates you’ll want to put into your calendar immediately: October 17-19. That’s when the North American Devon Association will be holding its annual meeting. Host farm this year will be Don and Heather Minto’s historic Watson Farm just outside Newport, Rhode Island.
If you attended this year’s event, you know you’ll want to return in 2008. ED suspects that if you missed the 2007, you’re still kicking yourself! Don’t make the same mistake twice. And keep watching this space for more details.
Moving Day…
The headquarters of NADA move this week to Virginia. Housed at Bakewell Reproductions in Massachusetts since its inception, the Board decided at the October meeting that it was time for the Association to stand on its own and be fully self-supporting.
Thanks to Ridge Shinn and Allison White at Bakewell, not only for minding the store for 15 months, but going the extra mile in the recent snowstorm to smooth the transition to the new “digs”. The records are safely in Virginia as are the recent pending registrations and membership applications. There shouldn’t be much delay if you’re waiting for some paperwork. Our new registrar is Wooz Matthews…and ED vouches for her (or else!).
Also going out this week will be dues reminders. Members who joined in 2006 will be invoiced for only $50 if they pay by February 15th…and members who joined in 2007 will pay no dues at all. Of course, all who would like to make a tax-free contribution to accelerate the promotional work of the Association should certainly feel free to do so. After all, the rent has just gone up!
Here’s all the contact information…change your records please!
The illness of Gearld Fry’s beloved wife, Margie, and the strain it has put on their family has prompted western cattlewoman Mickey Steward to launch a project she has been thinking about for awhile. She thinks there should be a compilation of as much linear measurement data as can be gathered and, as a journalist, she will publish it for the widest possible dissemination.
ED has checked and believes it is worth our cooperation. Here’s her plan:
For several years I have been wanting to put together and analyze livestock data that have been collected according to the Gearld Fry method. If you are willing to send me what data you have along with some general information about your operation, I will retain Gearld to review my results after they are prepared. My hope is to submit an article regarding the Fry method to the Journal of Range Management so it can receive a wider academic audience than it has so far.
I am prepared to pay him $100 per herd to review a paper that incorporates records from 25 herds, so if you do have some data and are willing to share it, please let me know. I plan to send him his retainer immediately so that it can be put to use in the urgent situation his family now finds itself in. I would expect to have the data worked up and the paper prepared for submission by late summer 2008.
If you submit data to be included in the analysis, you would also receive a copy of the paper. Your information will be kept TOTALLY confidential - neither you nor your property will be mentioned by name.
If this idea appeals to you, please contact me. My name is Mickey Steward and my email is seacross@vcn.com. Randy Shinn has already given me the information he has on his cow herd, which has been greatly improved through Gearld's efforts over the years.
Thank you
Mickey Steward
Following in the Footsteps?
Steve Campbell, board member of NADA from Idaho, has come across the description of an association that fore-shadowed our own….by 150 years! From the excerpt it seems clear we are destined (doomed?) to have to re-learn the same lessons. Steve sees the underlined parts as a challenge to NADA today and at the end he also shares a website worth spending some time with.
Among the founders of the Society were many of the best-known landowners and most practical agriculturists of the day. Their association in a common cause carried weight and authority throughout the whole country. Their recognition of their territorial duties and enthusiasm for the general advancement of agriculture were communicated to others, and commanded success by their sincerity. The Society met a recognised want in the right way. It proclaimed the alliance between practical farmers and men both of capital and of science; it indicated the directions in which agriculture was destined to advance. The wise exclusion of politics, though for a moment it threatened to endanger the existence of the new institution, eventually secured it the support of men of every shade of political opinion. By the comprehensiveness, elasticity, and foresight, with which its lines of development were traced, it has been enabled to meet the varying needs of seventy years of change. It has encouraged practical farming on scientific principles; it has also encouraged agricultural science to proceed on practical lines. It has by premiums and pecuniary aid promoted discovery and invention; by its shows it has fostered competition, stimulated enterprise, and created a standard of the best possible results, methods, processes, and materials in British agriculture. Its Journal disseminated the latest results of scientific research at home and abroad, as well as the last lessons of practical experience. In its pages will be found the truest picture of the history of farming in the reign of Queen Victoria. Starting as it did under peculiarly favourable circumstances, and supported by writers like Philip Pusey and Chandos Wren-Hoskyns, it commanded the pens of masters in the lost art of agricultural literature--men who wrote with the knowledge of specialists and with the forcible simplicity of practical men of the world. Without exaggeration it may be said that the general standard of excellence to which farming has attained throughout the kingdom has been to a considerable extent the work of the Royal Agricultural Society. For more than seventy years it has been the heart and brain of agriculture. The local associations which now compete with it in popularity are in great measure its own creations, and it can contemplate with pride, unmixed with envy, the sturdy growth of its own children.
….Margie Fry, the wife of NADA’s president, Gearld Fry, from surgery in a Little Rock hospital. By the time you read this, though, Marie should be back at her home in Rose Bud and Gearld reports she’s quickly regaining strength. An email from Gearld reveals just how many friends this couple has around the world. The “send to” section pretty well fills up a computer screen.
A Sad Note…
Heather Minto’s sister was killed in a freak accident on Long Island. She was out walking when two vehicles collided, sending one careening into her. The young woman leaves two children. Our condolences to Heather and Don.
Filling in the Blanks…
We told you recently about the “Angus breeder who gets it”…Larry Leonhardt. He wrote a letter to the editor (see below) commenting that genetics were at the heart of what was wrong with today’s black cattle. Larry is the owner of Shoshone Angus in Cowley, Wyoming and he has a web page chocked full of information that pretty much tracks the “preachings” of Gearld Fry. Of course…turns out the two men have been friends for decades.
Larry’s website is worth spending some time with and it also is a challenge for those breeders contemplating their own web pages. (click here)
Incidentally, congratulations to the Weston Price Foundation and Sally Fallon for the success of their website. It’s ranked 25th on the list of health websites in the world!
NADA at PASA…
The Pennsylvanian Association of Sustainable Agriculture will be holding its annual meeting at State College in just over a month. It’s a must for anyone interested in natural farming. And this year, the “beef track” is pretty much staffed by NADA members. Ridge Shinn is the moderator of the session, Gearld is one of the speakers, and board member Don Minto (along with Heather) are discussing marketing. Read more by clicking here.
Welcome New Members…
Here are more new folks for you to get to know:
David Family Farm
Stanfordville, NY
Emerald Ocean Farm
Deborah Headrick
Chittenango, NY
Richard DiFebo
Bangor, PA
Mike Quinell and Nancy Lynch
Gramma’s Grass Acres
Norwood, NY
A neighboring cattleman had a sad story to tell ED the other day. He’d bought a really nice cow at the local auction---an Angus---and after giving it a chance to settle in, commenced to AI her. Well, he commenced…she didn’t. An hour later she was still open, my friend was bruised, and two heavy-duty gates were busted beyond repair (@ $189/each). Now this is a veteran cattleman who’s run hundreds of animals.
You don’t suppose ED would rub it in by telling how he’d just AI-ed 11 heifers, a cow and transplanted 3 embryos in less than two hours do you? Then you don’t know ED.
ED has always disagreed with the old saw that the most important thing is “a calf every year”. His own old saw is “a live cattleman after every breeding season”. Another important thing to keep in mind, and after reflection my friend agreed, is that if you see a really good-looking young cow in the sale one of two things is true: she’s sterile…or she’s crazy!
Thanks…
Our home page picture is of Arlington National Cemetery, of course. But there’s a special story in those wreaths. Ever since 1992, the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine has been sending 5,000 wreaths to Arlington to decorate the graves of our veterans.
The owner, Merrill Worcester, donates not only the wreaths, but the trucking to deliver them. And school kids from the area volunteer to help out and combine this mission with an educational trip to Washington, DC.
There are a number of deserving charities that help our vets, but ED’s favorite is Fisher House, which provides housing for the families of the recovering troops, and is also listed at the very top for seeing that the donations get where they’re intended. You can donate by clicking here.
Short Course: History of the Cattle Industry
NADA’S president, Gearld Fry, has an interesting short course in what has happened to the cattle industry on his personal website. It’s something you’ll want to be sure to read. (click here)
Also noted…..
A letter to the editor from an Angus breeder who “gets it”. There are more and more of them we’ve noticed. The letter was prompted by a column by a feedlot operator who was decrying the decline in the quality of the animals he was seeing. The response is from Larry Leonhardt. (click here)
Preview of Coming Attractions
Those of you who waded through the mud at our recent Field Day at Albany, will be relieved to know that we have at least dealt with that problem. ED spent some time recently with Don Minto, whose historic Watson Farm will be hosting our meeting next October outside Newport, Rhode Island. Nearby is the Washington County Fairgrounds, complete with Show Barn, bleachers, lights, sound system and….roof and hard surface! With open sides and beautiful trees all around, it is a picturesque New England setting for outstanding Devon cattle.
Right next to the show barn are two covered but open sheds to house cattle pens. It is an ideal spot to show and sell your cattle. And it’s not too early to start looking at your herd with an eye to nominations. And watch the website, too, because we’ll be posting consignment details as well as complete information on the entire weekend. As good as the first one was, the Meeting and Sale Committees are determined to make this one even better!
Feeding in Snow…
This from an old Dick Diven newsletter and just in time for the recent winter storms. Thanks to Steve Campbell who has saved a number of Dick’s pearls of wisdom and to Dick for giving us blanket permission to quote him.
Snow and the Stockpile....
Hay typically is fed when the forage is covered with snow. Stockpiled forage is grazed when there is snow cover. When wind and thaw do not expose at least a portion of the standing forage, some plowing is necessary. When the cattle cannot nose through the ice crust, plowing is called for. These inputs are not daily requirements throughout the fall and winter months but rather occasional, following a severe storm or thaw/freeze period. There are regions of North America where snow is seldom that brutal and is even nonexistent. Forage still does not grow year-round, so there does exist a need for stockpiling.
When hay is cheap, feed hay. When hay is expensive, stockpile.
The quality of stockpiled forage in the colder climes may be sustained better than in regions of warm winter weather. Canadian research has demonstrated that once the forage freezes and receives some snow cover, the nutrient composition is sustained.
Rumors
Oil Source
Linoleic
Linolenic
Canola
21.00%
11.00%
Corn
57.00%
1.00%
Flaxseed
14.00%
58.00%
Hempseed
56.00%
20.00%
Olive
9.00%
1.00%
Palm
10.00%
trace
Peanut
33.00%
trace
Safflower
76.00%
trace
Soybean
54.00%
8.00%
Sunflower
71.00%
1.00%
“Match the cow’s biological cycle with nature’s cycle, forget weaning wt (wean according to the cow’s BCS), be concerned with market wt, make use of stockpiled forage, grain and forage do not mix.”
December Board Meeting….
The Board has now reached the total number of directors envisioned in the By-Laws. Cathy Morris of Wood Lake, Nebraska became the 15th member at this meeting. Cathy and her husband, Gary, own Hidden Valley Ruby Red Farm and added a number of outstanding cows to their herd in the recent Select Sale.
That sale was one of the agenda items as the Board got down to work. President Gearld Fry appointed Bill Roberts to head a six-member committee to plan the regulations governing the sale next Fall. If anything, Fry said, he wanted to tighten the standards even more to make sure only the very best cattle would be offered. He pointed out that the sale was the ideal place to make the point of what breeders should be aiming for.
Fry also appointed another six-member committee headed by David Schoumacher to plan the overall meeting. The Board indicated the recent get-together was a good pattern but that, if possible, they wanted to see the informational content increased still more.
And, in one final presidential action, Fry appointed a new executive committee to handle the day-to-day operation of the Association and advise on policy. Working with Fry will be JJ Barto, Steve Campbell, John Forelle and Jeff Moore. Barto, the Association treasurer and Finance committee chairman, provided a detailed look at where the organization stands financially and what it can project in the coming year. That gives the Executive Committee the information it needs to get started on the 2008 program.
Finally, an action that affects all members, the Board voted to set dues for members at $100. However, prompt renewals (within 45 days) will receive a $50 discount. Deciding it was important to “regularize” cash flow, those members who joined NADA in 2006 will be invoiced on January 1. Those who joined during 2007 will pay no dues for 2008.
If you’re in ED’s generation and can’t remember last month, much less than a year ago, just be patient and wait for the invoice. Then all will be clear.
Fry said he expected to hold regular monthly meetings of the Executive committee; quarterly meetings of the full Board.
Hop scotching the Pastures for Headlines…
…as an old newscaster used to save, we have these Devon notes:
The Forage Bull Test at Lakota Farms in Remington, Virginia drew 78 cattlemen from 9 states for a Field Day. More important, the cattlemen represented herds totaling 3,500 cows. It was, as the saying goes, a target-rich environment. The head of the Bull Test, Jeremy Engh, says he thinks the Field Day, like the test itself, went very well.
The Test committee includes Allan Williams of Tallgrass Beef, Dr. Scott Grenier of Virginia Tech and forage advisor Charlie Thornton. A complete report was issued on the entire test group: weight gains, linear measurements, DNA, and ultra-sound. Despite the worst drought in living memory, the bulls gained .65#/day during the heat of the summer. That was three times the area stocker average this year. And since the advent of Fall rains, gains have averaged better than 2#/day!
The next class of bulls, from Fall of this year, will enter May 1, 2008. For more information you can click here.
Incidentally, the grass shortage is still a fact of life in Virginia and Lakota is determined to keep the Bull Test on track. So they have a group of 15 very nice stockers they’d like to find grass for. If you can provide a home, contact Engh through his website.
Speaking of bulls, this is a picture of an impressive animal that Bill Roberts of Tennessee sent along. As Roberts says, “In his working clothes”. It is remarkable how Devon bulls maintain body condition right through breeding season; all the more remarkable when you consider Roberts’ pastures were probably among the hardest hit in the country. Bill says “98N” is also remarkable for his docility, around people and in the chute. He brooks no nonsense, however, when he’s with his herd. Fry would approve.
“Docility” was the magic word the other night as ED and Mrs. ED AI-ed 11 heifers. There’d been a freezing rain all day, and we sure weren’t looking forward to bringing in the heifers and working them on a cold and wet December night. But the heifers were a delight; even strolled into the chute single-file and waited patiently for their turn. Thanks of course to our tech, Jane Narrimore and son Church, but mostly thanks to Devon. Having had some nightmare experiences in his Angus days, ED’s conclusion is we don’t make enough of how “farmer friendly” these Devon are.
News to Amuse…
The Farm Bill is back on track with the Senate agreeing to hold amendments to 20 from each party instead of the 280 which were waiting. This means “interested” parties will soon know how much they’re getting so they know how much to plant and we know how much extra we’re going to pay in taxes and in our food bill.
The USDA, fresh from its triumph with the Organic label has now proposed a voluntary standard for what constitutes “naturally raised” beef. No anti-biotic or growth hormones, but all the grain they can eat. Comments requested by January 28th.
Big Ag, meanwhile, is trying to figure out what’s behind this summer’s outbreak of E. coli. Researchers at Kansas State University think they know. They say cattle fed ethanol by-products were twice as likely to get E. coli. It also appears shelf life of that source of meat is also shorter. And other studies indicate beef quality suffers, too.
Maybe they should listen to Stew Leonard:
If there's one thing Stew Leonard Jr. understands, it's satisfying consumers. It's what he and the other 2,400 people who work at Stew Leonard's strive for every day. His message to cattlemen? Meet your consumers where they are, and listen a lot more than you talk.
Leonard is president and CEO of Stew Leonard's, a family-owned grocery business in Connecticut and New York. Recently, the four-store chain began selling "naked beef," a product raised without antibiotics or growth promotants, in an alliance with Kansas cow-calf producers and feedyards.
"We probably do over $50 million a year just in beef in our stores," he says.
They came up with the naked beef idea because customers were coming into the stores and saying they were scared about their food. "They really don't have time to know what's in it," he says. "They just want to feel good about eating it."
Currently, naked beef accounts for about a third of all beef sales, and growing "It's about 10-20% more expensive at retail, but customers are willing to pay it because they feel good about it," Leonard says.
If It’s Not One Thing…
…it’s carbon monoxide. Steve Campbell passes along the Joseph Mercola newsletter on the practice of spraying meat with CO to make it look fresh. As Steve points out, we’re depending on supermarkets not to play games with those “use by” dates so they can pass off old meat. They don’t even have to worry with consumers like ED, who admits he’s one of those that often doesn’t even check the “use by” date.
At least the Cow-Calf Weekly thinks so. By that we mean the Farm Bill. According to the advisory, “it’s critical for mandatory country-of-origin labeling that a bill get passed” and so it won’t be enough to just extend the current bill for another year.
Again, according to Cow-Calf Weekly: “In actuality, everyone wants a farm bill passed.”
ED missed the polling on that one.
And finally: “The most amazing thing is just how little the farm bill has to do with farming anymore….Food stamps, the conservation titles and the like are really the drivers.”
Somehow ED also missed the news that those big Ag Companies didn’t want their subsidies anymore.
A Step Forward…A Step Back…
There are two state agricultural associations that have been in the forefront of the battle against Big Ag. If there are others, please let us know.
But the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and Joel Salatin’s Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (VICFA) are in constant battles both at the local and national level fighting the good fight against bureaucratic encroachment. This week, PASA’s executive secretary Brian Snyder reports success in delaying a plan to prevent farmers from labeling their milk “hormone free”. The big dairies didn’t want that!
Dear PASA members,
Well, what a difference a week can make!
Coming from a sense of inevitability just several days ago that the new directive from PDA on milk labeling would be implemented as announced, we now have a situation where everything is on hold while the administration studies the matter more thoroughly. This is a very positive change, and here’s a link to the best printed story we could find on this latest development:
Despite official statements that the delay was prompted by concerns from “rural lawmakers and farm lobbyists,” there really is no doubt that it is has been the outpouring of public sentiment on this issue that really made the difference so far. The level of public concern was quite frankly beyond what anyone in Harrisburg had anticipated. We’d like to thank everyone who wrote to their legislators and the governor to express an opinion, and encourage those of you who haven’t to do so now. It is our feeling that thoughtful letters, as opposed to pasted action alerts, make a big difference!
Again, I want to emphasize that YOU have made a big difference so far on the issue of milk labeling in Pennsylvania. More importantly, we have collectively served notice to our leaders in Harrisburg that the integrity of family farms and the food system DO matter and must be taken seriously in any similar decision making process in the future. I don’t think they’ll forget Thanksgiving of 2007 for some time to come!
Thanks to all for being there when we needed you!
Brian Snyder
Meanwhile, VICFA has waded into another fight with the Virginia Ag people who are using the pretense of concern about Scrapie to force sheep and goat owners into the National Animal Identification System. As we’ve warned before, there’s no limit to the pluck and imagination of a bureaucrat on a power kick.
This regulation will hurt small goat and sheep owners--potentially putting them out of business--and force them into NAIS by requiring them to register for a premises ID number.
According to proposed regulation 2 VAC 5-206, Regulation for Scrapie Eradication, sheep and goat owners must:
1. Register their farms with the State to obtain a Premises Identification Number
2. Keep records (which are subject to inspection by representatives of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) for 5 years every time they buy, sell, move from one management to another or show/exhibit a sexually intact goat or sheep, unless that animal goes directly to slaughter.
DETAILS:
Any violation of this regulation is punishable by a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.
Scrapie is virtually a non-existent disease problem in Virginia. According to information VICFA obtained through a FOIA request to VDACS, zero cases in goats and only 3 cases in sheep have ever been recorded in Virginia.
Farmers registering their farms for the scrapie program will be rolled into the National Animal Identification System if it becomes law, forcing farmers into the NAIS through the backdoor.
Implementation under the authority of Dr. Richard Wilkes, Chief State Veterinarian of Virginia
Add to Your Calendar…
Two meetings you should think about attending.
NADA President Gearld Fry joins Sally Fallon of the Weston-Price Foundation and other notables in the Real Food Conference, January 26 in Gaylord, Michigan. The event is the first sponsored by the Michigan Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (Salatin’s Virginia organization inspiring others) and topics include NAIS, local food production, and healthy food. For information email cordesview@m33access.com.
And January 26-31 will be the SRM/AFGC joint annual meeting at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference website accessed by clicking here.
Much of the program will be devoted to building relationships among associations with similar interests.
Incredible Spirit…
Here’s the story of a young man and his father who just refused to face facts. So they changed them! We understand this has nothing to do with Devon…or farming…or healthy food…but like those government bureaucrats, ED is on a power trip. Thanks to Bill Roberts for the link. (click here)
Somewhere along the line as this link made its way to us, someone added a line that is worth preserving.
LIFE IS NOT ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS...... IT IS ABOUT LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN.
It’s The Aussies’ Turn….
We’ve focused in recent months on our own national meeting in Albany, but now it’s time to provide a little space for our brethren (should it also be “and sisteren”?) in Australia. That’s where the World Devon Congress will be held next year, starting September 9th. But registrations are due in March, so you’ll want to be making your decision soon. NADA president Gearld Fry and his wife plan to attend and he’d like to be joined by as many members as possible.
Loma Wright is the spokesperson for the event and she says every effort will be made to accommodate those who can’t spare time for the entire two weeks. Attendees will be able to join and depart at points along the way. You can read the excerpts from her latest newsletter by clicking here.
A Bright and Happy Birthday…
NADA President Gearld Fry reflects on the recent annual meeting…and charts a bold course for the future. Read his call to action by clicking here.
The Corn-growers’ Dilemma…
The year didn’t turn out exactly as the corn growers had hoped. Having set aside everything including the front yard for corn, many farmers saw the wished-for bonanza wiped out by drought. Now comes a climatologist from Iowa who says even worse is yet to come. He was quoted in Beef Magazine. (click here)
Increasingly we note warnings that ethanol isn’t all it’s cracked-up to be. One source tells us that it takes 4.7 gallons of fresh water to process the corn needed to make a gallon of ethanol. Hitting the Congressional target then for ethanol could mean we’ll need about 150-billion gallons of fresh water every year. Add in the cost of the fuel it takes to grow the corn to turn into ethanol (not to mention that it causes more greenhouse gasses to produce ethanol than is saved in using it) and ED figures one of those proverbial “days of reckoning” is approaching. Has the government set farmers up for another crash? Or are the rest of us being set up for still larger bailouts?
The Smithsonian Magazine has an article on the many contradictions as well as the irony in what ED is tempted to call the “Bio-Fool Rush”. Among the many interesting and expensive (and unpublicized) boondoggles in this Ponzi scheme is something called “splash and dash”. (click here)
What’s in a Name…
The seemingly never-ending battle over truth-in-labeling roars on in Washington. The USDA has managed a definition of grass fed that apparently protects the feed lot system and now there’s a fight over how much you can do to a natural product before you can no longer call it natural. Here’s the AP report on that controversy: (click here)
Still Growing…
Here are some more new members of NADA. We welcome them aboard and look forward to their contribution.
Homestead Heritage
Jonathan and Lucinda Gingerich
Kokomo, IN
Brian Parke
Gold Bar, WA
Sabo Family Ranch
Harrison, MT
Michael Ortwein
West Harrison, IN
Black Patch Farms
Phil Morris Baggett
Nashville, TN
Don’t Try This at Home…
It’s the old childhood game of Teeter-Totter, but with a rodeo twist. Again, it’s our curator of the curious, Bill Roberts, who we have to thank for the contribution. (click here)
The Latest News…
…hasn’t changed much since we last paid attention to the outside world. The Farm Bill is still tied up in Congress and farmers are complaining because they want to know how big a loan they should get for next year’s operation (that hasn’t changed either). The talk in the “hallowed halls” (as a former reporter ED can testify that those guys really call them that) is that they may simply extend the current bill for another year. Whether to improve it or try to understand what it’s all about, we don’t know.
And of course NAIS is still out there trying. The National Animal Identification System hasn’t even been made into law and not surprisingly there’s already an industry…and the industry already has a trade show. The report was in New Farm magazine, which you can read by clicking here.
Catching Up…
….with old business. A number of folks have sent in interesting and informative articles that we’ve stored up while we were busy planning, doing, and then reporting on the Annual Meeting. Incidentally, planning has already begun for next year and those evaluation sheets and emails are receiving serious consideration. It’s not too late to give us your thoughts. (click here)
But we digress. Here are several articles we thought you’d want to read.
Steve Campbell sends this in from a big newsletter that targets healthy foods. Someone has done a good job educating the editor; it’s a primer in fats, organic vs grass fed, and local food…with accountability thrown in.
Speaking about accountability, Gearld Fry wonders, with all the E.coli recalls recently, just who inspects the USDA inspectors. This is the same bunch, of course, we’ll trust with certifying just what is grass fed and enforcing a national identification system. But when you consider the great success they’ve had with plain-old-farming, why should we worry?
Gearld found the article below that reveals that the meat inspectors union is worried about its imagine. Do you think?
Annex recalls USDA inspected products
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Annex Mexican Food Co. is recalling more than 4,000 pounds of USDA inspected cooked beef and chicken products distributed to restaurants and institutions in the North West.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Portland-based company recalled the food because it may be "adulterated" due to inadequate inspection, verification and documentation of processing activities.
Stan Painter, chairman of the USDA Meat Inspectors Union fears legal action and serious public disfavor for his 600,000 member inspection confederation. All of the major US recalls that have forced business truncation contracted with USDA to assure safe food processing. As more and more food processing under USDA enforcement fails the basic safety inspection standards, Painter has not issued a statement concerning the increased appearance of negligence.
After 94 recalls of USDA inspected product in just over a year the once trusted USDA Union Meat Inspection process has proven not to be a safety net for business owners, but a historical process required by federal law that is riddled with flawed procedures.
Ninety-four meat recalls just this year and the government is cracking down on the little guy?
More on that from Dr. Sue Beal, who passes along an article that says that Pennsylvania is going after labeling which indicates the carton contains milk which is free of those bovine growth hormones. Consumers are increasingly demanding hormone-free milk, but the Pennsylvania bureaucrats thinks they’ll be “confused” by a label that gives them the information.
Wonder why? Well the big dairy farms get more milk from cows they shoot up with the hormones. The fact that 10-year old girls now need to take birth control pills is just one of those unpleasant little side effects of industrial agriculture.
Finally, Bill Roberts came across a letter from a Texas Ag professor who thinks he’s caught McDonald’s, which has been on something of a health kick recently, going across the border to cheat a little. You can read the letter by clicking here.
(Not Quite) Catching Up…
…on new members. While we focused on the annual meeting, Allison White in our office was quietly registering more than 35 new members. We welcome them all and hope they’ll get involved in this exciting adventure. (ED: they can begin by contributing thoughts and opinions right here)
So here are a few of our latest colleagues; more to follow:
David and Nancy Patterson
Amherst, MA
Superior Cattle Co, LLC
Kelly Heaton
St. George, UT
Greg and Lavonne Hickl
Harvey, AR
Bobbi Sandwisch
Cabbage Hill Farm Foundation
Mt. Kisco, NY
Brantley Ridge Farm
Jay Wells
Buena Vista, GA
In response to requests, the sale catalog has been restored so interested readers can check the prices paid against the pictures.(click here)
After Action Report…
…about the big NADA weekend in Albany. The reviews continue to be almost-entirely positive. We say “almost” because there was one complaint that the animals were a little “pricey”. We understand, however, that the consignors disagree. Another attendee commented that one of the speakers wasn’t very useful. But that complaint was overwhelmed by many positive comments on that same speaker. In fact, the general view was that people wanted much more of the same…even for the same speakers.
The farms we visited were the envy of many but one attendee probably spoke for many when he said he wished there’d been a lot more specific information from the breeders at each stop. He wanted details on the operation: from the philosophy of the owner right down to the nuts-and-bolts of everything from managing the herd to the marketing of the animals.
Then there was the anti-social sorehead who wanted half his money refunded because he was being asked to take a bus. ED suggests a full refund if he promises never to come back.
We’ve also had several requests for a full rundown on the Select Sale and that follows. The grand total was $109,450 for 22 animals with an average of $5472.50. Here is a list of the Lots, Consignors, Price Paid, and Purchaser. Note that one animal had to be scratched because of an injury to her hoof just before shipment to the sale.
Strangely, the evaluation sheets reveal that there were some people who liked the rain…thought it brought the crowd together in a way sun could not have….and there were even positive reviews for the bus rides! A hardy lot, these grass fed types!
We did want to mention again that the weekend was made possible, in part, by a grant from the New York Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The GLCI’s Troy Bishopp addressed the opening session and you can read his remarks by clicking here.
And one more piece of unfinished business. Because of technical difficulties (anytime ED gets near a computer) we did not link to an article on the weekend that appeared in the Sunday Albany newspaper. Front page and a picture, no less. We remedy that by asking you to click here.
Planning is already underway for the 2008 annual meeting and the organizers admit they’re under a lot of pressure to top this recent one. But ED suspects they will. Now though a few last pictures of the 2007 NADA meeting.
Pills….It’s What’s For Dinner
Veterinarian Sue Beal sends along an item from TSN Media Intelligence that fits in with our earlier post on the book (and the condition): “Overdo$ed America”. Here are the daily ad budgets for the leading prescription drugs:
From TSN Media Intelligence:
Most advertised prescription drugs in America - daily advertising budget:
1. Nexium (heartburn) $663,000
2. Crestor (cholesterol) $586,000
3. Cialis (erectile dysfunction) $447,000
4. Levitra (erectile dysfunction) $405,000
5. Zelnorm (irritable bowel) $340,000
6. Prevacid (heartburn) $334,000
7. Flonase (nasal allergies) $320,000
If you’ve ever wondered why the press focuses on all the “wonder cures” you might say they’re good for business….the news media’s business.
Two of our bloggers focus on that general subject in their columns this month.
Bill Roberts, fresh from being the auctioneer of the most successful Devon sale on record, takes note of all the beef recalls recently and wonders why it never occurs to the media to focus less on the frantic search for contaminated meat and more on why it happens in the first place. Bill says it makes more sense to get back to the basics. (click here)
And Dr. Carolyn Matthews, a surgeon in Dallas who also breeds Devon and has a special interest in Alternative Medicine, was particularly interested in a recent column by Gearld Fry. Gearld discussed the importance of nutrition to the unborn calf and said the impact of poor nutrition could last for a generation or more. Dr. Matthews notes that the research on the human fetus indicates the same impact….and she closes the circle. (click here)
Finally, Joel Salatin weighs in with a comment for the November issue of VICFA Voice. Writes Joel:
The per capita annual consumption of beef in America is about 70 lbs per person. In the Staunton, Waynesboro area we have about 100,000 people, so we consume about 7 million pounds of beef per annum. If each beef yields 400 lbs of edible product, then 15,000 beeves are consumed.
What this area does is raise the animals and sell them at 500 pounds for about $500 and they get shipped elsewhere to be fed subsidized grain, then trucked to a slaughterhouse yet elsewhere and then taken to a box to be inventoried elsewhere, then finally trucked to our grocery stores, and sold to us for about $2,000.
What if we just said we’ll just keep it all right here? And instead of sending off 15,000 steers at 500 pounds at 500 dollars – $7.5 million, let’s keep it all local and generate $30 million in local revenues (think of those tax dollars, legislators…). So we’ve gone from 7 mil to 30 mil just by keeping it local.
Point is that on many levels in addition to being transparent and open, this is true rural economic development of the most basic heritage honest sort.
ED thinks it all makes too much sense. The “experts” will never get it.
Grass Fed Bull Test…
As far as we know, Jeremy Engh and Lakota Farms are conducting the first bull test ever attempted on grass…and only grass. The animals in the test are not only Devon, but other breeds as well and, to our eye at least, the Devon are leading the field. Now Jeremy reports he’s ready with the first data…it will be released at a Field Day December 1st and you can get all the details by clicking here (PDF) .
Suspicions Confirmed…
ED had a cow once that had a special eye for an AI tech we used…followed him around even when it wasn’t “time”. Well, Laurel Hoffman came up with this cartoon that indicates the girls swoon for Gearld Fry, too.
WOW!!!...
…that’s about all we can say about the annual North American Devon meeting held at the end of October near Albany, NY. Records were smashed, both in attendance and in the prices paid for Devon seed stock.
NADA President Gearld Fry said the weekend surpassed his most optimistic predictions and he said a solid foundation has now been laid for grass fed genetics and for this Association.
Attendance for the meeting topped 150, making it the largest Devon get-together in many years. Included in the crowd were 50 non-members, invited to take part in the program which featured Jim Gerrish, Jerry Brunetti and Kim Miller.
The top-selling animal at Select Sale 2007 was a cow consigned by host farm Harrier Fields…lot 23…that went to Kendall Shrock of Tampico, Illinois for $12,750. In all, 23 animals sold for an average price of $4659 and a total of just over $107,000. Both the average and the total exceed the numbers for any Devon sale in many years.
Other top prices were:
$7500 for a cow from Elm Creek Ranch, Raddison, Wisconsin which sold to Brian Parke of Gold Bar, Washington.
$7250 for a heifer from Johnny Yates of Cameron, Texas which sold to Cam Manahan of Fairfield, Texas.
$7000 for a heifer from Harrier Fields which sold to Greg Hickl of Harvey, Arkansas.
Day One…
Despite a day-long heavy downpour, the crowd lined up early at the registration desk “manned” by Wooz Matthews and Margie Fry, along with assists from Laurel Hoffman and Shauna Webster. In all, there were only 4 “no shows” among the 157 people who registered for the meeting. Clearly these attendees meant business, rain or not!
The morning session began with a salute to three men who were described as “Giants of the Devon Calling”….Gearld Fry, Ken MacDowall and Jerry Engh.
Dr. Engh was saluted for a lifetime of dedication to Devon. His Lakota Farms has provided seed stock which can be found in almost every Devon herd in the country. Dr. Engh was credited in keeping the breed afloat in some of its darkest days. Engh’s son, Jeremy, was also on hand for the salute to his father.
Ken MacDowell was honored for his development of Rotokawa Devon and the bulls that have played a big part in the resurgence of the breed in recent years. MacDowell came from New Zealand to take part in the weekend.
Finally, NADA president Gearld Fry was singled-out for the extraordinary impact he has had in re-kindling the enthusiasm for Devon and for his missionary work in behalf of grass fed genetics. It was Fry who aligned NADA with the natural food wave that is sweeping the country.
And speaking of grass, that’s what Jim Gerrish did. Gerrish led off the 3-hour program entitled “Gourmet Beef on Grass”. He was followed by Jerry Brunetti, who discussed the health benefits of grass fed beef. Together the two men provided the audience not only with the “basics” but with the sales pitch they can use to promote their product.
In coming days, the presentations of both men will be available on this website. Watch for them!
After the comfort of the Century House Inn, it was time to brave the elements for the Field Day held at a rain soaked Harrier Fields Farm. Hosts Joan Harris and Mike Scannell were supplemented by a volunteer crew of neighbors in not only setting up facilities but preparing and serving a delicious bar-b-que and Devon chili.
About 50 of the hardiest souls trooped out into the pasture for another session with grass guru Jim Gerrish. Jim’s job was complicated not only by the rain and the mud, but by the fact that it’s tough to find anything wrong with the Harrier Field’s property. Mike has divided his paddocks with temporary electric fencing and practices Jim’s Management Intensive Grazing with a dedication that impressed even the author of The Book!
At a nearby chute, a bundled up Gearld Fry bravely persevered with his talk on what to look for in choosing an animal that will do well on grass, producing not only the best meat and milk but an outstanding calf. It was a sign of the dedication of the crowd that not only did they listen but they held Gearld with questions, right up to the moment when the word went out that the sale was about to begin. That did not prevent everyone from “filling up” before heading to the sale tent.
To make room for as many bidders as possible inside the tent, auctioneer Bill Roberts positioned himself under a makeshift shed just outside. A sheet of plywood kept the rain off the auctioneer’s head (mostly). As the bidding progressed, and it was obvious that the auction was making history, people first stood and then pulled up hay bales to get a better look. As the winning bids steadily climbed…through $6000, then $7000 and finally topping $12,000…the applause got louder and louder.
Near the end, the rain finally let up and there were even some breaks in the clouds. The crowd lingered for about an hour, wanting to savor what had been a truly special day. There was joy for the consignors who had done so well, for the new and improved herds created that day, but joy as well among all who attended simply to see their faith in Devon so amply justified.
The worth of Devon, never doubted, had now been demonstrated in a way the beef world can understand: in the sale barn!
Finally the busses were loaded and, with only minutes to spare, the crowd returned to Albany and the annual dinner. The advance demand for tickets was so great that several extra tables had to be jammed into the ballroom chasing the buffet line into the hallway outside.
Don Minto presented fellow board member Mike Scannell and Joan Harris with a special gift for hosting the Field Day. And PASA’s Kim Miller both inspired and entertained the diners with his after dinner speech. Again, watch for a transcript of his remarks to be posted soon.
Day Two…
…began at 8 with a champagne bus trip to Bakewell Reproductions near Hardwick, Massachusetts, the headquarters for Rotokawa Devon in this country. Hosts Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn had their herd front and center for a discussion of not only the animals but the grass. If there is anything that sets a NADA meeting apart from the usual breed affairs, is the focus not only on the cow but its nutrition.
It was a short trip from Bakewell into Hardwick and a delightful introduction to New England style living. Not only was there a farmers’ market in progress on the town square but we were greeted and treated to a lunch of Devon roast beef sandwiches in the old town hall, an historic meeting place.
As much as the Devon crowd enjoyed the townspeople, they seemed impressed with all the cowboys. The local newspaper even trooped all those wearing cowboy hats outside for a group photo. We didn’t know it then, but back in Albany the Sunday paper was featuring a front page spread (click here) complete with color picture of auctioneer Bill Roberts and continued coverage of the weekend farther back in the paper.
But here in Hardwick, we were focused on an impromptu talk FROM Ken MacDowell, who has spent 28 years developing Rotokawa bulls. His discussion not only of selection and breeding, but of management had his audience itching to get back home and put Ken’s ideas to work. Again, watch this website for a transcript of his remarks.
We were back in the busses in early afternoon and the two-hour ride to John Forelle’s Folly Farm near Pine Plains, New York. Again, “refreshments” were served but the members had either eaten enough or knew what John had in store for them at Folly Farm.
One of the advantages of the bus rides was that it finally slowed the tempo so people could chat and exchange Devon tips. Gearld Fry divided his time between the busses so everyone had still another chance for a private discussion of their questions.
Jim Gerrish was riding along, too. And he not only talked grass, but entertained the riders with some tall stories from the West. Eventually, Jim and Gearld were engaged in a kind of “can you top this” with their jokes. But sorry, no transcripts are available for this part of the weekend.
And then finally, the big finish at Folly Farm…a beautiful setting, beautiful cattle and a beautiful dinner. John Forelle is clearly determined to put his operation in the forefront among Devon breeders and he had spared nothing in showcasing his cattle and in making his guests feel welcome. No, pampered!
It was dark by the time we boarded busses for the return to Albany. And it was a tired but still happy and enthusiastic crowd. Clearly, new friendships had begun and there was a renewed dedication to Devon as a result of the weekend. ED and co-chairman Ridge Shinn were too exhausted to take much part in the excited chatter but it was great to just sit quietly and let the mood wash over us.
Can You Spare a Minute…
…or maybe two, to help us plan next year’s meeting? We appreciate those who filled out the evaluation forms but we really want to hear from everyone. Just take a few moments to tell us what “worked” for you and what didn’t…what you’d like to see included in next year’s session and what speakers you’d like to hear. What you have to say will be carefully considered although we have pretty well decided to cut back on the mud. Please give us your views by clicking here.
The Business Meeting…
Yes, there was one of those, too. And a board meeting. As we said beforehand, one of the beauties of NADA is the lack of interminable meetings. The board meeting may have been a bit unusual in that respect because of the need to iron out last minute details of the weekend.
Other than discussing assignments and procedures, the Board did elect Deb Manahan to join its number. Deb was one of the first members of NADA, was present “at the creation”, and with her husband Cam, has an outstanding herd of Devon in Texas. She replaces Bob Cope, who asked to be relieved of his responsibilities.
It was voted to hold the next annual meeting near Newport, Rhode Island with the hosts being Don and Heather Minto of Watson Farm. The meeting date will be a little earlier next year but depends on the availability of a site for the sale.
A major change was the decision to relocate the headquarters of NADA from Hardwick, Massachusetts to Virginia. Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn had offered the hospitality of Bakewell Reproductions to get the Association up and running but the board agreed it was now time for NADA to stand on its own.
As a part of the relocation, Wooz Matthews was named to head up the NADA office and registry. The Board voted its thanks to Bakewell and particularly Allison White for all that was done to so successfully launch our efforts. The change-over will be complete by the first of the year.
ED’s Notes….
It was gratifying to receive so many compliments for this website and we will work even harder to make it useful not just to the membership, but for all those who check in from time to time because they care about grass fed beef and healthy food. Readership set another new record in October and for reasons we can’t quite understand jumped 20% from the month before.
We spent a good deal of time talking to folks about what they wanted from this effort and we will do our best to deliver.
It was not possible to cram everything that happened during the Devon weekend into the website in one neat chunk. Check back frequently as we complete our coverage of what could be called a “break through” weekend for Devon and NADA.
And for those of you who are wondering about the scientific expedition that ED conducted with New Zealand’s Ken MacDowell: let me say simply that American keg capacity was amply demonstrated. But it became necessary to call off the experiment when Ken tried to linear measure a sculpture of a cow at the Wyeth museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania!
Miss Me in Albany…
We’re sorry if you can’t make the NADA annual meeting the weekend of October 26-28, whether because of scheduling conflicts or because you waited too long to register. We really had to cut off registrations due to food and bus logistics and because we felt there was a limit (150) to the number of people we could handle efficiently.
Well, we’ve met all our goals. Now let’s see if we can “handle efficiently”. Your feedback afterwards will be appreciated.
Just to repeat a few of the details:
The membership meeting starts at 8 Saturday morning and then guests will join us for the general information seminar at 9 in the same room featuring Jim Gerrish and Jerry Brunetti.
We’ll board busses for the Field Day right after noon…have lunch and enjoy Harrier Fields farm events. The sale will begin at 3. Busses will return to the hotel at 5.
Plastic boots will be issued for bio-security at all the farms during the weekend. Cattle will be sold under the conditions you’ll find in the sale catalog. Checks should be made out directly to the consignor. Transportation can be arranged there as can boarding if you wish to return later to pick up your choice. Health certificates, of course.
Should you wish to arrange an absentee bid, contact NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn by emailing him at ridge@bakewellrepro.com
The membership dinner will be at 7. Cash bar.
Sunday morning the membership will depart at 8 for Bakewell and Folly Farm. Return will be about 6 p.m.
Getting back to the sale for a moment: a number of people have asked about the prices that they might have to pay. An auction, of course, always has its own dynamics but here’s ED’s guess: an average Devon heifer today sells for about $1500 in private treaty. A bred heifer or cow starts at about $2000. However, there are no “average” animals in this sale. We call it a “select sale” for a reason. So I would imagine the final bids will be above that and some quite a bid above that.
Again, if you’re one of those who have written asking “where can I find some Devon females”, this will be your best opportunity in a long time. And if you don’t manage a winning bid, by all means talk to the consignors and arrange a later visit to their farm.. This is not a dispersal sale; they will have more females coming along.
Whether you are a member or a guest: the most important thing you can do at this meeting is network!
On a Personal Note…
ED has been chosen for an important assignment right after the meeting: escorting New Zealanders Ken MacDowall and his wife, Pru, and their ranch owner Jeannie Lilburn, on a carefully planned tour of the eastern US. It’s actually a scientific research project: Ken and I will be examining the capacity of kegs at various pubs along the way and comparing them to counterparts back in New Zealand. It is an assignment we both take very seriously and are glad to have designated-drivers accompanying us so we can give our total attention to the research.
The expectation is updates to this website should resume about November 5th. That will give ED time to digest the findings.
Hope to meet you in Albany!
Another Sign of Progress…
From time to time, we come upon something in our reading that indicates this grass fed thing is taking hold. For instance, in this month’s Gourmet magazine the author is discussing the proper way to prepare a dessert. It comes down to the quality of the ingredients, she says. And the recommendation: use butter “from cows that are only grass fed, resulting in a delicious, beta-carotene-rich product”.
Right Again…
It is always gratifying to see NADA president Gearld Fry report the conclusions he has reached after a lifetime of studying cattle then see later research from the finest minds confirming what he simply looked and saw. Recently, Gearld, in his column on this website, has been talking about the effects of nutrition on the calf fetus. It was his conclusion that a calf that fails to fully develop in the womb suffers lasting damage, in fact passes it on to his progeny.
Now comes an article in the Weston Price publication “Wise Traditions” that discusses nutrition in the human fetus. It states:
“Soon after conception, inadequate nutrition causes the womb to reallocate cells from the fetus to the placenta in order to extract more nutrition from the blood supply of the mother; the inevitable result is a loss of raw material from which to generate fetal tissue. During later stages of growth, the fetus compensates for inadequate nutrition by sacrificing the supply of nutrients to muscles and internal organs.”
The author says that will have an effect for several generations.
Also Noted…
…though somewhat behind the times. ED recently was given a paperback copy of a book that came out several years ago: “ Overdo$ed America”. The author, Dr. John Abramson of Harvard, details…in clinical fashion…how the big drug companies, the government, and the finest university minds have conspired to inflict unnecessary drugs at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars and killed and maimed thousands of us. Gee, if they do that to people, do you think maybe they’ve done it to cows? Do you think?
Hope You Haven’t Delayed…
…because the deadline is here. Not only must we cut off registrations October 15th but the busses are almost full, too. The lady to the right is ready. She’s one of the top offerings at the sale on Saturday at Harrier Fields Farm. An 18-month old heifer, “Dazzle’s” bred to Rotokawa 667 and comes from Adventureland Farm in Lodi, New York.
We also wanted to show you this late addition to the sale from Folly Farm…an 8-year-old donor cow that originated at the Engh’s Lakota Ranch in Virginia. John Forelle built his outstanding herd around on this cow and she still has plenty left to give. A flush or two of “22” will soon make you a major factor in Devon breeding circles.
We also wanted to mention that all the sale animals will have health certificates, transportation will be available, and if you want to shop and bring your trailer later, arrangements can be made for boarding. Better yet, Jim Spinner, who is bringing animals to the sale, will be heading back to Wisconsin and if you’re generally in that direction, he’ll be glad to transport your “winnings”.
2. To register for the event if you’re a NADA member click here.
3. If you’d like to be a guest and learn more about grass fed beef from the nation’s top experts click here.
Tying together this outstanding group of sale animals was the handiwork of NADA president Gearld Fry and secretary Ridge Shinn. They went from farm to farm and personally selected almost all of the offerings. There are no better “eyes” in the business.
Ridge and office manager Allison White did all the heavy lifting in organizing the weekend events and Bill Roberts, our auctioneer (yes, he’s licensed), had the unenviable task of putting together the catalog and deciphering Gearld’s handwriting.
Mike Scannell and Joan Harris at Harrier Fields are hosting the major field day as well as the sale…that’s where you get down and dirty so we recommend you leave your tweeds and heels at home. We will be taking bio-security precautions to protect the farm, the animals and your own operation. Joan has put on a crew to prepare a great cookout…you can work with Gearld at the chute…and walk a pasture with Jim Gerrish. That’s as good as it gets.
Sunday, the members only, will hit the road again to visit Bakewell Reproductions and a chance to question Ken MacDowell from New Zealand, who developed the Rotokawa strain of Devon. Then we travel on to John Forelle’s showplace, Folly Farm, and more outstanding cows and still more food. You won’t want to eat until Thanksgiving!
We thank all our hosts for their contribution to making the weekend so exciting. And we thank our guest experts…not only Jim Gerrish, Ken MacDowell and Gearld Fry, but Jerry Brunetti, Troy Bishop and Kim Miller. No meeting for a long time has featured this many big names in the grass fed business just as no Devon meeting has been this important for a generation.
ED hopes he’ll have a chance to talk with all of you there. He’ll be the one getting in the way taking pictures for the wrap up retrospective for this website.
The Trend Trap….
Don’t miss this month’s Ask Gearld. The NADA president continues his discussion of the dangers in following fads in breeding. More than one leading breed has been victimized by this nonsense of chasing trends. ED is very proud of the original contributions that have been made to our blog and this series by Gearld is as important as any we have published so far. Make sure you read Part One and then go on and read Part Two by clicking here.
The Star of the Show…
…well, one of them anyway. This sale at the Albany get-together October 27th is really a “parade of stars”. Jim Spinner is bringing this one from his Elm Creek Ranch in Wisconsin and, as he says, she really shouldn’t be in the show. The drought has forced Jim’s hand. Wide, deep, slick-sided and with all the signs of quality gourmet beef: glandular function, yellow tail flakes, wide escutcheon. She gave 18 good eggs in a recent flush…and currently AI-bred to Page Road Pete and covered by Jim’s herd bull, a 688 son.
This cow is a late addition to the sale, one of several and one reason why we have to constantly update the catalog and hold it back from the printer. We still hope to put the catalog on our website soon but ED guarantees this is the greatest gathering of Devon cattle in memory. The number of guests signing up for the meeting indicates the “word” is out.
If you’re a member, you have only until October 15th to register. The sale is reason enough, but throw-in the top flight speakers and the tour of three outstanding Devon operations and it will be the most profitable weekend you’ve ever spent in the cattle business. Members should sign up by clicking here.
Because of requests, we decided it would be a good idea to open the first day of the meeting to guests…other breed enthusiasts who grass finish…cattle people who want to learn what this grass finishing business is all about…and “civilians” who just care about healthy food. You’ll get to rub shoulders with the “names” in the field: Gerrish, Brunetti, Fry, MacDowell, Miller and of course The Grass Whisperer. This special opportunity costs just $99 for the day but again…the deadline is October 15th…we can’t accept registrations at the door. Please get registration information by clicking here.
What’s in a Name…
Our Sue Beal has been wondering about that. Grass fed beef is all the rage now; meat cases are featuring it in many stores. But Dr. Beal is worried that not all “grass finished beef” really justifies the label. Read her blog by clicking here.
Ever since reading “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”, ED has become a fan of Barbara Kingsolver and watches for anything she writes. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. Ms Kingsolver went “back to her roots” and with her family spent a year living entirely off the land of her farm and her neighbors. That’s the subject of the aforementioned book. But she has, at least in our mind, become the thinking/feeling man’s Michael Pollan. Okay, thinking/feeling person’s. Here’s Ms Kingsolver’s latest from the Washington Post: click here
Building a Devon Herd…The Final Tally…
We knew when we began this series we were taking a chance: a chance of failure, a chance of heartbreak, a chance we’d have to recommend against investing in embryo transplants. But while we steeled ourselves for disappointment in the beginning, when we were implanting the embryos, we were not prepared for the final act.
Of the seven embryos which were carried full term, two died at birth. They were tough, emotional moments as we tried to rescue the calves. One was born backward and while an experienced cattleman was at the chute as we tried all the techniques for resuscitation, there was never a response. The second calf was coming forward, but a leg was bent back. By the time we finally were able to trap the panicked cow, several hours had passed and this one was born dead, too. If we had gotten to her in time, we might have saved this one.
But to focus on the five successes…and what beautiful calves they are…four by Rotokawa 93 and one by Lakota 60. All out of our best young cow: 48. The bull calf, in particular, is truly exciting. But here’s a family portrait at two weeks of age.
The emotional distress, after about a year of work on this, was considerable. But still, you can’t argue with the reality of the bottom line. We have five strong, beautiful, healthy calves from the finest bulls anywhere at a cost of $165 each.
To recap the finances: total expenses for 18 embryos came to $2,236. We implanted 10 and had seven successes; then had a total of 5 calves. That’s a 50% success rate.
What would I do differently? Be sure that the recips were big enough; had the volume and pelvic dimensions to handle anything. Our Senepol are wonderful mothers but possibly couldn’t deal with a calf that was about 80 pounds. I would also bring the recips into a small holding pasture one week before their due date and watch them constantly…even install a tv monitor. I would definitely not delay intervention beyond an hour.
But I would certainly do it again. The remaining frozen embryos will go in this December and we have our eye on a 688 daughter for 2008.
About that Meat Recall…
…that company involved in the largest meat recall in history has closed its doors. Even the biggest purveyor of hamburger couldn’t handle a financial catastrophe this big. This latest news is another huge hit on the industrial meat industry and should benefit those of us in natural production; but inevitably, all beef producers are hurt.
We point out once again: E coli counts are astronomically higher in industrial beef than grass fed beef…it’s not really a problem for grass fed consumers…and you’d think by now those self-styled, hard-charging investigative reporters in the press would notice the story right under their nose. Have you ever seen it noted in the press that there have been no mad cow cases in the grass fed sector?
We have no expectation that Congressional persecutors (sorry, prosecutors) would hold hearings denouncing the feed lot system and extolling natural farmers as the true protectors of the public health. Does the phrase “campaign contributions” ring a bell? Wonder how much ADM, Cargill and the boys spend supporting the pols?
Let’s not even get into the crime of Americans spending $25-billion in taxes and $12-billion in higher food prices for the privilege of eating all this tainted, adulterated food. (Stand back! ED is working up another head of steam!)
We can’t help but note the irony in the government doing all it can to crack down on the little guy selling off the farm (alright Joel Salatin isn’t that little any more) while the traditional industrial food establishment rolls merrily on its way. Too bad we can’t have a USDA recall!
And Speaking About Salatin…
…the demand for his beef has gotten so great he’s doubled his herd and son Daniel forecasts a five-fold increase. Meanwhile, the organization Joel founded in Virginia…VICFA…carries on the fight against the National Animal Identification System. The VICFA newsletter notes that two farmers…a Michigan cattleman and a Pennsylvania dairyman have thrown themselves in front of the NAIS juggernaut. Both have refused to take part in state programs that link to an NAIS requirement and thus have put themselves in legal jeopardy.
The Deadline Approaches….
…for you to register for the exciting weekend planned for October 27th and 28th. October 15th will be the final day that you can sign up.
The day features an assembly of the top experts on breeding and raising grass fed beef, field trips to three of the nation’s outstanding Devon operations, and a sale of the finest Devon females in a long time. Not only all that, but a chance to network with an outstanding group of people just like you, dedicated to goals you share.
So join Jim Gerrish, Jerry Brunetti, Gearld Fry, the Grass Whisperer, Kim Miller and Ken MacDowell for a weekend you’ll treasure.
As we’ve said, guests are welcome and many have responded to our invitation. Member or guest, call or write now: (800) 477-7579 or allison@bakewellrepro.com.
Coming Onstage Next….
….at our annual meeting and sale October 27th near Albany, New York: a mom and her four-month old bull calf. This is one of the fine cows from Don and Heather Minto’s herd at Watson Farm in Rhode Island. Mom was bred to Rotokawa 93 in August and then covered by the Minto’s herd bull. She’s not been preg-checked but there’s been no sign of heat since the AI.
The calf is by Rotokawa 982. Can’t do better than that. Again, this package gets you started in the business. Both mother and son (and whatever is in uteri) make three and all sell at the October meeting.
The date is getting close now and there’s has been a (dare we say it) a surge in registrations in the past week as people get serious about their fall plans. Cut-off for registrations will be soon….so whether you’re a member or would like to be our guest for this program of information both in the classroom and out in the pasture, act now. Sign up by clicking here.
The $20,000 Bull…
That’s right! A Devon bull has brought $20,000 in Australia. And there’s no question that Australian Devon president Bob Crawford believes in the breed. What follows is an excerpt from the news release.
Bob & Jo Crawford have just finalised the purchase of a sire package from Peter & Tricia Knight which included $20,000 for a yearling Poll Devon bull.
The Crawfords run 2,000 Angus and Devon females on properties in the Crookwell and Moulamein districts. They sought to broaden the genetic base of their Mount Lookout Devon herd and the Coonabarabran based Belar herd of the Knights offered the range of types and breeding that appealed. Previously they had purchased Belar females to build their numbers and have been extremely impressed with the way they performed and the type of their progeny. Some of these cows are now 16 years old and still producing.
Bob is convinced that Devons are an extremely important part of his management plans. Their temperament and ease of handling continually amaze him as does the high quality local trade carcases they produce. The fact that they have been able to source quality poll bulls means the herd will be mainly polled.
The yearling bull purchased was not originally for sale but he impressed the Crawfords enough for them to keep pestering Mr Knight until he came on the market. Belar B141 (P) is a meaty son of some of the best lines in the Belar herd. He is a mix of a line that was developed from early NZ lines crossed over long established Australian lines.
Mr Knight said that he is not willingly letting B141 go even at that price. “To be quite honest, I was not interested in selling him. I only gave in to the Crawfords because I knew he was going to a great home and would do a lot of good in their herd. I would also always have the option of buying back some of his progeny if the need arose.”
Bob & Jo regard their purchase as a good investment in the future of their herd and the breed. “We are prepared to pay the same price for Devons as others do for different breeds, especially as we know just how well they perform.” Said Jo. “For too long breeds such as Devons have been overlooked in the rush to go black."
Building a Devon Herd: Update
These three young ladies frolicking in ED’s pasture have arrived on the scene in the past week. There’s a bull calf, too but brand new and his mom keeps him over under a tree away from the girls. As we write this we have four of the seven embryos we implanted and we should have the full story in about a week. You’ll have to wait (just like ED!).
A Dissent to SGF Series…
Stockman Grass Farmer has devoted a lot of ink recently to the idea of training your cows to eat weeds. With the cost of diesel (ED cuts and not sprays) it seems like one of those idea’s to good to be true. It also seems like something of a strange idea for a publication devoted to healthy pastures. Well, Dave Pratt of Ranching for Profit wades in where more cautious soles dare not tread. Read his dissent by clicking here.
Two for the Price of One?
Well no, but certainly two. Heifer embryo twin sisters are sure to catch your eye at the NADA annual meeting and sale October 27-28 in Albany, NY. Pictured is 14-3E and there’s an identical sister also in the auction. They come already line bred to their sire, Rotokawa 667 and, as Gearld Fry comments, breeding them back to father, grandfather or brother will produce a tremendous amount of genetic strength.
To answer several emails, yes there will be health papers so all the animals in the sale can be transported anywhere in the States. And yes, we hope to have a catalog available very soon. Watch this space and we’ll tell you when they’re ready.
Meanwhile, we’re fast approaching the deadline for registrations. The need to schedule transportation and meals means that you won’t be able to walk in on sale day. So if you’re a member, register now by clicking here.
Non-members are urged to come, too, and we’ve had quite a few already register for the Saturday-only program. $99 gets you the morning seminar with Jerry Brunetti and Jim Gerrish, the field day with Gearld Fry, lots of Devon, food and drink culminating in the sale. If you’d like to take advantage of this exciting Gourmet Beef on Grass program, email us by clicking here.
We do plan to keep the size of the group manageable so everyone gets their questions answered and can be “up close and personal” not only to our experts but plenty of Devon! We hope you’ll act now.
Roberts Buys Womack Herd…
NADA board member and blogger on this website, Bill Roberts, isn’t waiting around for the auction. Of course, he’s the auctioneer and it might be something of a conflict of interest if he was a bidder in Albany, too.
Roberts emails that he is in Louisiana processing cattle from the Womack herd. Bobby Womack, a longtime Devon enthusiast died a year ago and his widow Sally decided she had to part with their cattle. Bill has been battling the worst of the drought all summer and he admits it’s a bit of a stretch to be adding animals but, as he says, opportunities don’t always come at convenient times. For awhile, he’ll have cows in three locations…Fall calvers in Louisiana and the remainder at his two operations in Tennessee.
Permit ED to interject here that this “great catch” by Bill Roberts is the result of networking with other breeders and keeping his eye open for “opportunities”. ED constantly advises people writing here looking for Devon that their best bet is to join NADA, go to the annual meeting, and then stay in contact with everyone they meet. That and bidding at the auction is your surest route to becoming a Devon breeder!
Finally, along with everything else he’s doing (yes, he has a job), Bill sends along his latest contribution to our Blog page. The subject is Leptin…a word you’ll be hearing more about if you care about grass fed beef. Click here for his Viewpoint.
Bill also forwards a kind of good luck charm for others who have been “moisture-challenged” this year. He says if you see rain falling in the picture linked here, it means it’s heading your way. Click here.
Meanwhile…
ED has been trading emails with Rob Wills, who was the host of “Bill’s Excellent Adventure” of recent weeks in Devonshire, England. Rob says he’ll be crossing The Pond in early October for the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. He hopes you’ll look him up at Booth AL 158/160.
Just to prove his loyalty remains with Devon, he sent us this picture of Tillbrook Sunset 2nd, son of a famous dad.
It’s Not Over Yet…
Just when we thought our British colleagues had successfully contained the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease and traced it to its source, comes word of still more cases. The same strain of FMD apparently, but removed from the first discoveries. You can read the latest by clicking here.
The Latest Entry…
Well actually, they all came in at about the same time; the result of a survey trip by Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn selecting animals that will be sold at our upcoming meeting in Albany. She’s a two-year old heifer by Rotokawa 663 and she’s now four months along carrying a calf by her daddy. We’re talking concentrated genetics here and a true herd-starting package.
We keep emphasizing that because ED’s hope is that those of you who have been writing this web page looking to get started, will seize on the opportunity offered by this sale. You don’t have to be a member to take part in the sale and guests can register for the day-long program for just $99. Email me and I’ll get the details right back to you. Just click here: contact@northamericandevon.com
The sale committee has selected the very best genetics available and there isn’t going to be a better time to start a herd or improve an existing herd. (Warning: ED started out thinking this was going to be fun to just watch. But after looking at the pictures he’s asked Mrs. ED to bring her checkbook)
Talking About Genetics…
…as we were a moment ago. In this latest edition of Ask Gearld, the NADA president has some strong words about breeders who are quick to jump on the latest trend. They’re the ones responsible, says Fry, for the cattle industry train wreck. Read Ask Gearld by clicking here.
They Strike Again…
The people who are pushing the National Animal Identification System keep coming up with ways of getting their pet program implemented….through the back door. Seems there was a dust-up at the Colorado State Fair when they demanded that anyone entering an animal had to prove they had a premise registration.
Beef Magazine has a follow-up story making it clear where the beef establishment (and Beef) are heading. Play by our rules or get out. For the story (and note that opponents of NAIS are dismissed right off the bat) click here.
The Final Word (we hope)…
Our Sue Beal has been tracking the follow-up investigation into the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Britain. The problem seems to have been contained fortunately. And the fast response of British officials is certainly impressive. They concluded two independent reviews of the original government investigation in just over a month. The last chapter is summed up by the commission chaired by Professor Brian Pratt and you can read the conclusions by clicking here.
Going Organic…
Okay, it’s Holsteins but we thought this article in New Farm was an interesting summary of one family’s adventure going organic. Click here.
Look-ee Here, Folks….
Isn’t that what the auctioneers say? This lovely lady is from as good a family as you’re going to get: Buckeye, Holbrook, Rotokawa. Better yet, 4151 is carrying a Rotokawa 93 calf which will be born by sale day. You’ll want to be there to say “awww” and bid on this pair.
Register for the exciting NADA weekend in Albany now. No, you don’t have to be a member to share in the fun and all the information on raising Gourmet Grass Fed Beef.Click here for details.
Profile: Long Cattle Company
NADA Treasurer J.J. Barto of Dallas is one of the youngest members of the Board but a key advisor to Gearld Fry. It was Barto who hosted the meeting a year ago at which the Association was launched and he has assured that, despite significant start-up expenses, the organization has stayed firmly in the black. Fair enough. It was Fry who led Barto, and his father-in-law Charles Long, to transition their grass fed herd to Devon.
You can read the profile of their Long Cattle Company by clicking here.
The Farms of Manhattan…
Lest we forget: the original aim of farm subsidies was to help family farms…the proverbial “little guy”…survive. We all know it hasn’t worked out that way. But we were gratified to learn that farming is still doing very well among the penthouses of New York. The map shows all of the addresses receiving farm subsidies. It does appear that the Upper East side, at $1500/square foot is fertile ground. The area around Wall Street might be called New York’s “bottom 40”. Read about it by clicking here.
Foot and Mouth Update…
Britain’s foot-and-mouth outbreak has disappeared not only from the front page, but the back pages as well. Yet the investigation goes on and it demonstrates the truly insidious nature of FMD. We’re indebted to Sue Beal for supplying the story you can read by clicking here.
A Little-Noticed Milestone…
It occurs to us from time to time that news that seems so important, from gyrations on Wall Street to the gyrations of Britney Spears, may not make it into the history books. On the other hand, almost no one remarked on a truly significant milestone recently and yet the ramifications could be enormous. It happened a long time ago in the United States, but now---worldwide it’s official---most people cannot be classified as farmers.
Read one of the few stories on this moment by clicking here.
No, We Haven’t Forgotten…
The embryo saga we began almost a year ago is about to resume and (we hope) pay off. With the predicted calving 10 days off we moved the 7 recips…3 Angus and 4 Senepol…to a fresh pasture. We’d like to say the best grass but the term doesn’t apply after this summer’s drought. Still it’s the best we have and with 20 acres stretched before them to be parceled out, they’re luckier than the rest of the herd.
If you missed the earlier chapters (there were 6) just start scrolling down.
Bring Your Checkbook….
That’s the time-tested advice when you’re confronted by a pretty girl. Good advice in this case. Folly Farm’s 31 will be a featured offering at NADA’ Annual Meeting in October and she’s sure to be turning bidders’ heads. Ridge Shinn, who helped select her for the sale, says look up “genetic potential” in the encyclopedia and this is the picture you’ll see. 31’s pedigree includes many of the great names in Devon history including Potheridge President, Rotokawa 667, Buckeye and Effingham. Special note to those of you who email us looking for females to get started in Devon: here’s an animal to build your herd on!
Wegman’s Gets It….
You know the “eat local” movement has arrived when big chains like Wegman’s get on board. Their produce department in Centreville, Virginia has signs hanging overhead featuring the nearby farms that had supplied everything from apples to zucchini. (Warning from ED: don’t try taking pictures though. They said no even though I told them I was a close personal friend of Joel Salatin! So how did you get the pic? Don’t ask!)
Drought of 2007….
For the latest you can click on our home page Drought Monitor or just read the latest from our Bill Roberts in central Tennessee. That chart doesn’t lie! Bill says even the city reservoir at Brentwood is down to 20% of normal. Some of his wells are still working but there’s no grass anywhere. It’s the worst drought in living memory.
To the East…in central North Carolina…an equally grim report from NADA Vice-President Charlie Sydnor:
The worsening drought here has taken a toll in many ways. I have about 30 days of grass left before I pull the trigger on my drought plan. The biggest concern is that my first calves for 2007 have arrived in this brutal heat (105 degrees yesterday). My breeding program started in 2002 with the use of 688 semen on 56 heifers and has progressed to the birth of my first 7/8ths Rotokawa yesterday.
Liquidating any of these animals will be difficult at best. The cows have done amazingly well with the exception of some bad cases of pinkeye. Other specie have not fared so well. We lost two boars and the chickens tend to pileup and smother one another. The effect on the stockpiling of fescue for the winter is yet to be determined.
The psychological effects are rooted in the uncertainty as to whether we are looking at an unusual event or a harbinger of things to come. The evidence continues to favor the latter.
Someone Messed Up!
The relationship between the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture and the Farm Bureau has been, let us say, “rocky”. So PASA Executive Secretary Brian Snyder was more than a little surprised when he was invited to speak at the Farm Bureau’s annual Ag in the Classroom program for teachers.
Well it turns out the Farm Bureau was surprised, too, and when it discovered it had invited a critic into its “classroom”, it abruptly withdrew the invitation. Snyder had been asked to talk on critical thinking in agriculture today but apparently the Farm Bureau didn’t mean for the teachers to actually hear any critical thinking. Undeterred, Snyder has published his remarks in Passages and makes several important points:
With some studies showing that organic farming can, over the long haul, provide better yields and higher profits as compared to conventional methods, why do we not see massive amounts of federal and state funding going to provide even more research along these lines and support for farmers transitioning to organic?
With all the clear advantages available to the environment, the cows, consumers and farmers themselves for using rotational grazing systems, why do we not see more high-level encouragement for grass-based dairy farming?
Why are we falling all over ourselves in this country to replace one drug we are addicted to (crude oil) with another (ethanol) rather than addressing the underlying disease?
Why does our society seem to care more about the levels of fats vs. carbohydrates in our diets, rather than the actual nutrient density (nutritional units per calorie) of food produced in different ways?
If American farmers are truly the reason why people in more populous nations are not starving, then why do we import so much food from China and other rather populous countries?
Why are Pennsylvania consumers generally ignored as the most natural and readily available solution to keeping Pennsylvania farmers profitable and on the land?
Why is critical thinking in general often considered a threat to the agricultural community rather than its surest pathway to future health and prosperity?
Topping the Sale…
Last week, NADA president Gearld Fry and secretary Ridge Shinn toured a number of Devon farms in the Northeast, selecting the animals to be auctioned at our annual meeting in October. They came back excited at what they found and what they convinced breeders to part with. Harrier Fields 414 pictured here will yield to no other animal in genetic potential.
414 is a 5 year old cow, has been flushed 6 times, consistently yields 14-16 embryos, and according to Gearld, has more calves on the ground across America than any other Devon. She is concentrated genetically in the Rotokawa 667 blood line…and Gearld recommends breeding her to a bull with the same blood line or building a new maternal line with a bull like Rotokawa 93 or 982.
The point we want to make is that this sale of Devon females will be the most exciting in a generation. We are not talking about some culls from the bottom of the herd but top-notch cows…animals that Gearld and Ridge had to twist arms to get their owners to part with. (When ED gets excited his grammar tends to slip)
When you add this sale to the outstanding speakers…and the tour of some of the finest Devon operations in the country…you’ll be kicking yourself for years if you miss out on this meeting. To get more information and make it easy to register…just click here.
A Farmer by Any Other Name…
What also makes the annual meeting exciting is some of the special people who will be attending. We’ve already mentioned Ken MacDowell, the founder of the Rotokawa herd who is traveling all the way from New Zealand, and Kim Miller, who built the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture into such a powerhouse….but now we hear The Grass Whisperer will be there, too. He’s AKA: Troy Bishopp, whose family has been operating a farm in upstate New York since the 1890s.
Troy writes for Graze magazine, the Cornell Small Farms Quarterly and other periodicals. He’s been using rotational grazing for 18 years and custom grazes grass-finished beef, stocker calves and dairy heifers. He’s the chairman of the New York Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) steering committee and a guest speaker at conferences around the country.
The Grass Whisperer did create a small ruckus recently (he’s good at that) in a letter he wrote to a Lancaster, PA newspaper. To read about his irritation with calling farmers by some fancier name, as well as the responses it provoked click here.
We want to add that GLCI made a grant to our Association to help with the costs of our Albany meeting. The grant was in recognition of the program NADA has scheduled for its members and our support for the grass fed industry in New York and we thank them for their support.
Time to Think the Unthinkable…
Our special blogger on animal health---Dr. Sue Beal---has been keeping a watch on the Foot and Mouth outbreak in England. It’s her second experience with this sort of thing. And it got her to thinking about what we should be doing to limit the potential for either a natural or man-made biological threat here. Sue makes the point that breeders of Devon have a special responsibility to protect their herds. Click here.
Who’s Complaining?
Certainly not ED. Sure lightning and thunderstorms struck the farm three times in the past week, first interrupting, and then eliminating satellite reception and phone lines. That meant no update for the webpage. But it also meant close to three inches of rain and what can be better in the midst of a drought than falling asleep at night with rain drops bouncing off a copper roof?
There’s still something wrong with the satellite but the phone back-up is working now and so we venture forth…though with limited graphics.
Help for the Sick Cow…
One of the highpoints of our annual meeting in October (have you signed up yet?) is bound to be Jerry Brunetti’s presentation. Jerry has been the pioneer in linking healthy land to healthy cattle and healthy consumers. In an interview with Laurel Hoffman recently, Jerry made the interesting point that it makes economic sense for a farm to have healthy cows; on the other hand, when it comes to people, the real money is treating sick people, not keeping them healthy.
Jerry’s out-of-the-box thinking is always thought-provoking. You’ll want to meet him at the NADA meeting October 27-28….and yes the meeting is open to non-Devon folks. If that’s you, just click here for information: contact@northamericandevon.com
And read Laurel’s interview with Jerry by clicking here.
Help for the Besieged Marketer….
Sally Fallon and the folks at the Weston A. Price Foundation have come up with a legal defense fund for those of us who sell direct to consumers. Until now, the lone farmer selling meat, eggs and especially whole raw milk have been on their own in the face of an ongoing campaign by state and federal officials to protect Big Ag. I know, they say they’re doing it to protect our health.
This new Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund intends to protect the constitutional right of the nation’s family farms to provide processed and unprocessed food directly to consumers. It will also help those who do not want to take part in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and other bureaucratic and intrusive programs.
Thanks to our Koenigswinter, Germany correspondent Gisela Volkert for sending along news of this essential piece of equipment you’ll want for your barn. (click here)
Help for the Home Decorator…
(Are you beginning to sense the theme here?)
We pride ourselves on answering Devon questions both large and small, but this one has us stumped. Rowland Bateman writes from Elbum, Illinois that he’s redecorating the farmhouse that has been in his family for over 100 years…he’s become a Devon fan…and he’d like to find Devon wallpaper or at least a wallpaper border of cattle.
He thinks the Association might want to go into the wallpaper business since Devon are just that “purty”. But he’ll settle for an email if you have any ideas. You can contact him at: batemangrv@blastcomm.com
It’s a Boy…(again)…
If you call NADA headquarters and a man answers…don’t hang up. It’s probably Ridge Shinn. The woman usually in charge, Allison White, is busy elsewhere. Allison has just had a little baby boy. His name is Cullam Francis, 6 pounds 14 ounces, born on August 6th. Allison and baby are doing just fine. Big brother Brodie is less sure.
Special Report: The Drought of 2007
NADA board member Bill Roberts summed it up best: “this is the worst extended dry period anywhere I’ve lived that wasn’t already called a desert.” Bill is now selling off some stock and describes Tennessee and Kentucky as “critical”. The foothills of the Blue Ridge of Virginia actually had about 1.5 inches of rain this week but even that made no noticeable difference at ED’s place. Just down the road they measured their rainfall in the hundredths of an inch.
We asked some of our members for reports from their areas and we appreciate the response; particularly details on how they’re handling the situation.
Brentwood, Tennessee
12 Stones Grassland Beef
Bill Roberts
Pity the crop farmer who contracted for $4.00 corn. There is going to be a lot of land come up for sale next year.
Because we continue to develop new areas of the farm, we still have some grass. We are rotating to new areas with electric fence. We also have a large grass area around the lake in the center of the farm that is not used as pasture. It is now grazed as a supplement a few hours at a time by different segmented groups.
We are going to sell some of the steers on the conventional market to assure adequate grass for the others to continue to gain as they should. I am going to sell a small number of cows and heifers to ease the burden on September re-growth assuming the rains come as usual in September. Also planning to move some cows to Kentucky on leased ground.
Dixie, Georgia
Dixie Devon
Jeff Moore
It was pretty dry here for the first half of the year. In a normal year we would have had over 25 inches of rain during the first six months, but at the farm here we had less than 1 inch. When you go thru tough times with the right perspective hopefully you get smarter and tougher. Funny thing about a drought, until you experience it you don’t realize all the ramifications like cheap cow prices, lack of hay, and the feeling of helplessness when every time your cows see you they bellow out something that sounds like I’m starving out here.
First we sold off the bottom 25% of the herd early, a technique I learned while attending the Ranching for Profit school, so hopefully you beat the down trend of cow prices due to everyone selling because of the drought. Then we used the drought to show us where the farm had some reserves we had never considered, a place looks totally different when you don’t have rain. Now we have fence around some area’s we thought were very marginal as far as forage production goes but during the drought they were a life saver. We ran cows in the woods and swamps using single strand hot wire and it worked great.
When cows get hungry enough, they will eat most anything so we had to go thru the woods looking for and pulling the poisonous plants. We moved cows a lot. Each day I would try to figure out where they could get the best available forage for the next day and put some poly wire around it. The Silva pastures held up the best, I guess because of the shade and diversity of plant material. Native plant species seemed to show the quickest response with the least hint of moisture well before the new and improved varieties of things I’ve planted. Our pastures stayed in better condition then most around here, maybe because of the constant rotation or the spray program.
We had some folks come out to buy bulls when we were at our worst and they were impressed with the condition of the Devon. They said “If they look this good with nothing out here to eat imagine what they will do at my place.” The bulls are doing great at their new homes, Genetics makes a difference.
July was a blessing, 4 inches of rain and hot, great grass growing conditions. It’s a beautiful sight to see cows grazing grass when you can’t see their feet. Not all have been as fortunate as us. We’re talking to one neighbor about bringing some of his herd over here because he still hasn’t gotten any rain. Hay is still nonexistent unless it is shipped in from somewhere else. Looks like another tough winter for the folks who still feed a lot of hay.
Jamestown, Rhode Island
Watson Farm
Don Minto
Here in Jamestown, where we are by the Coast, it has been very dry since Spring. Our sandy soil really dries out when there is no rainfall. It also seems to stimulate more weed proliferation. Right now we have very limited grass.
Storms have skirted around us where over an inch has fallen recently as near as 1 mile away but missed us entirely. We have had a bit of fog which is better
than nothing. The last rainfall was in June. Our Brown Mid rib Sorghum Sudan was a blessing over the past two weeks but we are through that now. We wish we had planted more.
At this point we will graze off some of our hay fields lightly or face the reality of having to feed some of our Winter hay stocks. August will have lean forage but with a bit of rain the cool season grasses will kick in soon enough, we hope.
The only other option would be to ship some of our livestock which we don't want to do as we are building on several good Red Devon families and want to see them come to fruition.
The next week looks a bit unsettled and we will continue to pray for rain and do a rain dance as well.
We do have a wooded swamp that is about 20 acres that we fenced out through an EQIP grant from NRCS and we are petitioning them to allow us to put the herd in there to graze and browse in an emergency. They would do well there for a week or more.
The weather is always a challenge it seems.
Radisson, Wisconsin
Elm Creek Ranch
Jim Spinner
We have experienced several years of well below average moisture. Last year, I got just enough moisture at the right time to keep things going and we were able to save grass into February. This year isn't looking as good. We've had no measurable rain for a couple months, only a few dust settling sprinkles.
My usual short term drought management plan is to feed some hay in the paddocks. I am willing to feed hay on grass for a short period if it allows our pastures time to rest and ultimately saves a month or more of full time hay feeding.
If dry conditions persist or feed supplies warrant, we'll reduce numbers as necessary. I also plan to experiment with grazing corn for finishing and also for extending the cowherd grazing season.
Farm Welfare for the Dead Threatened!!!
Here’s a follow-up to our recent report, this time from Cow-Calf Weekly:
Farm Payments To The Deceased Examined
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found USDA made farm payments to estates for more than two years after recipients died without determining whether the estates were kept open to receive payments. The GAO says USDA didn't conduct any eligibility determinations in 40% of the cases reviewed.
For 1999 through 2005, USDA paid $1.1 billion in farm payments in the names of 172,801 deceased individuals. Of this total, 40% went to those who had been dead three years or more, and 19% to those dead for seven or more years. The GAO recommends USDA conduct all required annual estate eligibility determinations. The study said USDA should "implement management controls to verify that an individual receiving program payments has not died and determine if these payments have been made to deceased individuals or to entities that failed to disclose the death of a member."
USDA agreed with GAO's recommendations and has started actions to implement them. The House of Representatives passed an amendment during the farm bill debate that directs USDA to investigate which estates have been fraudulently receiving farm subsidiaries payments from the federal government and recoup the funds paid in the name of deceased farmers. -- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent
And the Winner Is….
…Steve Campbell of Trinity-C Ranch in New Meadows, Idaho. Steve must have been sitting by the computer when we posted this picture and asked who could identify this fair-haired cowboy. At any rate, Steve was the winner by a couple of hours and wins an autographed photograph of: Gearld Fry!
Gearld says he and his partner paid almost $4,000 for this bull, tops in Arkansas that year when that was a lot of money! If you click on the picture you’ll see the ravages brought on by a year as president of NADA.
Featured in Australia…and Pennsylvania…
Gearld Fry is on the road almost constantly, of course, carrying the good word about Devon and NADA across the country and around the world. This week, the Australian magazine Bull Dust has an article by Gearld describing Devon developments in America. You can read it by clicking here.
But you don’t have to travel all the way around the world. Gearld will be holding one of his special “grass and genetics” schools next month in Western Pennsylvania. Of course, Dough Gunnink will be there, too. The dates September 13-15 and you can get the details by clicking here
Special Report: Drought, 2007
The effects of the drought of 2007 continued to spread and grow this week. Even ED’s place was not immune. That was the last trickle in one of our pastures in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. The cows have been moved to a field where the water is still running and there’s a pond, just in case. As you can see from the picture, there’s still some green in the pasture and hopefully grass and water will come back this fall.
Earlier this year, we took a hard look at our herd and culled a number of cows from our old Angus herd and even one of our Devon. She was kind of long legged, flighty and difficult to calve so she went at the local market. We didn’t want her kind in the Devon breed.
Some years back, Kit Pharo offered a tough prescription for times like this. Bottom line: you can’t feed your way out of a drought. Read his old newsletter by clicking here.
Gearld Fry has some advice in this month’s Ask Gearld. Gearld thinks we should be praying for smarts…not rain. His latest by clicking here.
And of course if you’re a glutton for punishment, don’t forget our drought monitor. It’s on the home page and you can check it to locate your fellow sufferers. Of course, if you’re in Texas you’ll be excused for being impatient with our whining.
Business As Usual…
USA Today editorializes about the Farm Bill which passed the House this week and now moves on to the Senate. A bit farther to the Left, even Rolling Stone gets into the act. Hard to believe the Rock Generation cares but these subsidies are a scandal certainly and it exposes the hypocrisy of politicians of all stripes: those who decry excessive and unneeded government spending and those who worry so loud about “the poor”.
USA Today takes aim at the leaders in Congress who have perpetuated four more years of this nonsense. (click here)
Rolling Stone exposes the scam that is ethanol for a readership that, until now, has only focused on Big Oil as the villain in our energy crisis. (click here)
Raising Non-Pigs for Fun and Profit…
It’s not only the US government that wastes money on unneeded (and even unwanted) subsidies. We enjoyed this letter to the British version of the Department of Profligate Spending. Thanks to Sally Silvia of Ranching for Profit for passing it along.
Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Secretary of State,
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
16 May 2007
Dear Secretary of State,
My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs. I would now like to join the "not rearing pigs" business.
In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy.
I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these?
As I see it, the hardest part of this programme will be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven't reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this?
My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing pigs for forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968. That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearing any.
If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing 100?
I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mean about £240,000 for the first year. As I become more expert in not rearing pigs, I plan to be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 million from your department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be eligible to receive tradable carbon credits for all these pigs not producing harmful and polluting methane gases?
Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tonnes of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs I don't rear?
I am also considering the "not milking cows" business, so please send any information you have on that too. Please could you also include the current Defra advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand hectares)?
In view of the above you will realize that I will be totally unemployed, and will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits.
I shall of course be voting for your party at the next general election.
Yours faithfully,
Incidentally, Ranching for Profit’s Dave and Kathy Pratt had a scare recently when their teenage daughter Allie was critically injured in a car crash. She was in intensive care for a time but now appears to be on the road to recovery. Not a great way to begin your senior year. Our best wishes to the Pratt family.
Guess the Cow…(and the Cattleman)…
You never know what you’re going to find digging around through old photos. Take this one for instance. Yes, Angus really used to look that way and they weren’t called LowLine. This bull was a state champion…brought $3,700 at auction 50 years ago when that was a lot of money. The sharp-eyed looking old cattleman on the left was Ross Wingert (not known for wasting money) but who was the fair-haired young boy on the right just getting started in the cattle business?
British producers have been having trouble catching a break in recent years. Now an outbreak of “foot and mouth” disease has forced a ban on all their meat exports. Read about it by clicking here.
Cradle to Grave Welfare….
We knew of course that our nation’s Ag programs have done no favor for millions of average farmers. It’s a game tilted to Corporate and Daddy Warbucks types. But what we didn’t realize is that the Farm Bill is a “gift that keeps on giving”. Don Surber has the details in his blog “Welfare for Dead Farmers”. You can read it by clicking here.
Trouble in Paradise?
What are we to think when the Top Gun of the healthy food movement goes after the leading journalist in same? In essence, Sally Fallon, the president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, considers Michael Pollan’s prescription and says “think again, Michael”.
ED, recently armed with Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable. Miracle”, thinks Sally has an excellent argument. But then we really haven’t heard from Pollan recently. He’s been offered space here to respond, if he chooses.
But here is the Sally Fallon piece from Wise Traditions, the publication of the Price Foundation.
Can Royalty Work Here…
….is the subject of the final installment in the series “Bill’s Most Excellent Adventure”. NADA Board Member Bill Roberts spent several days touring some of the leading Devon farms in England recently. We’ve run his report along with his pictures since his return. ED is not sure how he managed to have one of the farms he profiled run away with the British Royal Show. But we also wondered whether he thinks British genetics would “work” here in the colonies.
Once we can get our satellite service restored, ED promises a complete photo album of the Robert’s journey.
Whoaa….
In a stunning reversal…and rebuke of its committee chairman…the House Ag committee has suddenly reversed itself. The ban against linking Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) to animal identification (NAIS) will stand. Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has managed to turn things around…and the attempt to sneak NAIS through the back door has been defeated. Of course, there’s still the Senate.
The move to remove the linkage was seen as an attempt to permit bureaucrats in the Ag department to go ahead with their much-treasured animal registration system…a complicated and expensive project we would all have paid for in time and money. This would seem to be another victory for internet lobbying by ordinary people. And dropping a line of thanks to Congressman Goodlatte would seem to be in order. You can scroll down for earlier coverage.
The Nose Under the Tent…
…the mandatory animal identification tent, that is. The House Agriculture committee has quietly passed a Farm Bill that paves the way for NAIS. As usual, the politicians are covering their tracks. Right now the Country of Origin Law (COOL) prevents linking it to NAIS.
Collin Peterson (D-MN), the chairman of House Ag, has inserted a provision that removes the ban on the linkage. So when COOL becomes law in 2008 it will require source verification of livestock stamped “U.S.” and that will clear the way for NAIS. In short, the politicians will be able to wash their hands of this and the bureaucrats will order mandatory animal identification.
If you want to contact your Congressman you can call or email him or her and go on record as opposed to the repeal of the Prohibition On Mandatory Identification System for Country of Origin Labeling (Title XI, Subtitle B, Section 11101 of the Farm Bill. To get the number or address go to www.house.gov.
You Do Have the Power…
Coincidentally, Ridge Shinn passes along an article on how the internet has enabled people to work around the Big Government/Big Media combine. People power has worked several times, most recently in the immigration bill debate. Read the article by clicking here.
Organic Isn’t the Key…
…according to chefs quoted in the August issue of Wine Spectator. Even in this article on the leading organic restaurants in the country, the emphasis shifted to locally-grown products. Said Peter Hoffman, owner of the Savoy restaurant in New York: “More and more of our customers are interested in where the food comes from and how it was raised.”
Chef-owner Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place in Portland also recommends ignoring the big “industrial organic” companies…the ones that ship across the country. “It’s great that they’ve introduced the public to organic food. They start with good intentions but outlive their paradigm. It’s just the way of the world.”
Just One More Ms Cashtiller…
In all the coverage of Tillbrook Cashtiller, who dominated the British Royal Show this year, breeder Gavin Hunter managed to avoid the lens. But our crack research team (Mrs. Ed) spotted this photo on the internet. If Gavin is going to make it in the American market he’s going to have to shed that British humility.
The Executive Link Experience…
…is always rewarding. Even if, as it turned out, Dave Pratt couldn’t make it. ED’s chapter (Mississippi East) was somewhat decimated by unavoidable absences, too, but thanks to Dave’s staff and guest Kit Pharo, the Colorado Springs meeting was again the most useful get-together on our schedule. We particularly appreciate the Shamrock board giving us a chance to eavesdrop on their deliberations. And it was rewarding to learn how many of the big western cattlemen have “gone Devon” in their herds.
NADA Board Makes Several Key Decisions….
…approves Milking Devon registry
…invites non-members to Field Day
…adds two to the Board
By unanimous vote, the board of the North American Devon Association has approved a committee recommendation to register Milking Devon. The registry will identify the animals with a distinctive numbering system and unique paperwork. The Board also emphasized that it will protect the purity of the Milking Devon and ensure there is no mixing of genetics with the beef breed.
Responding to many requests, the Board voted to welcome a limited number of non-members to attend the information session and field day associated with the upcoming annual meeting in Albany. That day is Saturday, October 27 starting at 9 a.m. and features Jim Gerrish, Jerry Brunetti and Gearld Fry. There’ll be a field day with pasture walks and hands-on work with animals. The day will conclude with an auction of select Devon females. And food. On yes, food. Cost for the day is $99. Learn more about the program by clicking here.
Finally, the Board voted to add two new members…one from the East and one from the Far West. The two are John Forelle of Folly Farm in New York and Steve Campbell of Trinity C Ranch in Idaho. Both men have been profiled on this website. Read about John’s farm by clicking here. Steve’s “outfit” (notice how ED speaks Western fluently) can be accessed by clicking here.
Giving Credit Where it’s Due….
Thanks to Bill Roberts for sending this update photo on the all-around champion of the British Royal Show: Tillbrook Cashtiller. I first heard about the stunning success…dominating the Royal two straight years…from Ken MacDowall who properly credited Breeder Gavin Hunter.
From what we’ve seen of his herd in “Bill’s Excellent Adventure”, he is certainly a major new player in Devon circles internationally. Bill is already talking about importing embryos from Gavin as early next year.
But this 688 daughter is also a credit to the vision of two men: Ken MacDowall and Gearld Fry. Ken, of course, worked quietly in New Zealand developing the Rotokawa strain and then Fry, the president of NADA, identified 688 as the bull to base his plan to launch a revival of Devon in America. Fry has certainly been vindicated in his belief in Ken and 688 and his insistence that his pre-potency stamps his progeny with all the correct attributes.
We’ve shown pictures of Cashtiller to an “old time” cattleman we know and for the first time he admitted Angus just aren’t doing the job any more. ED predicts a few more cows like this one and Devon will vault over all competitors.
But Keep In Mind…
…there’s no place like home. In his column this month, Gearld has some important reflections on this question of moving animals from place to place. There’s a price to be paid. It’s one of Gearld’s more important articles and you can read it by clicking here.
To Make Him Blush….
This is an opportune time to write something that has been on ED’s mind for months: NADA President Fry quietly continues his non-stop missionary work on behalf of Devon without, we think, due recognition from the rest of us. In recent weeks he has been in two foreign countries and every region of the US talking about the right cow for grass fed beef. When my phones rings, and it’s Gearld, my caller ID often reads “out of area”. I think that’s not a bad nickname for him: “Out of Area”.
But recently we spotted two pictures in which Gearld was using a cane for support as he viewed cattle in a pen. Asked about that, he admitted that he needed it for “stability” in the wake of his knee replacement operation. An operation like that slows anyone down; but not Gearld.
Now we’ve seen many pictures of Gearld at the chute working with his adult students…and we’ll see many more. But at a recent stop near Garden City, Kansas, he paused to talk to an old buddy, Earl Berlier. Gearld says he’s learned a lot from the 78-year old Berlier over the years; that Berlier said he had never doctored a cow until 1960 when the new, fragile cows beloved by the experts came on the scene. Berlier is retired now and his son and grandson are taking over the farm.
What we also noticed among the pictures from Kansas was not the chute…or the cattle…or the cattlemen and women. We suddenly focused on the kids….saw the look on their faces…saw why it is so important we raise healthy cows on healthy, sustainable family farms.
Just recently Bill Roberts, traveling in Devon, England, reported on his visit to Gavin Hunter’s farm. Now comes word that one of Gavin’s cows, Tilbrook Cashtiller, not only won her class and was female champion but went on to beat the bull and become Supreme Champion. Incredibly this is the second straight year she’s claimed all the honors.
But wait, we’re not finished. Then this Rotokawa 688 daughter wrapped up the sweep by winning the Burke Trophy as the best of all 26 breeds in the show. Needless to say, halfway around the world Rotokawa breeder Ken MacDowall is ecstatic. As he commented to us: “688 is not only a great sire in himself but he has proven he can hand on his attributes to his progeny so consistently.”
If you haven’t already, be sure to read Bill Robert’s report on Gavin Hunter’s operation by clicking here.
More from the Commonwealth…
We have received more information on the World Devon Congress to be held in Australia next year. Thanks to our correspondent Loma Wright for keeping us posted. Read her latest letter by clicking here.
Back in the Colonies…
No one we know has been more determined to create a Devon herd…now…than Jim Spinner. He is growing his Elm Creek Ranch in Wisconsin with AI, embryos, and a leave-no-pasture-unsearched program that has searched out every available Devon in the eastern US. Read the Profile by clicking here.
Be Sure to Check Out…
….the latest blog from NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn. He examines the differing views on diversity and genetic concentration and concludes there’s a need for both. (click here)
Drought Got You Down?
It hasn’t been a problem in New Hampshire and Brad Houston emails that he is only halfway through mowing and has 75 spare rolls already on hand with more to come. It’s a mixture of timothy/brome/orchard grass of good quality. He’d like $45 a roll and you can contact him at (603) 747-2626 or LocalBoysFarm@aol.com.
Coming Soon to a State Near You…
….that would be animal registration, of course. There is something of a parallel between Congress’ attitude on the recent immigration bill---we know what’s best; we don’t care what you think---and the insistence on NAIS, even if it means coming in the back door.
Jim Spinner of Elm Creek Ranch has written to tell us of his experience with Wisconsin officials. Jim says he “reluctantly” registered his farm with the State last year under the threat of a $1,000 fine. Now he’s received a renewal notice and again with the threat of a $1,000 fine and “other penalties”.
Wisconsin, we should note, is leading the nation in the drive for animal registration and the USDA considers Wisconsin’s a model program. Jim talked with the Liberty Ark Coalition and they suggested two options: renew but write “under duress” on the form or just do nothing and see what really happens.
Jim’s doesn’t think it’s much of a protest to write “under duress” on a form but he’s not thrilled about a $1000 fine and he’s not sure what the government’s threat of “other penalties” may mean. We thought you’d like to know how this “voluntary” system is playing out. We recommend you contact the status of NAIS in your state by going to the Liberty Ark Coalition website. (click here)
And an interesting postscript: Jim says the state legislator who sponsored the animal registration law in Wisconsin now says he may take action to repeal it. It’s just too unpopular. More echoes of the immigration debate? ED wonders when us yahoos are just going to shut up and listen to the guv’mnt?
Bill’s Excellent Adventure – Day 3
Bill Roberts wraps up his tour of Devon in his report in the Op Ed section. But he promises a summary with his final observations soon…and we’ll also have a photo album of his trip as well. Meanwhile, read about Day 3 by clicking here.
World Congress in Australia…
….will be September 9-24, 2008. The program is just about ready according to the chairman, chairwoman, chairperson (?) of the big event, Lorna Wright.
Anyway, Lorna promises she’ll pass along the details very soon. Meanwhile, we passed along the question from several NADA members who would like to attend but can’t spare the time for the full two-week bus tour. Yes, Lorna says, there will be arrangements to join the tour in progress and/or leave along the way.
We also understand that a few NADA members plan to take the opportunity to hop across to New Zealand and visit the Rotokawa Estates. Ken McDowall tells us that though, like all New Zealanders he is generally opposed to parties, he might make an exception in this case. Another subject to discuss at the NADA annual meeting in October since Ken will be there.
More on Omega 3….
…this time the potential link to blindness. The medical evidence keeps piling up about the importance of Omega 3, although our Dr. Susan Beal cautions we should keep in mind it’s not just Omega 3…it’s the ration between it and Omega 6. We’ve heard similar cautions from Dr. Susan Duckett of Clemson. In any event, read the article by clicking here.
One More Reading Assignment….
NADA President Gearld Fry forwards an article on a subject that is frequently remarked on. There has actually been research on cows eating their placenta…there’s even a fancy name for it. Read about plancentophagia by clicking here.
Looking for Devon Females…
Your best chance in a long time will be to attend the Association’s annual meeting in Albany, NY October 26-28. Another breeder we know has just decided to part with a few of his cows to help make the auction that caps the Saturday Field Day an exciting event. Better yet, if you join NADA between now and October 1st, you’ll receive a $100 credit toward the purchase of the Devon of your dreams.
If you can’t wait, we also suggest you keep in touch with the farms and ranches on our Breeders Page. You can link anytime from our Home Page or you can click here.
And the Winner Is…
We mean the person coming the farthest to attend the North American Devon Association annual meeting the weekend October 26-28. Can you beat Wanganui, New Zealand? Well, that’s where Ken MacDowell and his wife, Prue, are coming from. Ken, of course, is the brains behind the Rotokawa strain of Devon cattle and has had much to do with the recent resurgence of Devon.
Ken should probably be on the program with the other experts but he’ll be there the whole way as one of us regular persons and ED for one isn’t going to miss the opportunity to pick his brain…even if he has to ask Ms ED for some money to treat at the Century House pub.
ED also has a suggestion for the weekend organizers: why not a brainstorming session with Ken and Gearld when we stop for lunch at Bakewell Reproductive Center? Actually we think the whole weekend is going to be a “brainstormer” with not much difference between the experts and the attendees. In any event, though you’ve lost the contest, we trust you’ll get registered as soon as possible.
The Well-Read Breeder…
The “Cattle Network” has a terrific interview with NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn on what this business of grass fed is all about. Ridge lays it all out in straightforward language and he’s not afraid to confront the Angus lobby either. Make sure you click on the link to the whole interview after you read the first page. Start by clicking here.
And talk about “must reads”!! Dr. Susan Beal’s Op Ed piece this month opens up still another avenue in grass fed research. You certainly know about Omega 3s and their contribution to good physical health. Well now there are indications it has everything to do with our generation of “hyper” kids. Read Sue’s “Letter from Laughing Oak” by clicking here.
New Day, New Devon…
…That’s the title of an article in the June issue of Bon Appetit. If you’ve been following Bill Roberts’ report on his “most marvelous adventure”, you’ll want this companion piece. It has lots of local color, places to stay, where to eat. (And recipes, in case you can’t make the trip.)
Incidentally, Rob Wills, who was Bill’s host in Devonshire, writes that if you’re planning to attend the Royal Show we noted last week, you’ll save money by getting tickets in advance. Rob says follow the links to the registration area after you click on:
In a recent posting we noted that the American Milking Devon Association had “banned” the registration of embryo transplant calves. The president of that Association has taken exception to that, stating that the group has instituted a moratorium and not a ban. They will reconsider the matter in a year and could adopt a new policy.
Exactly how long a moratorium must be before it becomes a ban escapes ED but he accepts the chastisement. You can decide for yourselves by linking here.
Now ED did not dispute the Association’s right to call off ET registrations for however long they wish, but did say he thought the reasons given were disputable. The Milking Devon folk claimed ET was expensive and would result in a flood of alike-looking cattle. ED’s comment was that $200 for an implanted embryo is hardly expensive. And even though there are only about 500 Milking Devon (their number, not ours) look-alike calves isn’t really a problem. Most cattle breeders want consistency in their herds and only concentrated good genetics will provide it.
We didn’t comment then…but will now…on the claim that ET can damage a cow. We’ve heard that: stories of continually flushing a cow until it drops. ED not long ago flushed a cow twice and it bred back naturally in the very next cycle. But certainly too much of anything can hurt a cow…including grain.
ED did decry the smallness in thinking that a few filthy rich people with their fancy test tubes and flashy cars are going to penetrate the sanctums of the Milking Devon Association. Again you can read their statement and decide about that for yourselves.
To sum up: it is ED’s opinion that embryo transplant is a relatively-inexpensive way to improve and enlarge your herd. It seems to us that that is something a breed association should be encouraging….not moratorium-ing.
Now the president of the Milking Devon Association, Drew Conroy, is demanding that ED’s offending opinion (and apparently ED) be eliminated. Sorry, Mr. Conroy, we respect this little thing called “freedom of speech” over here. But we would be happy to have your opinion on the issues involved. Please feel free to write a guest column for our Op Ed page and we’ll be glad to post it.
….we suppose. Supporters of mandatory registration of farms and animals have jumped on the Chinese pet food scare to pave the way for NAIS (the National Animal Identification System).
Among the many propaganda sheets we’ve seen is this advertisement for tagging gear disguised as a newsletter. You can read it by clicking here.
The Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson (D-MN) has inserted a provision in the Farm Bill which links Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) to mandatory NAIS…which currently is prohibited by law. Peterson’s provision would strike down that prohibition.
COOL becomes law in 2008 and livestock stamped “U.S.” will need source verification. So as we forecast sometime ago, NAIS supporters will get their way even if they have to come through the back door.
We’ve also commented many times on the unholy alliance among government, Ag schools and industrial agriculture. In his latest update, Kit Pharo recounts his recent run-in with the “alliance” at a meeting in Colorado. We experience much the same in Virginia…or used to when ED went to the state-sponsored meetings. Kit’s report can be read by clicking here.
Wouldn’t it be Easier…
NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn asked awhile back in his own blog for Bakewell Reproductive Center. Whether it’s the current E.coli recall of millions of pounds of meat or Mad Cow or pet food scares, it makes a lot more sense to just use common sense and natural practices to raise healthy food than to try to block the junk Big Ag puts out, here and globally. Read Ridge’s piece…as well as some interesting links…by clicking here.
Worth Checking Out…
What could be a better source of the food you eat .than your own farm, or a neighbor’s. The Washington Post’s book section ran a review recently of one woman’s experience eating “locally”. If you direct market, or want to, there are a lot of ideas in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”.
Read the story in the Post’s Book World by clicking here.
Buy the book, or read more reviews, by clicking here.
And if you’ve been following Bill Roberts’ “Most Marvelous Adventure” in Devonshire, England he thought you might be interested in this flyer. (click here) Bill is putting the final touches on Day 3 of his journey and we’ll also soon post all his pictures from England as a special photo album.
Make Mine Grass Fed….
Another big meat recall…almost 6,000,000 pounds…due to e.Coli contamination. Couple this with the earlier article (scroll down) about the beef producer who is being blocked from checking all his product for Mad Cow and you have to wonder whether it wouldn’t be a whole lot easier…oh, and safer, too…just to stick to grass fed meat. Read the whole thing by clicking here.
Dealing with listeriosis…
Sadly, a top breeder we know lost his best bull recently to mysterious causes. One day the bull, which had seemed in fine health, just wouldn’t get up. The breeder and his hand used a fork lift to put him in a pickup…braced him with straw bales…and raced 200 miles to the State Ag College. Despite the efforts of the best veterinary care, the bull was dead within 24 hours. An autopsy finally revealed the mystery-killer was something called “listeriosis”.
By coincidence, one of our own local vets only a few months later, wrote an item for her newsletter. We thought it was worthy of highlighting on our Guest Blog. Read Dr. Monica O’Brien’s article by clicking here.
If we were to guess, our friend lost his bull because it found the remnants of old haylage that had been fed earlier to some heifers to help them through the winter. But that is only a non-professional guess.
A New Regular Department…Breeders Page…
For some time now, we have been fending off demands by readers searching for Devon cattle. It is frustrating not to be able to help more. Most Devon farmers and ranchers are still building their herds and are not ready to part with precious seed stock. But now we have assembled a few who say that they do have cows and bulls and heifers for sale…at least occasionally. Frankly, you may have to join a waiting list but at least you’ll have some idea of when the waiting will end.
To visit the new Breeders Page and get your bid in, click here.
Sadly, not everyone wants to share the pleasure (and profit) of raising Devon. Read on.
Thinking Small…the AMDA decision…
Our friends at the Milking Devon Association have just decided to ban embryo transplants. You can read their position by clicking here.
At first, ED thought they had come up with some new technical wrinkle that brought the whole ET process into question. But no, their decision is apparently based on two arguments:
1. Embryo transplants would concentrate the gene pool when what is needed (they say) is more diversity in the breed
2. ET is so expensive it would favor a few, “rich” breeders and drive the little guy out
Both arguments, if ED can be forgiven an opinion, are so silly you have to conclude the real reason is that the “powers” in AMDA just want to maintain a very small and exclusive club, limiting the number of newcomers. It is any club’s right, of course, to keep both the riff-raff and rich guys out but it would be better if they had simply said “small is beautiful” and left it at that.
When a breed reaches the dire straits of the Milking Devon…something like 500 animals in the entire country…ET is the only way to increase the numbers significantly and permit new breeders to enjoy the game. As we demonstrated in this column, it is not an expensive process. In our carefully documented experiment, we produced 7 live pregnancies for less than $200 each and that cost will go down further depending on the success of 7 more embryos waiting to be transplanted. There are a number of Devon breeders who will tell you the only way to build a significant herd, in your own lifetime, is with ET.
Second, “widening the gene pool” comes under the category of “Rural Legend”. It’s exactly what has destroyed the American cattle industry. As Gearld Fry has forcefully argued, here and elsewhere, the goal should be to concentrate the best genetics as much as possible and then replicate them as fast as possible. Embryo transplant is the only way to improve and increase the breed.
As we say, we have no quarrel with the Milking Devon Association trying to hold its numbers down but they should plainly state their goal. A number of members of that Association have already asked us to establish begin to register Milking Devon and our Breeds and Standards committee will be acting on that soon. We encourage all Devon breeders who are dedicated to the success and growth of the milk and beef breed while rigorously protecting its purity.
What the Farm Bill Really Costs…
Only billions, we’ve been assured. Well Ag columnist Alan Guebert recently totally up the true cost….and it came to trillions, with a “T”. Read the many ways the government keeps the playing field tilted toward Big Ag by clicking here.
Time for a Family Meeting…
Yours’, that is. Times a-wastin’ if you want to reserve a room in the Inn where we’ll be having our annual meeting October 26th and 27th. And you do. Not only is it convenient to the conference but the buses will be leaving from there on the farm tours. The rooms and grounds are beautiful. There’s an exercise facility, tennis courts, walking trails and a pool! But rooms are limited.
So read the story by clicking here or go to our Special Page by clicking here. Then talk it over with your family and make your reservations and send in your registration. This is guaranteed to be one of the top grass fed meetings of the year.
It Kind of Snuck Up On Us…
The drought, that is. There are reports from all over the Southeast of parched soil. One Devon breeder we know in western North Carolina has just finished making hay and is turning around and feeding it immediately. And his hay crop was only half normal!
In the eastern part of North Carolina, Charlie Sydnor is better off than many. But he hasn’t had any rain for three weeks. He thinks he’ll be okay for another month because he’s understocked but “after that, it’s the drought plan. Thinking ahead, Sydnor put up enough hay for 3 to 4 years when he had moisture earlier in the year.
It’s far more serious in Florida and Georgia. Jeff Moore reports from Georgia that he was forced to sell 40% of his commercial herd. The remaining cows are browsing in the woods as best they can. Jeff hasn’t had moisture since February 16th.
To the West, Bill Roberts in Tennessee says he’s “way short” on rain but making it so far by keeping the cows moving. The outlook for any hay is not good.
In the Upper Midwest, things are getting better after a slow start. David Nortunen in Wisconsin said up until last week they’d had only a half inch of rain. But he’s had almost two inches in the past seven days so he’s been able to maintain his cattle rotation and his first crop hay yield is “looking pretty good”.
Going even farther North….Shauna Wobeser says they’ve had good rains at her place in Alberta, Canada and it should be a great year for hay.
Finally, back in the States, in the Northeast, both Don Minto in Rhode Island and Ridge Shinn in Massachusetts say their grass started slowly because of the lack of rain and the cold nights but now they’re having trouble keeping up. Ridge reports his early grasses are already heading out and Don, anticipating the summer slump, is about to plant 5 acres of Sorghum Sudan grass for his herd.
Hay and Forage Magazine did a survey of the entire country this month. To read what they found click here.
You can keep tabs on the entire country with a web page we’ll keep in a special box on our Home page from now on. Check it out by clicking here.
Curious-er and curious-er…
There are times when we don’t know what to think. A small beef producer, apparently hoping to combat the in-roads of those natural food guys, wants to test all his beef for Mad Cow disease. The big producers, afraid that he’ll advertise that his meat is healthier, want to stop him. And the feds want to stop him now, too…ostensibly because the test yields too many false positives. Read the story by clicking here.
Somehow, we believe it might be best if everyone was simply committed to raising natural, healthy beef. No false positives…no Mad Cow.
Of course, that’s alright for “Crunchy-Cons”. You don’t know what a Crunch-Con is? Well ED didn’t either until the other day. Basically they’re conservatives who believe in protecting the land, their animals, their families. Call it conservatism without the greed. Here’s their Manifesto so you can see if you are one, too.
A Crunchy Con Manifesto
1. We are conservatives who stand outside the conservative mainstream; therefore, we can see things that matter more clearly.
2. Modern conservatism has become too focused on money, power, and the accumulation of stuff, and insufficiently concerned with the content of our individual and social character.
3. Big business deserves as much skepticism as big government.
4. Culture is more important than politics and economics.
5. A conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship—especially of the natural world—is not fundamentally conservative.
6. Small, Local, Old, and Particular are almost always better than Big, Global, New, and Abstract.
7. Beauty is more important than efficiency.
8. The relentlessness of media-driven pop culture deadens our senses to authentic truth, beauty, and wisdom.
9. We share Russell Kirk’s conviction that “the institution most essential to conserve is the family.”
Maybe. Guest blogger Dr. Carolyn Matthews passes along an email that is being circulated among physicians about the Farm Bill. You read that right. Seems the doctors have come to the conclusion that our food supply and the health of their patients is somehow related. Here’s a copy of the email with names deleted. (click here)
That “Other” Bill Before Congress…
With all the controversy over Immigration, it’s easy to forget that a new farm bill is also up for consideration. Again, it’s heavily titled toward Big Ag and Factory Farming. But about 400 organizations interested in sustainable agriculture have launched a lobbying campaign to see what can be done. You can reading about it by clicking here.
A good way to get involved would be to contact Kathy Lawrence, who used to head the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. She’s now with the Community Food Security Coalition and is ready to help you get information to your Congressional delegation. Email Kathy and ask for help by clicking on the link below.
Well how about 1,500 miles? No one we know has been more aggressive in building a Devon herd than Jim Spinner of Elm Creek Ranch in Raddison, Wisconsin.. Jim hitches up his trailer and is off on the hunt at the slightest hint of an available Devon. But recently he set a personal record for travel and wound up with more than he hoped for.
His destination was Tim Henderson’s farm in Wayland, Massachusetts but along the way he stopped at two farms that will be featured on our annual meeting bus tour: Harrier Fields and Folly Farm. (More about Folly Farm in a moment)
Fellow NADA member David Nortunen rode shotgun for Jim and filed this report:
We left here at about 8:30am Tuesday morning and got to Harrier Fields at Schodack Landing, New York about 4:30 Wednesday morning. We drove straight through with only stops for gas. We sustained ourselves with a wonderful spread that Jim’s wife had packed for our trip. Personal favorite: the brownies! We ate a wonderful breakfast at Harrier Fields and looked at their cattle until noonish. We saw three of the original Rotokawa heifers that were shipped from New Zealand. Very impressive cows. We also looked at their embryo cows and other bulls. Several times we asked if anything was for sale but they wouldn't even consider selling anything.
Then we drove down to Folly Farm at Pine Plains, New York which was less than a couple hours away. Jim was interested in a 5 year old Rotokawa 667 son there, but it turned out he frostbit his delicate parts laying on frozen ground this past winter and was sterile. We also looked at another bull there. Grantland Granite. He was a massive bull weighing in at roughly 2300 pounds but was only a frame 4.5.
From Folly Farm we drove down to Tim Henderson's Wednesday night and took a quick look at Page Road Pete, his mom, and the other cows. Then Tim took us out for a seafood meal which was fantastic. Maybe a brew or two as well. Tim was an excellent host and stated by selling this cow he was trying to help other people get started in building their Devon herds, because he had trouble buying Devon in the past. What a great attitude and Jim was very excited to be able to add a cow of her quality to his herd.
We spent Wednesday night in a motel. Thursday morning we loaded up Page Road Pete's mom and calf by her side and said goodbye to Tim and Boston. Then we headed back to Folly Farm. There we loaded up 6 head of Devon Cows that we had agreed to buy the night before.
Again, both Harrier Fields and Folly Farm will be featured at our annual meeting in October. You’ll see a lot of quality animals at both places. If you’re going, we urge you to act quickly. Space at the headquarters inn---Century House---is limited. Details and registration form are as close as clicking here.
Profile: Folly Farm in Pine Plains, New York….
About 20 years ago, Patricia and John Forelle purchased their farm two hours north of New York City in the Hudson Valley as a weekend getaway. A farm in continuous operation since the early 19th century and more recently a commercial dairy farm, the fields were planted in a rotation of hay and corn.
Then one day, a friend asked if he could run some cows in one of the pastures. The rest, as they say, is history. Read the full Profile by clicking here.
We Just Keep Growing…
…and sometimes we do get confused. Before welcoming some more new members, we want to correct an earlier listing. It’s Candy Brisendine…she and her husband Tom live in Lennon, Michigan. Other new members include:
David and Lorraine Jackson
Pen Yan, NY
Mike and Chuck Debrach
Troy, PA
Jamie Hostetler
Harmon, IL
Paul Spas
Ashville, NY
We look forward to meeting all of you in Albany in October!
The Passing of a Devon Giant…
We were sorry to learn of the death of Stewart H. Fowler in Georgia earlier this year. Dr. Fowler was 84 and died after a long illness. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Dr. Fowler was educated at the University of Florida, Auburn University and Texas A & M. He was on the faculty of a number of universities and wrote hundreds of articles in livestock journals. For many years he was the executive secretary of the Devon Cattle Association and worked closely with Dr. Jerry Engh in developing the Texon cattle. Dr. Fowler is survived by his wife Sara, four children and 9 grandchildren.
Some Bedside Reading…
Kit Pharo…the Colorado bull breeder…puts out a “must read” newsletter every month. You’ll want to check out his take on the latest wrinkle in intensive grazing. It’s called “mobbing”..a technique developed by Greg Judy…and you can read about it by clicking here.
ABC News investigative reporter John Stoessel takes a quick look at the “promise” of ethanol…and he’s not impressed. Read John’s taking by clicking here.
Finally, NADA President Gearld Fry, in his column this month, writes about the miracle of birth. There’s an awful lot going on at that moment and scientists are learning more about the beautiful mystery. Read “Ask Gearld” by clicking here.
Best Annual Meeting Ever….
Pretty safe boast, you say, since this will also be our first. But we mean best ever by any breed association! Alright ED, justify that claim:
One of the advantages of a new organization is we’re not carrying around a lot of old arguments than need to be endlessly re-fought. So we’ve scheduled only one hour for the business meeting and figure with two coffee breaks that should be more than enough. You’ll get to meet the officers…question them on the future…and then we’ll clear the decks for an information-filled two days with the theme “Gourmet Beef on Grass”.
The schedule calls for a three-hour classroom session with the best-known people in the business. Then a tour of not one but three outstanding Devon operations. You’ll be up close and personal with the finest cattle anywhere and you’ll have hands-on experience at a working chute.
First the speakers: Jim Gerrish! On the off-chance you don’t know Jim, he’s the man who designed and popularized Management Intensive Grazing. A cattleman all his life, a retired faculty member from the University of Missouri Ag School and now the “go to” guy when Allan Nation designs his top seminars for Stockman Grass Farmer. Jim will be talking about year-around grazing with the bottom-line in mind. Later, at one of the farms, he’ll take you on a pasture walk. So you’ll have plenty of time to get to know this giant of the natural beef industry. If you want to learn more about him, you can click here.
Next: Jerry Brunetti! Jerry literally wrote the book on the relationship between healthy land and healthy cows…and healthy consumers. A cancer survivor himself, Jerry lectures across the country on the value of eating naturally. Jerry has told many audiences that if he believes milk from Devon cattle is superior to all others! Read more about Jerry by clicking here.
Then there’s our own Gearld Fry. Gearld knows more about animal husbandry than you’ll find in any textbook or ag school.. Gearld will be talking about selecting cows and bulls for optimum performance. He’ll also work a few animals in the chute so you can get up close for the basics. Here’s your chance to finally see just what he has been writing about on this website and talking about in scores of personal appearances every year.
Gearld’s “show and tell” will be at Harrier Fields Farm, the first stop on our Field Days. Mike Scannell and Joan Harris plan not only their top Devon beef for lunch but a pig roast! Mike has a beautiful matched team of horses and he’ll be conducting tours of his heritage farm. It’s been in operation for more than 150 years and some of the original buildings are still there and in use. Just seeing them is worth the trip to Albany. We profiled Harrier Fields awhile back and you can read all about it by clicking here.
The afternoon at Harrier Fields is capped by an auction of select Devon females. With the scarcity of females, that’s not only a reason to make the trip but reason enough to become a member of the Association, if you’re not already. To make it even more attractive, those who join the Association between now and the meeting will receive a $100 credit to spend at the auction. So if you’re a winning bidder, your first year’s dues will, in effect, be waived.
After the auction, it will be back to the Century House for a buffet dinner. The speaker at the dinner will be Kim Miller, the dynamic out-going president of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. PASA is the largest organization of its kind in the United States-- more than 4,000 members---and it more than holds its own against industrial ag in the Keystone State. Kim, an interesting and entertaining speaker, will be talking about the future of the natural and organic food industry.
The bus leaves at 8 Sunday morning and heads for Hardwick, Massachusetts through the beautiful Berkshire mountains. If the weather cooperates, we could be right at the peak colors of the Fall season. To further help the trip go by, various bubbly liquids and snacks will be served. Hardwick, of course, is home to Bakewell Reproduction, the brainchild of Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn. It was their import of Rotokawa Devon that launched the resurgence of our breed. You’ll see plenty of Rotokawa as well as other top animals at Bakewell and we’ll have lunch at the East Quabbin Land Trust pavilion overlooking a beautiful valley. Here, you’ll also have a chance to “Ask Gearld”…a special give and take session.
From there we head to John Forelle’s Folly Farm. John and manager Michael Prause have worked hard to build a beautiful herd of Devon and he’s reached the point where he is now ready to begin selling seed stock. This is a must-see if you want to build a herd and an important contact for the future. And hungry or not, you can eat here too. Dinner will be served on a patio overlooking not only a garden but a pond and a string of pens with some of John’s very best cattle looking back at you. Watch for a profile of Folly Farm coming up here very soon.
At this point in our weekend, assistance will be offered to get you back on the bus and the very short trip to the Century House and the conclusion of our conference. By then, we trust you will agree with ED that this has been the very best annual meeting ever!
So sign up now. The agenda, information on hotel reservations, and registration are all had by simply clicking here. We urge you to book now because, while there are plenty of hotels in Albany, space at the Century House with its beautiful rooms and walking trails, is extremely limited.
No, Toto, we’re not in Kansas. This is a Devon in its natural habitat….Devonshire in southern England.
Not many of us have a job that forces us to travel to Paris on business. Fewer would probably rush out of town to get to rural England. Board member Bill Roberts is in that select group. Instead of extending his business trip with some personal time in Paris, Bill headed to England as soon as the work was concluded. Bill reports on what he found in his Viewpoint column this week. It’s an interesting story and the pictures of Devonshire, the Cotswolds, and the cattle. Its people are fascinating, too. Read his journal by clicking here.
Fry on the Road Again…
Now there’s a bulletin. It would be easier to report when the NADA president is at home. At this writing, Gearld is in Mexico helping several cattlemen set up Devon operations. And last week he was in the Northeast visiting several farms, including John Forelle’s Folley Farm, which will be the concluding stop on our annual meeting bus tour. Gearld was excited by what he saw there and at Harrier Fields. He commented that the calves this year are so good, Ken McDowell would be proud to claim them.
Incidentally, in late July Gearld will be conducting an AI school in West Virginia. It’s a two-day program, July 27-28 …cost $350…and will be held at Jim Barkelew’s farm near Philippi, West Virginia, which is not far from Morgantown. For more details and to register, contact Laurel Hoffman at (814) 256-3707 or email her at theanimalkeeper@yahoo.com
the Republican candidates’ debate…
As you know, we never do politics on this site (well, hardly ever). ED went to bed early for the debate but ED’s wife, determined to be An Informed Voter, stayed up to watch. After 30 years of reporting on these guys, I concluded long ago that the last place to get informed is to listen to a politician talk. So my favorite moment came not in the debate but in a comment I read the morning after. Someone observed that “ethanol is the chemical compound that results when you mix corn with tax dollars”.
(Truth in reporting compels me to admit I always go to bed early. On the other hand, my wife admits she slept through the entire debate. So our personal debate remains equally informed.)
Bill’s Marvelous Adventure…
Bill Roberts, a regular contributor to our Op Ed section, has just returned from a trip to England…the cradle of Devon cattle. Roberts visited a half-dozen farms and is busy writing up his experiences which will appear on his blog starting next week.
Meanwhile, he sent along a picture of what the well-dressed farmer wears in England. In fact, all farmers. A tie is de rigueur…the boots, too, and are carefully cleaned before the next stop. Bill said he felt he needed to dress properly since a British cattleman was so well-attired when he visited the Roberts operation in Tennessee.
Bill also promises lots of pictures of very impressive cattle…and as a tease sent along this one of a bull named Viacount. We’ll have to wait for more information on him when Bill begins his report next week
A Postscript from ED…
ED, too, has been traveling to the British Isles…but his pictures are mostly of empty Guinness glasses. However we did note that everywhere we went in Ireland there were signs…or notes in menus…much like this one emphasizing all beef is traceable. The better restaurants forgo signs but have notes in their menus or discrete notices near the cashier.
Your Travel Plans…
…should include a trip to Albany, New York in late October. That will be the site of the annual North American Devon Association meeting…well that and several surrounding farms. An exciting information program has been put in place and the top speakers in grass fed agriculture have been booked. It’s all been planned in response to Gearld Fry’s recent telephone conference calls with members with all you need to know from the grass up! Complete details next week so get your credit cards ready.
The Antibiotic Issue…
Just how pure do we need to be? The magazine New Farm raises the question in its latest issue. Do we simply watch an animal suffer when natural treatments fail or should we intervene with antibiotics? ED, who sells all his calves to two grass finishers in Pennsylvania that insist on no antibiotics, simply gives the shot and pulls the animal from his shipment. However, the two major buyers of all-natural beef have protocols that permit limited use of antibiotics.
Well, according to our Sue Beal, quite a lot. Her latest “Letter from Laughing Oak” has just come in and Sue says that contaminated pet food scare raises some serious questions about how we raise our cows…not to mention how we raise our kids. Read her latest column by clicking here.
Help for Wayward Devon…
We mentioned not long ago that the NADA Board of Directors had voted to install a new procedure that could eventually mean registration for Devon with misplaced or even non-existent paperwork. The protocol is up in our Registry page now so you should check to see if you have animals that might qualify. It’s not easy but with the current value of Devon it’s worth following up. (click here)
Profile: Watson Farm, Rhode Island
Since they met at the University of Rhode Island in 1971, Don and Heather Minto have been following their personal motto: “Learn by Doing”.
Heather studied Textiles, Clothing and Related Arts and became involved in spinning and weaving during the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. Don majored in Plant and Soil Science and always has had his hands deep in organic gardens. “A lot of people don’t know their direction in life,” Don says. “I always knew I wanted to work on the land.” Read the full Profile by clicking here.
Looking for a Herd Bull?
In his Ask Gearld column this month, Gearld Fry says you don’t have to look far and you don’t have to spend a lot of money. It’s a do-it-yourself kit that is the perfect companion piece to our Building Your Devon Herd. Read Gearld’s recommendation by clicking here.
Building Our Devon Herd…The Reckoning
So how did we do? Well, for those of you who absolutely cannot stand the suspense, you can go directly to the summary by clicking here. It should be said, however, that if you do, you should probably never venture into embryo transplants. Suspense is what it is all about!
Preg checking our recips had been delayed for awhile. First, there had been difficulty getting the bull out
of the pasture and then the infamous Winter of 2007 made its appearance. The day we were finally able to schedule the vet was right at the tail end of the Nor’easter that slammed the East Coast. But high winds, that had toppled trees and downed power lines, were still with us. In fact, we were without power for the preg checks but we pressed on.
Our vet, Tom Massie, showed up with a new assistant, Kristin Camp. She is a graduating senior at Virginia Tech and with 33 cows to preg check plus 6 baby bulls to castrate, Tom thought this would be an excellent learning experience for her. That slowed things up on a bitterly cold day as Kristin searched for the babies, but it increased the learning experience for all of us.
Again, stepson Church Matthews was the wrangler, bringing the cows in from the holding area. Of the 33 cows, 11 were the recips. We decided it would be faster to simply take them as they came rather than trying to do any sorting. Again, that wind played a big part in our decision.
The extra month delay in the preg check meant that we probably wouldn’t be able to “sex” any of the embryos. That is easier done in the formative stages before all the other “stuff” develops. But, at this stage in the development of our herd, we were looking for bulls as well as heifers.
By coincidence, the very first cow through the chute and into the head gate was one of the Angus recips. The same thought occurred to me this time as it had in earlier preg checks: do they have a class at veterinary school where they teach these guys to maintain a neutral look as they probe?
Worse than that, as Tom withdrew his arm, he shook his head at my raised eyebrow and pointed to Kirsten. He wanted her to decide without any prompting. There were two questions really: was she pregnant and would it be four months (the embryo transplant) or three months (the natural cover bull). Kirsten was sure of the pregnancy but was not sure of the age. Tom said simply, “You’ve got an embryo!” Almost as welcome as the day the doctor came out of the delivery room the first time and said to me, “Hi Dad!”
It was an auspicious start. As expected, the ultrasound couldn’t reveal the sex. Next!
Well, we had to patiently go through four more cows who were not recips (all pregnant by our Devon bull) before we came up with our second recip, one of our Senepols. Wonderful mothers. Terrific on grass. Great in the summer. But could they hold embryos through the winter?
She could and she did. We were two for two! I tried to tell myself that this couldn’t last. There was no such thing as 100% in the embryo business and I had seen our bull being awfully cozy with at least two of the recips. He hadn’t been observed actually mounting them but still there was that undeniable romantic afterglow.
And sure enough, a little farther down the road, we experienced our first disappointment. But that was followed quickly by another Senepol and another success! At that point, the combination of numbers and the cold, made us settle in for the long haul. Preg checking and ultra-sounding 33 cows is an ordeal in weather like that.
At some point though, Tom noted that we were about halfway and I checked my notes. Two beyond halfway…two open cows, one a recip…and confirmed pregnancies in just over half of the recips we had checked thus far. But for some reason, it was obvious those still-waiting recips were bunched up in the far corner of the holding pen. We would have a burst of four at the very end.
Slowly we got to that point…and before we moved on to steering the bull calves…we took a break and counted up. Ms ED had been keeping the official score on a sheet she had prepared…ED was keeping notes on an index card (which had gotten smeared by some rain).
At this point we rejoin those impatient souls who couldn’t take the suspense and skipped ahead.
As you’ll recall, we had started with 14 recips and plenty of eggs thanks to two flushes. However, 3 of our recips for various reasons were not ready to take part in this venture. So we were left with 11 recips.
And we had 7 confirmed pregnancies!
Let me repeat: 7 CONFIRMED PREGNANCIES. 64%!
What was interesting was the breakdown of live and frozen embryos.
Of the 7 live embryos, 5 had been successful.
Of the 4 frozen embryos, 2 had been successful.
Those results are pretty much within national averages; perhaps a little better on the live transplants. Interesting, too, was that all four of the Senepol cows we had used as recips, had been successfully implanted.
The 5 live transplants were all sired by Rotokawa 93. The 2 frozen implants by Lakota 60.
And there was a bonus…our young cow 48 had not only gone through two flushes without batting one of her beautiful eye-lashes, she had caught up with the rest of the herd and was safely in calf with a little heifer. The ultrasound could spot her and this is the picture. That was almost the best news of all since there is always a chance of inflicting some harm (seldom lasting) on a donor cow.
Suddenly, no one was cold. We stood around for almost an hour reliving our success and talking about “next time”. We do, after all, still have those 7 embryos back in the can at Tom’s clinic and so there definitely will be a next time.
This report would not be complete, of course, without totaling up the costs. But it should be said first that a Devon heifer today comes close to being almost priceless. With an Angus you could compare the cost of an embryo to the cost of a good calf. But there simply aren’t many good Devon calves around to buy. Which brings us to the point of this series: Building a Devon herd from the ground up! Still here are the numbers and we will go into some detail so you can decide which expenses were worth it or not:
Transportation: 2 cows to and from clinic
$225
Recip conditioning: CIDRS, Lutalyze for 14 recips
$360
Flushing cow twice
$546
Freezing embryos
$500
Board for 2 cows (remember one was just “company”)
$605
Implanting embryos in 11 cows
$524
Preg check
$177
Apportioning costs, we spent $2236 for 18 usable embryos or $124 per embryo. The cost for implanting and preg checking came to $701 or a total for all expenses of $134 per confirmed calf.
Would I do anything differently? No. Obviously we could have flushed the donor cow at our location but I think the ideal conditions at the clinic helped and the additional cost was about $1000 for board and transport. My time bringing the cow in without missing a day in the critical periods…the chance she wouldn’t cooperate on one of those days…and being tied to the farm...and the extra cost for the vet to come to the farm…all made the boarding fee seem like a bargain.
Nor would I eliminate one of the two cows we had first planned to flush. I would definitely enter this project with two cows and hope that both could be successfully flushed. The results are so much better with the live flush, that it would be tempting to eliminate the frozen embryos. But again, the embryos “in the bank” were worth the peace of mind.
So we have 7 successful embryo transplants from quality bulls we couldn’t afford to purchase and we have 7 more stashed away for the future. With “ordinary” Devon calves starting at $1500 today, if you can even find them, is $134 worth it? You can supply the answer.
Check with us next September when we hope our 7 new calves will be on the ground. Yep, still more suspense!
Oh, and fair warning: embryo transplanting is only part of our plan to build our herd. A year ago, we searched and searched (and spent) to buy some young heifers. Later this year, it will be time to AI that group. The story continues!
That Old Devil Corn (Again)…
Sometimes we wonder why conspiracy theorists are so hung up on the JFK Assassination or Pearl Harbor or 9/11. There clearly has to be an unholy alliance behind the decisions that have brought our country to its dependence on corn. In fact, a creative writer could cast the government, Big Ag and food companies in the roles of drug pushers. A reporter for the Wilmington News Journal recently tried with only limited success to break her addiction. (click here)
ED Was Wrong…
…we pause momentarily for you to recover. A few weeks ago, reporting on our trip to Harrier Fields Farm in New York, we showed a picture of Joan Harris and her two Devon heifers. Five months old, we said, and halter broken. Wrong, corrects Joan. “They’re three months old. We don’t raise runts here!”
See for yourself October 26-28 at the annual NADA meeting in Albany. Harrier Fields is one of three outstanding farms we’ll be visiting. Details for registration coming soon.
The Lowdown on Milk…
We were able to crack the password at the American Herbataurus Society (even if we can’t spell it) and extract an interesting article written recently by their manager, Laurel Hoffman. This is a photo of Laurel in her natural habitat; after all she is also a NADA member as well as this month’s Guest Blogger.
In her article she discusses A1 and A2 milk, a topic that is destined to become as much a matter of discussion as the better-known Omega 3 and 6 issue. The article has some very disturbing conclusions as well as a reason for optimism. (Read it by clicking here)
Make Mine Rare…
And Steven Campbell of Trinity C Ranch in Idaho passes along a website featuring Shannon Hayes, who has written books and articles on cooking grass fed beef. Alright, other grass fed things, too, but you don’t have to read that part. This is Shannon and her daughter Saoirse on their farm in upstate New York. Shannon has not one but three websites and ED thinks all three are outstanding not only for their content but for their design. Here are the links:
…in not continuing to post the names of new members recently. We’ll run a few extra this time to start to catch up. Every new friend and associate is vital and we look forward to meeting you in person soon. Say, at the annual meeting?
Randall Hastings
Bay Minette, AL
Chris and Candy Penner
Mountain Grove, MO
Darrell Patridge
Table Grove, IL
Patrick Kilcyone
Brasher Falls, NY
Tom and Carolyn Brisendine
Lennon, MI
David Mills
Brandon, VT
Dan and LuEllen Schmitt
Marshall Town, IA
Lin Andrew
Pittsboro, WV
And while we’re on the subject of new friends, it was also interesting to run down the list of foreign visitors to our website in just one week recently. Many are US service men and women stationed overseas and folks all of us really thank you for your sacrifice! But here are the foreign countries that checked us out ranked by the number of visits:
Canada
Finland
Turkey
France
China
Russian Federation
Netherlands
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Switzerland
Brazil
Thailand
Australia
Seychelles
Germany
India
Ukraine
How Green Are Your Pastures…
…if the answer is “not green enough”, it may not be too late for some remedial work. A year ago, grass guru Jim Gerrish had some advice for cattleman in an article he did for BEEF magazine. That article is reprinted with the kind permission of the author and the publisher, BEEF. (click here)
Because so many of you in our reader survey asked for more basic information on raising cattle, we thought this would be a good time to bring in several of our experienced Devon breeders for a quick roundtable about what they’re doing for the Spring green-up. Here are the views of four cattlemen from across the country: Ridge Shinn, Jeff Moore, David Nortunen and Jeff Campbell.
East
Ridge Shinn
Hardwick, Massachusetts
Spring has stalled here in Massachusetts. Three weeks ago it began to green up---typically the ice is off the ponds by the end of March and freezing nights with warm days (maple syrup weather) are behind us. This year we had mud three weeks ago and now everything has stopped growing with continued cold weather and periodic snow squalls.
We are still feeding hay and anxiously await grass. We are particularly anxious to have enough grass to measure with the Brix meter (refractometor). We applied a “Gunnink Method” foliar spray based on our forage analysis last fall and look forward to seeing what changes this brings to the quality of our grass.
I hear reports that green up is happening elsewhere which gives us hope during our reluctant spring. We can’t wait for the return of Dr. Grass.
South
Jeff Moore
Dixie, Georgia
Well it’s already warm in South Georgia, so the grass is doing its thing down here ready or not. Our ground never freezes so we take soil samples in February and see what the soil is up to since last February’s test. Remember the phrase “if we can measure it we can manage it”.
Normal years, whatever that is, grass starts to green up in early March with real growth in early April assuming we have moisture. The Rye/Rye grass mixture we planted last fall will finish up this month because of heat, and we start grazing perennial grasses and adjust speed of rotation with the grass growth. Moisture is the limiting factor for us since April and May can be pretty dry in these parts. Normally, March is the wettest month and April the driest, go figure.
We will send the lab our first grass tissue sample middle of April and compare to the soil report we took in February. We apply a topical spray of Fish oil, Molasses, and what ever else the test says we need. Our base grass here is Bahia grass, does well on our sandy soils with heat and drought, mixed with clovers and crabgrass and other various legumes. Bahia grass is best eaten at about three weeks of growth if we are looking for the best quality, so we keep the girls moving daily. We will repeat the testing every other month thru the summer and spray after each test.
Sweet Georgia peaches will be ready in May, I can’t wait.
Midwest
David Nortunen
Marengo, Wisconsin
As far as what I have done, I foliar sprayed all paddocks (225 acres) last year with Biologicals, Kelp, Molasses, Fish oil, 10%N, Calcium, Potassium and several trace minerals (Se, B, Cu, Mg, Mn). The main thing that I am doing this year is educating myself. I have been using MiG for the past 3 years with mixed results. At the last conference I attended, one of the presenters talked about Holistic Management. I am now reading the Holistic Management book by Allan Savory and have found it to be very interesting.
Based on this, I am going to delay the start of my grazing rotation this year because I want to give the plants enough time to be growing from photosynthesis and not from reserves. I am also reversing the order of my rotation after 4 years of grazing in the same order. I have made a change to my mineral cart adding free choice Kelp and Desert Dynamin. I also put plastic freezer shields on the side to protect it from rain. I am going to move a hay wagon with a couple of bales free choice with the paddock moves for the first 30 days or so. I am also considering subdividing my paddocks with temporary fencing this year to address my problem of mature grasses in the paddocks.
West
Steve Campbell
New Meadows, Idaho
Getting our pastures ready for spring actually starts the summer before during haying season. Putting up hay of the highest nutrient quality will leave the most nutrient dense fertilizer on top of the snow in the winter. Visually, we have a very good idea of where we need extra fertilizer; however, we soil sample at least once per year and then brix and PH throughout the growing season as well as forage sample once per month. This really gives us a history of how things are working. Knowing all of that, we adjust where we feed in the winter.
In the spring, I try to spread out the residual to "uncover" the grass in the feed areas as early as possible with a pasture rake. April and May are rainy months, and I want as much of the "fertilizer" incorporated into the soil in the current year as possible. As the weather warms and I can get the results from a forage sample, I hook up the "aerator" I outfitted with a foliar spraying system, along with that pasture rake again. I apply biologicals, kelp, and minerals according to the forage sample. The foliar applications later in the year are done with just a spray rig. Due to the rapid grass growth in May and June, we feed a small amount of loose hay to keep the animals from getting too "washy".
What I am doing does not sound sustainable for the long run, however, once I replenish the deficient microbes and minerals, nature will be able to run her course, providing nutrient dense grasses for our livestock
We thank these Devon people for their views. If there’s a common thread it may be that all four make use of foliar spraying and also are believers in soil tests and/or forage tests. Could be this will become a regular feature on our website and don’t be surprised if we call on you!
NADA Board Approves Recovery Registry….
After lengthy deliberations, NADA’s Breed Standards committee has reported out a protocol aimed at reclaiming Devon cattle whose owners have been unable to register their animals because of inadequate documentation. The Board voted April 5, 2007 to ratify the recommendation of the committee.
Is She or Isn't She?
Under the new protocol, which will soon be posted in the Registry section of this website, a breeder may submit a cow along with whatever history is available for consideration by the Association. A NADA field representative will examine the cow, take DNA samples, and issue a special certificate.
The cow’s progeny will be similarly monitored for two generations. At that time, if there is no anomaly, a regular registration certificate will be issued. The technical requirements are somewhat more complicated than that but if you believe you have an animal that is a purebred Devon and would qualify for this program, watch for the published protocol and then contact Allison at NADA headquarters by phone or email.
It’s getting harder to know who the good guys are…
Stockman Grass Farmer has a story this month about the confrontation of Whole Foods Chairman John Mackey and Michael Pollan of “The Ominvore’s Dilemma” fame at the University of California/Berkley. (ED is still puzzling over SGF’s description of the audience as “not overly unsympathetic” to Mackey.)
The Whole Foods’ chairman insisted on defending his business for a full hour without interruption. Pollan observed that it says something about the mood of the country when 2000 people jam an auditorium to hear a businessman and a journalist talk.
(ED thinks it says even more when Mackey admits his company lost two billion dollars in market capitalization as a result of Pollan’s book. It seems to us that says volumes about the power of the pure food marketplace. Health-conscious consumers are no longer holding still for any shortcuts, even if well-known businesses are flying under the “organic” banner.)
Be sure to read Bill Roberts’ Viewpoint on Whole Foods gobbling up a smaller competitor. (click here)
And we also hear of a dust-up between the Virginia Independent Consumer and Farmers Association (VICFA)…that’s Joel Salatin’s outfit…and Redmond’s Salt CEO, Rhett Roberts. The staff of the VICFA newsletter reports that Roberts big dairy, the largest in Utah, is behind a sweetheart deal with the state legislature that benefits only one operator…Roberts.
The bill championed by Roberts bans cow shares and requires raw milk producers to own at least 51% of the retail stores where their milk is sold and also bans raw milk in any store selling pasteurized milk. There is only one dairy in Utah which can jump through all those hoops…and it is owned by….Roberts.
Click here to read some of the crossfire between the VICFA editor, Deborah Stockton, and Roberts.
Roberts’ claim that his operation is Weston Price “based” (whatever that means) was slammed by Stockton, who wrote that that argument was “self-serving” and ignored the true meaning of the principles of Weston Price.
Sally Fallon, the president of the Weston Price Foundation, then chimed in:
“I am skeptical about this bill… to pass legislation ‘legalizing’ raw milk sales but banning cow shares…then making it very difficult to obtain a license to sell raw milk, thereby keeping out many small farmers. Cow shares are such a wonderful model for a small farmer to get started. Actually, I don’t think bans on cow shares could hold up constitutionally but, of course, it would be very long and expensive to pursue this in court.”
VICFA isn’t calling for a boycott of Redmond’s Salt but, in its newsletter, it pointedly lists several other producers of similar products. And editor Stockton says she’s already substituted a competitor for Redmond.
Final Website Survey Results…
Thanks to all those who took the time to fill out our survey. The results have been passed on to the NADA Board to provide material for their deliberations on the future of the Association. Coupled with the teleconference calls with the entire membership, we have a pretty good idea of what members (and our friends in the web-o-sphere) want in the way of assistance.
Modesty prevents ED from repeating some of the comments but here are the results question by question. Only those effusive reviews plus duplications of suggestions have been edited out. Here goes:
1. The following best describes me:
a. Raise another breed
34.9%
b. Raise Devon
23.3%
c. Interested in grass fed
16.3%
2. I live in the following state:
In all, 25 states and Australia, New Zealand and England were mentioned.
Most frequently cited were New York and Texas followed by Ohio,
Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.
3. I found this website:
a. Very informative
62.8%
b. Informative
37.2%
4. Features I would like to see added:
a. Information on finding Devon seed stock (by far, most-often cited)
b. Breeders listing
c. Basic information about Devon
d. How-to articles about raising Devon
e. Specific information on pasture care
f. More of the wisdom of Gearld Fry
g. Qualitative information on Devon beef
5. I would like to purchase Devon calves for finishing:
a. Yes
33.3%
b. No
66.7%
6. I would like to purchase Devon seed stock
a. Yes
70%
b. No
30%
We address the following questions to Devon breeders:
7. Size of my herd:
a. 1 – 10
42.9%
b. 26 – 50
35.7%
c.11 – 25
14.3%
d.50+
7.1%
8. I plan to increase the size of my herd in the coming year:
a. Yes
100%
9. I plan to offer the following for sale this year:
(Only 16.6% said they would have available animals)
a. Heifers
37.5%
b. Cows
12.5%
c.Bulls
85.5%
d.Steers
50%
10. I would like to see NADA form a marketing cooperative to help sell my steers
a. Yes
81.2%
b. No
18.8%
Several things are immediately apparent from these numbers. The supply of Devon females is going to continue to be tight for at least another year or more. NADA members seem determined to build their own herds at the expense of creating more Devon breeders.
And there’s not much question about the demand. Three-fourths of our readers are not-now Devon breeders but almost all (70%) would like to buy seed stock.
(Warning: An EDitorial coming)
It seems to ED that a good job has been done educating folks about the great quality of Devon beef and the efficiency of Devon cattle on grass. But current breeders have to ask themselves if their current policy of being tight-fisted with their herds is in their own best interest. If we’re to have a real impact on the health of our farms and consumers, we have to find ways to create more Devon herds. Restoring Devon to its historic and rightful place among America’s major breeds needs to be the first priority for us and for this Association. We need to look beyond our fences!
Profile: Trinity-C Ranch…
Most of us appear to have backed into this grass fed business. It is only after years of raising cows “the old fashioned way”, with chemicals in, on and around our animals that we begin to pay attention to the basic in this equation: the grass.
Steve Campbell and his wife, Debra, of Trinity C Ranch in New Meadows, Idaho came at it from the other direction. When the Campbells returned to Steve’s native area about 120 miles north of Boise in 1988 they began operations on their 600-acre spread by custom grazing. Every Spring, about 550 steers were shipped in from California to take advantage of the superb grass of New Meadows (click here to read the rest)…
Big Business But is it Good Business….
…that’s the question Bill Roberts asks in his Viewpoint column. Retail giant Whole Foods has gobbled up a small competitor amid some troubling overtones. Nevertheless, Roberts hopes for a positive outcome and offers a plan he thinks might work. Read him by clicking here.
Incidentally, Bill is taking a trip later this month that many Devon breeders have dreamed of. He will be in England for several days and, if I’m counting right, his itinerary shows stops at 8 top Devon farms as well as UK Sire Service. Bill says he’s bringing dress shirt and tie since that is de rigueur when doing British farms. Hopefully, he’ll also bring along a camera and we can get a couple of pictures from the cradle of Devon as well as the inevitable shot of the Bobby at the Palace.
We also have a new contributor in our Opinion section this time. Dr. Carolyn Matthews takes an in-depth look at something we all talk about but may not really understand. Don’t miss her discussion of the science behind the Omega 6-Omega 3 issue. Click here.
Spring and a Young Man Turns to Thoughts of….
…worming. ED hasn’t bothered for several years now though he sees nothing wrong with a dose of Shaklee’s Basic H in the water trough. But Ranching for Profits Dave Pratt offers some thoughts on this traditional cattleman’s practice. Click here.
Hormones…It’s What’s For Dinner….
Still more that traces today’s health problems to the feedlot. ED is disappointed that professional headline writers seem to be blaming the beef instead of what’s done to them, but they’re just taking a short-cut. Here’s the latest story linking reduced sperm counts in men to diet…their mother’s diet! (click here)
The article produced quite a bit of conversation in our editorial board meeting. Alright, actually emails among Dr. Carolyn Matthews, Dr. Sue Beal and Bill Roberts. But there were lots of emails.
Our western diets are virtually awash in estrogen. Heifers are given estrogen in the feedlot to keep them out of heat. Unfortunately, they carry that estrogen right to the dinner table. Soybean products are estrogen-producing. And Bill noted that even the lining in canned foods (Thialate) is estrogen-producing in the body. In fact, he said, the water in the North Platte River is so full of estrogen from run-off containing birth control excretion that 9 out of 10 male fish examined in a study had developed female sex organs! And the North Platte supplies Denver’s water.
Then there’s genetically-modified foods, the various “cides” and corn. But we’ll leave that for another day. However, there is one small, hopeful note. You may have noticed that Burger King announced that it is slowly phasing out of using confined animals in their purchases….very slowly. But the point here, we think, is that Burger King says frankly that it is responding to the pressure of its customers. There is a consumer revolution going on out there…running right over the big government/big ag effort to close it down.
And before we leave the subject of a healthy food supply (granted, we never really do), be sure to check on Gearld Fry’s latest on butterfat. It’s the second part of his article on “The Missing Element”. (click here)
Building a Devon Herd…Part V
If “it’s all in the timing”, that’s doubly true when you’re transplanting embryos.
After seven months of planning and dealing with the myriad preliminaries, the day was finally here. P48 would be flushed for a second time and the live embryos along with the 11 frozen embryos in the tank would be rushed from the clinic to our farm. There, we planned to implant as many live embryos as we had and then complete the procedure with the frozen ones.
Readying the embryos had begun a week earlier. The 14 recipient cows had been brought into the chute and Dr. Gustavo Tisera of Rose Hill Veterinary Clinic planted a “CIDR” in each one. That was to begin the process of synchronization; that is the synchronous ovulation of all the recips. The donor cow…the fertilized eggs…the recips all had to be in the same stage of their cycle and development. Timing was everything.
A week later, the recips were brought in again. This time the CIDRs were removed and each received a shot of Lutalyze. Now, on the morning of the transplants, they were back in a nearby pen , awaiting the critical moment.
About 20 miles away, P48 was again dutifully marching into her chute at Rose Hill Veterinary Clinic where she had undergone a course of Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH) to maximize egg production. The eggs were then artificially inseminated and today the resultant embryos would again be flushed with a buffered holding solution.
So the run-up to the flush was carefully timed to match the conditioning of the recips. Both tracks had to pay-off at 10:30 that morning. With 11 eggs already “in the can” the pressure was somewhat less this time, but still these were going to be the Rotokawa 93 eggs and we wanted enough to answer our questions about the New Zealand line and compare them to Virginia’s Lakota 60.
As we waited at the farm we had no idea what was happening over at the clinic and there was some nervous joking. What if P48 jumped a fence overnight; what if Dr. Tom Massie dropped the flask; what if the police stopped him for speeding? Tom wanted to get the transplant completed in under three hours though the embryos would survive longer than that.
We didn’t have time to really get worried before his red van was rumbling down the lane exactly on time. Seven live embryos, he reported. So we had plenty to spare. Fourteen would be going in today and we were ready with 18.
Stepson Church Matthews walked the first recip, a Senepol, into the chute area as Tom and his assistant, Vanessa Harrison, got ready. In addition to those three, the crew consisted of my wife, in charge of the all-important note-taking plus operating the critical sweep gate, and me. Confession: it was never clear what I was supposed to do.
The first three implants went smoothly, not much more time involved than with an AI. As he placed each embryo, Tom reported on the progress and finally which horn had received the embryo. A short pause for note-taking and the “next”. We all relaxed a bit and began to enjoy the day.
But then…”the well-laid plans” rule kicked in and Tom called for a conference. The recip was not showing evidence of an appropriate ovulation. Tom said we could risk it but it could well waste a valuable embryo. Who needs 11 new calves anyway? We pressed on.
But almost immediately ran into a second failed recip, same reason, and then a third. This cow had developed a cyst and more clearly had not ovulated. Definitely a reject but now we were getting worried. A lot of time, not to mention money, had gone into this project and here at the halfway point we had already lost three opporunities.
But as abruptly as our luck had turned bad, it switched back again. We completed the seven live transplants without incident and turned to the frozen embryos. Four straight and each time Tom pronounced himself satisfied with the results.
The totals: out of 14 recips, 11 transplants. Seven to Rotokawa 93 and four to Lakota 60. Beyond that we had 7 in the can. Wait’ll next year!
Of course, we had no idea that day how many transplants had actually been successful. The recips would now return to the herd and our Devon herd bull would be brought in for his usual assignment.
We considered using alarm tags to track possible heat but our experience with them had not been good. Too many brushed off in the past and one even stayed white though it turned out the cow had actually been bred. So we decided to do it the old-fashioned way and eyeball the herd three times a day. In the first month, we never saw the bull mount a single recip. He “kept company” with one, he mounted some of the other “non-recips”, but he ignored the cows with the embryos.
We observed the same through the second cycle, even the romancing of the same recip. We didn’t kid ourselves that we could have 100% success…..but you’d harbor a secret hope too, wouldn’t you?
As this is written we’re finally getting close to finding out for sure. Dr. Massie is scheduled back in a few weeks and this time with his ultrasound gear. It’s time to trot out that old cliché: the tension mounts!
Next time: the final score and totaling up the bill.
Longhorns Get Their Groove Back….
…or they’re trying anyway. Seems today’s version isn’t your grandpa’s Longhorn and that has some folks fighting back. (click here)
Looking Ahead to the Annual Meeting…
There’s no stopping those who have a chance to check-out beautiful Devon. Your ED joined NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn this week trudging through the snows of New York and Massachusetts on a fact-finding tour for our big October meeting. After a day examining conference facilities in Albany, we headed out into the beautiful Hudson River Valley and western Massachusetts to visit Harrier Fields Farm and Folly Farm. Both will be stops on the membership tour.
Harrier Fields at Schodack Landing, NY is only 30 minutes outsides Albany but a world apart. Not only do you enter stunning scenery but you step back in time. Mike Scannell and Joan Harris have a farm that has been in continuous operation for more than 125 years! The barns and out-buildings in this picture are all still standing and operating. They really did build them better back then.
Joan was spending a few minutes with two 5-month old heifers when we drove up. It told us right away why Harrier Fields is home to what must be the most docile Devon herd (a breed noted for its calm temperament) in the world. She not only had the two young heifers on leads but they had no problem with the two giant strangers coming alongside and pushing them around for pictures. Harrier Fields is home to 60 Devon cows (only AI here; no bulls!) and the 23 other recips are kept busy.
In a barn nearby, one of the original Rotokawa heifers Ridge and Gearld Fry brought to the States from New Zealand introduced us to her new baby…a bull calf not two days old. And again, despite all of us crowding into the stall, Mom was perfectly calm despite strangers and camera flashes. This beautiful cow has been flushed eight times and her offspring are in pastures across the country.
Mike promises to roast a hog for our visit in October and we sampled some of his famous pork in Joan’s kitchen to make sure he hasn’t lost his touch. We must note we had beef for lunch as well. It was Harrier Fields beef that Hawaiian cattlemen sampled and that prompted them to decide to go Devon. You can read that story by scrolling down. After that huge feast we were ready to move on. Actually, we were ready for a nap but we moved on.
John Forelle calls his operation near Pine Plains, NY, Folly Farm, but we can’t understand why. It is anything but a “folly”. John has as pretty a group of Devon as you could possibly wish for. The calves we saw at the pasture we could get to were as beautiful as the scenery. We could only imagine what it will look like bathed in Fall colors when we return in October.
John gives credit to his farm manager, Mike Prause, for the development of the herd but it was clear he was totally involved in the selection and breeding of his animals. Until now, Folly Farm has been direct marketing its beef but John told us he has now reached the size to begin a seed stock operation.
Ridge agreed that the herd was just about perfect and ready to provide genetics for ambitious Devon buyers. It will be worth attending the annual meeting just to visit the 230 acres of pasture at Folly Farm. We promise you will be inspired to do better. And this beautiful setting will cap the weekend as we eat and watch the setting sun light up the nearby mountains.
This is Berkshire country of course….and Grandma Moses, and Rip Van Winkle, and Shaker and Baseball Hall of Fame and Finger Lakes country as well. We trust by now you have marked your calendar to arrive in Albany by October 26th. The meeting will begin early in the morning of October 27th and the packed weekend will include not only the farm tour, a stop to see the cows and bulls at Bakewell Repro but “big name” speakers, too. Perhaps most exciting, you’ll have a chance to not only see but purchase Devon females. Full details will be appearing here in the next week or so.
The Fry-Gunnink School…
While some of us were plowing through the New England snows, older and wiser heads were visiting farms in the South. Gearld Fry and Doug Gunnink brought their grazing school to Dixie Devon, Jeff Moore’s operation in Georgia. Jeff sent along a few pictures including one of our president climbing on top of a wagon, artificial knee and all, to get a better shot of Doug.
“Omnivore’s Dilemma” Revisited…
We gave our daughter, who is a surgeon in Dallas, a copy of Michael Pollin’s book when she recently visited. She barely got started reading when she came across this article from “Vital Choices Newsletter” in one of the web groups she monitors. Not that there has been much doubt recently, but here’s further proof that it is grain that ails not only cattle…but man. (click here)
Getting Tough on Farm Subsidies…
…is a relative thing. Two farm state Senators are proposing a radical idea: cutting farm subsidies. Well, radical for them anyway. They want to limit payments to individuals to $250,000. That’s a good thing, we suppose, although the big corporate outfits would be untouched.
But do the math. Over 10 years this would save $1-billion. In those 10 years, we’ll be giving agriculture $150-billion. Why that’s a reduction of close to 7/10ths of one per cent! Here’s the story from Cow-Calf Weekly:
Bill Would Limit Farm Payments To Individuals
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced an amendment that would place a limit of $250,000 on the amount of farm payments an individual can receive.
Grassley said, "It's good policy and a nice way to help the Agriculture Committee dig into the $15 billion on offsets it needs for the farm bill. This proposal has always been popular and the reality is that with 72% of the payments going to 10% of farmers, we've got a serious problem on our hands."
The amendment is estimated to save $486 million over five years and $1.07 billion over 10 years. Grassley and Dorgan said the savings would be used for renewable energy/rural development, conservation and nutrition. The Senators plan to offer the amendment during Senate consideration of the budget resolution. They also plan to introduce legislation for consideration during the farm bill debate.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C., correspondent
In Case You Missed It…
Time magazine did a big take-out recently on the confusion surrounding the terms organic, natural, local and sustainable. They came out on the side of “local” as the most reliable. That’s what we’re hearing in recent conferences, too.
Consumers have lost confidence in labels. They’ve decided the only reliable information is “source identification” that they can check. What that means is that you may want to stop chasing those big national bucks…they’re not only tough to get at but they may not be there very long. Here’s the link to the Time article:
As the old saying goes, if something seems to be too good to be true….
Well that covers that incredible musical farm machine we reported on earlier. Turns out it wasn’t built by college students out of old John Deere parts. It’s an animation by some computer geek down in Texas. Music is still kind of catchy though.
Thanks to Chuck Adams of North Orchard Farm in Massachusetts for spotting the hoax. You can read more at the following link:
NADA President Gearld Fry has a grueling schedule making converts to grass fed beef and Devon cattle in particular. But from time to time there are compensations.
Click to enlarge
Recently, Gearld was in Hawaii, on the island of Maui, meeting with ranchers who are building an island-based grass fed operation. Three major cattlemen have combined in the project and have already started work on a $3,000,000 slaughtering plant. Another half dozen smaller producers also have joined the plan.
Until now, the Hawaiians have been shipping their 5 and 6 weight calves to California for grazing, finishing and slaughter. Then they’ve been shipping the beef back to the islands. All that adds about $240 to the cost of each carcass.
Not long ago, the ranchers traveled to New York, had their first taste of Devon, and tracked down Fry. One of them had been to a seminar he held earlier in California. Could Fry help them select the best animals in their herd as well as ship them Devon semen? Oh, and provide advice to those participants who needed it on everything else including their business plans?
The pictures are from Gearld’s recent “marvelous adventure”. The man in the white hat with Gearld is ranch manager Jimmy Gomes. And their present cattle are nothing to sneer at either. The bull is a Red Angus cross. But here’s the birth of a whole new world for Devon…embryos to follow.
Early Returns on Our Poll…
Sort of like reporting exit polls perhaps but we’ve been very pleased that so many of you have taken the time to take part in our poll. So far, it appears that a majority of our readers are cattlemen and farmers but by no means all Devon farmers. In fact, there are more non-Devon breeders checking us out than Devon breeders. And almost half are people who say they would like to raise Devon or are just interested in natural foods.
Two-thirds of our readers, whatever they do, would like to purchase Devon seed stock. Many say they would like to use Devon bulls for cross-breeding.
And ED is blushing….all so far rate our website as very informative or informative. Not an “alright” or “ugh” in the bunch. Best of all, we received many suggestions for improving our work and improving the way the Association can serve you. Coupled with what we learned in the recent telephone conferences with our members, we are compiling quite an “action dossier” for the Board.
NADA President Gearld Fry has just completed a marathon of tele-conferences with the entire membership of the Association. There were seven sessions in all with the members taking the opportunity to tell Gearld the direction they’d like to see the organization take: everything from more sales help to education and promotion as well as solid suggestions for the annual meeting. (A pause here to remind you that meeting will be October 26-28 at Harrier Fields Farm near Albany, NY.)
All the ideas from the tele-conferences are being passed on to the Board and will be distributed to the appropriate committees for action. Some of the ideas are exciting, even radical and will make a big impact on our operations. As specific decisions are made, we’ll pass them along.
The telephone sessions, with as many as 18 participants at a time, stretched far into the night (past ED’s bedtime more than once but nobody took his hint) and dealt not only with NADA affairs but branched out into both philosophical and scientific areas. It’s a serious bunch, this NADA group, and they kept Gearld on his toes. He had help, though. This NADA group also has some very experienced and educated cattlemen.
The members checked in from all over the country. And we had 100% participation from the New Zealand membership. Twice. Ken McDowell…father of the Rotokawa family…was enthusiastically grilled by the participants on both occasions. We never could figure out what time it was where Ken was located.
I’m From the Government….
…and, as the saying goes, I’m here to help you.
Our government continues to find ways to prescribe remedies for a cattle industry that didn’t used to be sick. This one may or may not hurt the cows but it sure isn’t good for us. Click here.
But there was a victory this week for the good guys. An important dairy coop in California said “no mahs” to using a growth hormone to increase milk production. Read the good news by clicking here.
By coincidence, this sets up the current Ask Gearld. The NADA President wonders why the industrial cattle and dairy industry is so intent on refusing to listen to their customers. There’s plenty of history that tells us what happens to businesses that refuse to change. Read what Gearld has to say by clicking here.
And while your over at the Op Ed section, check out Bill Roberts’ latest…particularly if you’re trying to decide what to do about your “nothing to brag about” pasture. Bill’s Viewpoint complete with pictures of his grass can be had by clicking here.
A Happy Ending….
It was a close call for NADA member Cathy Cochran, new to this calving business. As Cathy tells the story:
Click to Enlarge
“This heifer was something of a child bride, foolishly bred at the age of a year and three months, something I will never do again. We all survived but not without jacking her baby out with a come-along. He was a pretty big customer but as you can see 3 days later, all is well. I’m glad only my vet knows!”
Your vet and now about 75,000 other people; but don’t be embarrassed Cathy. It’s a lesson we’ve all learned. Devon heifers can be a victim of their own reputations as early maturing females. It’s true and we’ve heard of Devon pregnancies even earlier than a year. But we’ve also heard of many veteran cattlemen who won’t breed a heifer until she will calve at the age of 3. They believe they pick up two or three calves at the end that they missed at the beginning and they have a more productive cow along the way.
Grass Fed from A to Z…
…alright, A to W.
Subjects ranging from aging beef to wintering calves jammed the scheduled of the three-day meeting of the National Grass Fed Beef Conference near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was the second meeting of natural food producers in Pennsylvania within two weeks, following the earlier Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture convention at State College.
This meeting, limited to 200 grass fed producers, listened to a roster of top speakers that included Jim Gerrish, Temple Grandin, Allen Williams and Anabel Pordomingo, and many others. But a highlight occurred one evening when three young farmers took the floor to stage their own roundtable. The audience stayed up late cross-examining the three young men on their experiences and Ryan Bapst of Maryland, Kevin Fulton of Nebraska and Dan DeSutter of Indiana clearly were happy to oblige.
Devon and the North American Devon Cattle Association were the only breed and breed association among the exhibitors lining the halls outside the conference rooms. Ridge Shinn, secretary of NADA was busy fielding questions as usual, and was joined by NADA Vice President Charlie Sydnor, Don Minton, Sue Beal and David and Wooz Schoumacher.
But no one was busier than Jim Gerrish, the grass consultant from Idaho and a columnist for the Stockman Grass Farmer, who was featured at three sessions talking about perennials, pasture fertility and winter stockpiling. Gerrish advised the attendees to get their cattle moving fast as soon as the first green appears in the Spring, recommending grazing every pasture twice in the first 30 to 40 days of the growing season.
Gerrish also quoted the old cattlemen’s’ recommendation: let your cows take half, but make them leave half. The successful pasture, he said, depends not on what the cow eats but what she leaves behind. Gerrish made the interesting observation that,given the way the grass plant is structured, it’s more like “take a third”. Successful pasturing, he said, depends far and away on “residual”.
Allen Williams of Tall Grass Beef reported that there are now about 2,000 grass fed producers in the United States raising about 45,000 head of cattle. He estimated retail sales now at about $90,000,000 and predicted a 10 per cent increase every year for the next 10 years. Growth is limited he said only by the number of calves we can produce.
Dr. Temple Grandin was sidelined by an ear infection in Denver but she was still able to talk by phone to a jammed classroom on animal behavior and handling and how both affect quality. Grandin warned against shouting, sudden movements and electric prods in herding animals. Basically, make eye contact only when you want them to stop; reward them by moving out of their flight zone when they’re going in the direction you want.
Grandin recommended making a trip through your chute as the cow does, looking for such things as hanging ropes and reflections, anything that will distract the cow. Don’t take the animal directly into either sunrise or sunset and handle only a few cows at a time. She also said identify the natural leaders and work them first.
Dr. Ed Rayburn of West Virginia University gave the attendees tips on getting ready for a drought (now he tells us). Simple precautions will take us through most droughts and for the few really devastating shortfalls he recommended having an emergency plan to transfer your base herd to another area. You should have the location and the transport method all picked out, he said. One tip: an 85% stocking rate by itself will get you through 85% of the droughts.
Todd Churchill of Thousand Hills Cattle Company outlined the story he tells customers which has helped build his successful natural beef company. Churchill, who has three very small children, noted that he has yet to find a children’s book that shows what real farming is like today: steers standing belly-deep in their own manure and pig farmers wearing protective clothing and respirators to work with their confined pigs.
Churchill recommended keeping calves on their mothers 9 or 10 months and right through the winter on hay. If a cow can’t hold condition through the winter with a calf on its side, he insisted, it is not a cow you want in your herd, no matter what the genetics.
When scheduled speaker Dr. Ann Wells, a holistic vet was grounded in Atlanta, NADA member Dr. Sue Beal, also a holistic vet, jumped right in and kept the session going until a speaker phone hookup could be arranged for Wells. Sue was talking about viewing the cow in its total environment when the connection went through and Ann picked up without missing a beat with tips on how to look at a herd and spot potential problems before treatment is necessary.
Here are just a few scenes from the conference….
Ridge Shinn
NADA Secretary
Charlie Sydnor, Don Minto
NADA
Jim Gerrish and Sue Beal
Jim Gerrish
Allen Williams
Anabel Pordomingo
Susan Duckett
Clemson University
Todd Churchill
Angela Pridie
Organic Grass-Fed Beef Coalition
Heard At the National Grass Fed Conference….
The organic people have gone industrial, sacrificing their loyal base for the next 15% of the market which wants the label but doesn’t understand the product.
Consumer preference for organic food is growing; inevitably we will have to produce natural organic grass fed beef.
At today’s prices, a cow’s manure in worth $150 a year in fertilizer.
You should get at least 20% more for your calves at the farm gate, if you’re a natural producer.
Only 7 to 8% of all farmers today make their living by farming.
Sustainable agriculture defined: either me or ma gets a job in town!
Building a Devon Herd from the Group Up….Part IV…
We had been raising cattle long enough to realize that it must have been a farmer who originated the saying:
If you want to see God smile, tell Him your plans.
After months of research, talking with neighbors, consultants and veterinarians…searching the web…and planning….planning….planning….we were finally ready to proceed.
Both N48 and N312 (redundancy, remember?) were comfortably ensconced in their own paddock at Dr. Tom Massey’s sparkling new Rose Hill Veterinary Clinic. It is so pretty, Hollywood selected it as the set for a pilot for a t-v sitcom ABOUT vets! The film crew was even filming while our cows served as extras. I didn’t think to get them their SAG cards.
Dr. Massey had recommended a couple of weeks for the cows to get settled and get to know the staff. And that’s where our detailed planning was quickly derailed.
Hollywood or no Hollywood; 312 wasn’t having any part of it. Tom phoned to say she simply refused to come into the pen. In fact, she charged anyone who came near her. Like all Devon (?), that wasn’t the docile 312 I knew. So I rushed right over.
312 wasn’t aggressive with me; eventually came close to get some alfalfa pellets out of a familiar bucket. But still she was skittish and when an equally skittish tech (who had more years with cows than most folks) came to join us, 312 took off for the far end of the paddock. And no amount of coaxing was going to bring her back.
Tom said he was sure he could eventually get her in….once!....but he couldn’t guarantee the daily injection schedule she was in for. So we had 3 choices:
1. Try anyway
2. Bring in another cow
3. Give up and go with 48 alone
We chose #3 (after all that was why I had built in redundancy, right?) but I didn’t focus then on the possibility that 48 simply might not flush well. It’s certainly not unheard of that a cow may generate only a few eggs, or even none! It had happened to me with a prize Angus several years earlier.
So 312 was given a vacation and we continued on with 48. She dutifully marched in for her shots and every time, 312, simply stood and watched. Somehow she knew the bell was not tolling for her. She eventually relaxed though the crew remained a bit skittish.
Just why she acted the way she did, we did not understand. Certainly in her own pasture among her friends, she was an easy-going cow. There was no explanation.
At least not then. Skipping ahead several months, we may have uncovered the answer. Having failed in the flush, we brought her into our pen and chute to begin the AI process. And were stunned to learn she was more than 7 months pregnant! Had she instinctively stayed away from strange handlers to protect her calf? We’ll never know.
We did know, however, who the sire was: an 8-month old bull calf which was too young to breed a cow more than twice his size. We remembered that he had shown unusual interest and persistence back then, but we thought we had gotten him out in time. Clearly not!
Another lesson learned. The experts may recommend keeping calves on their moms’ for 10 months to get the best results. Not bull calves; not on this farm; not any longer.
But back to the clinic and today where 48 was taking a series of conditioning injections prior to the flush. A Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is used so that when the time comes to AI, a maximum number of eggs are waiting (hopefully) for fertilization.
Lakota’s P60 sperm was chosen for the first AI and the resultant eggs are to be frozen, waiting as a kind of insurance policy for the later flush and live transfer. The AI itself is like any other except that you don’t have to wait 9 long months for the results. Instead, you are on pins and needles for 8 days waiting for the flush. Then you get to wait the 9 months.
But the day finally came and again 48 behaved as though she did this all the time. The flush itself is a buffered solution that contains antibiotics and serum Albumin. The liquid is slowly circulated through the cow’s uterus and allowed to drain through a tube into a bottle. There the solution is run through a screen, filtering out the embryos (hopefully) along with other uterine matter. The procedure is repeated several times until the vet is satisfied the uterus has been thoroughly cleaned. In these pictures, Dr. Massey is assisted by Crystal Ritenour
From there, the jar is carried to the lab and to a microscope. There was still a long way to go, but we would be going nowhere if this didn’t work. It was then that I really focused on our sudden, enforced last of redundancy. Tom prepared another buffered holding solution with nutrients and then began searching the flush material for fertilized embryos.
It is a painstaking process, searching for the little cells. I was hoping Tom would give me reports along the way when he found anything and not make me wait until the end. He did not disappoint me and of course the movement of the pipette from microscope to waiting dish actually told the story.
One….two….three….pause….four….longer pause….where was I, six or seven? I had lost count. But Tom was grinning. “Fourteen,” he announced. “But I’m not sure I like a couple of them.” Tom when back to re-examine his finds and another vet, Dr. Monica O’Brien, searched the material to make sure no embryos had been missed.
Finally, Tom concluded he was satisfied with 11 of the embryos. He said we could risk one or two of the others but we were trying to achieve maximum effectiveness and it wasn’t worth gambling. I was then given a look through the microscope at our future herd. Will I have a story to tell them! I remember when you were no bigger than…
The 11 embryos were frozen. And 48 went out to her paddock to rest up for the next round.
NEXT: The live flush and the transplants….finally!
Ed Notes A Rising Tide….
It has been gratifying to watch the number of readers increase since we opened this website less than a year ago. (We passed 60,000 a month awhile back.) But we have to admit we are a little mystified at our unexpected success. There certainly aren’t that many Devon breeders; not even that many grass fed farmers and ranchers.
Our suspicion is that we’ve tapped into the larger audience of people who just care about naturally healthy food. Perhaps some dreamers, too, who’ve “always wanted to have a few cows”.
So to learn more about you, we’ve put together a very brief poll. We’d appreciate your responses. It will help us devise ways to serve you better. Meanwhile, we thank you for stopping by from time to time. To take part in the poll, please click here. (Poll)
New and Improved….
In our continued attempt to serve you better, this week we introduce a new blogger: Sue Beal. Sue is a vet who along the way decided there was a better way. For the past 15 years, she has been specializing is holistic treatment of animals. In her first column, she details how the transition came about. Read “Letters from Laughing Oak” by clicking here.
And while you’re in the Op Ed section, be sure you’ve read Bill Roberts discussion of the sense of community in grass farming. We were reminded of Bill’s Viewpoint when we saw this column in The New Farmer. Click here.
Bill also sends us a “shaggy horse” story this week. Not all of the members of NADA ride a Deere, of course. We have quite a few out West who still work their cattle the old-fashioned way. But we suspect not many horses are quite as much of a buddy as “Patches”. Click here. (Google Video)
Here’s That Question Again….
Can cloned meat be considered organic? Jim Riddle, the former head of the National Organic Standards Board weighs in. There’s also a link to a 24-page analysis that Jim prepared for The Organic Center. Both available by clicking here.
A Dating Service for Farmers…
There are specialized on-line dating services for just about everyone: newly-divorced, minorities, the handicapped. So it was inevitable, we suppose, that someone would come along with a dating service for lonely farmers. We only wonder why Mrs Ed pointed it out. You can check out the availabilities by clicking here.
Inflation Hits Iowa Corn Land…
Also inevitable was a boom in prices for Iowa corn land. Bill Roberts passes along the news that an Iowa farmer just paid $6,010 per acre for a neighbor’s property. The 230-acre parcel was appraised as having no potential for commercial development but excellent for raising corn.
Bill, incidentally, has a new Viewpoint up. He sees an unexpected benefit growing out of the grass fed boom. Read his column by clicking here.
And next week, we’ll see the debut of a new blogger who is a specialist on an often-misunderstood topic. That will be on the Opinion page.
You Think Riding a Bull is Tough…
Then check out this latest sport. It’s called Fire House Rodeo (Window Media File - 4.9 megs.) (Thanks to Church Matthews for passing it along.)
Building a Devon Herd from the Ground Up…Part III…
It took a session of Dave Pratt’s “Ranching for Profit” school to get this embryo transfer project underway. More specifically, it took the prodding of my classmates at the school which was held in Roanoke, Virginia.
Since we were all familiar with the basics of RFP, Pratt decided to demonstrate to this group what goes on at his follow-on program…the Executive Link. EL is sort of a Farmers Anonymous program for cattlemen needing serious rehabilitation. Like AA, the participants confess their miserable state and the others help them on the road to recovery (profit). Sometimes the subjects veer away from finances into personal matters.
My table-mates at this session included a young man getting started, a parttime farmer from Tennessee whose two jobs kept him from spending time with his wife, an older farmer from the Midwest who rode his tractor all night instead of attending his son’s basketball games, and the wife of a well-known consultant. (He was at another table) I figure Dave Pratt has to be pretty good to attract other consultants to his courses.
Well, it didn’t take long before we (gently at first) tore into each others’ operations. Even the consultant’s wife admitted there was plenty of room for improvement in their “ideal farm operation”. Emotions ran pretty high with a few almost-tearful confessions.
I’ll protect the confidentiality of the participants. But not mine. I confessed I really wished I had started raising Devon earlier in life. The few Devon I had convinced me they were perfect for grass fed beef. In addition, I was getting inquiries about the availability of females several times a week and it was discouraging not to be able to help others get-started with Devon. I told my classmates that I thought it would be important work to get into serious seed stock production but, at age 72, there wasn’t time left to develop my herd to the necessarily size. It seemed I would have to continue puttering along, letting nature slowly take its course….on the herd and on me.
But my classmates were having none of it. They insisted my age demanded quick and bold action; not resignation. In that they were echoing Pratt up on the podium: think big; no half measures; do it now. Why not multiply your herd using embryos, they asked? I resisted for about 10 minutes with all the usual rationalizations…too expensive, poor odds, uncertain pairings.
But finally it was the people at my table…faced with far more serious problems of bankruptcy and failed families….who convinced me to stop making excuses. Suddenly everyone around me was brainstorming: use your best Devon cow; get the best semen you can find; forget using your Angus to produce calves for the auction and turn them into recips. Echoes of Gearld Fry.
The basic plan was hatched right there in that Holiday Inn conference room in Roanoke. As I discussed in Part II of this series, we decided on redundancy to improve the odds of success. We would use two cows and two bulls and the best of our Angus as recips.
My wife and I and son had begun our Devon herd with five heifers purchased from the Enghs’ Lakota Ranch in nearby Remington, Virginia. They were good cows but one stood out: N48. She was very feminine and friendly and always ready to be photographed. Her linear measurements were good though she needed some help in the rear.
By coincidence, ultra-sound specialist Dr. Allen Williams of Tall Grass Beef was scheduled to work at Lakota a few weeks later and he agreed to check our cows as well. All the Devon scored at the top our herd, particularly the cow I thought was the best: N48. What’s more, her first calf had also ultra-sounded particularly well.
So N48 was our first choice as a donor. She had been born right down the road so we were using local genetics and we were familiar with the quality of her family. The sire’s side had a long history with Lakota and the dam had come from another well-respected local herd, Kinloch Farm. N48 weighed 946 pounds and at exactly 3 years of age she would probably mature at our target weight of 1,000 pounds. Hopefully, the right bull would help with the minor rump problem.
Our second cow would be N312. Again, as a local girl there was family all around for us to check and again we had pretty fair linear measurements and ultra-sound readings. 312, too, was small at 952 pounds but our goal has been to breed moderate-sized animals. So the female side of our line-up was set.
Our first choice of a bull was pretty easy, too. For some time I had been admiring the Enghs’ P60. He comes pretty close to what my eye tells me is a perfect bull for my herd. Jeremy Engh believes that he’s the most muscular bull that he and his dad have developed so far. Again, we wanted to use local genetics and we didn’t feel we were sacrificing anything by going with P60.
Which brings me to the choice of Bull #2 and all the buzz about 688. While I admired the Rotokawa animals, I had reservations. First, of course, they’re raised in New Zealand. They clearly were outstanding in that environment but how would they do in Virginia’s summer heat with that heavy coat? And how would they perform on our fescue? It didn’t seem worth the risk.
But then my wife and I took a vacation in the Boston area and dropped down to look at Don and Heather Minto’s herd at Watson Farm near Newport. Until that day, we were satisfied with our “moderate” cattle. Our visit was an eye-opener. The Minto’s Rotokawa-based cattle demonstrated what the word “thick” means. And the point was driven home later when we spent the day with Ridge Shinn at Bakewell Reproductions in Hardwick. His cows demonstrated what the word “meat” means. At both stops we realized that those heavy coats had shed for summer and there was a good chance Rotokawa calves would do fine in Virginia. We determined to overcome our reservations and turn to Rotokawa for Bull #2.
93 was our choice by process of elimination….meaning you can’t get semen on 688 any longer. But 93 had “the look” and the rump and the balance we wanted. Later, we were to hear Ken McDowell of Rotokawa say 93 was his best current bull…he particularly liked the way he moved. Ken said that when a cow moves that well he is almost always perfect in all other ways. And, concluded this veteran cattleman, “I can’t find anything wrong with him.” (Ken didn’t know we had already purchased the semen.)
Ken had some interesting things to say about choosing recips, too. Ken insists you should use the very best cows you have or can find. He believes the recips have as much to do with the outcome as the genetics you choose for your embryo work.
We had selected our 14 best cows with exactly that in mind thanks to the earlier urging of Gearld Fry. Fry made the same point as McDowell. One of the great un-studied elements in the whole field of embryo transfer is the impact of the recip on the process. It makes sense, of course, that the environment for the embryo would have a lot to do with its development. So we had 9 mature Angus cows and 5 Senepols ready for our program, all with a record of being excellent mothers. We had even leased some of them to a neighbor to serve as recips the previous year and they had produced outstanding calves.
Our starting lineup was set then…thanks to the advice of our vet, Dr. Tom Massey, Jerry and Jeremy Engh at Lakota Ranch, Gearld Fry, Ridge Shinn, Don Minto and Allen Williams. And of course, those young whippersnappers at the Ranching for Profit school in Roanoke who lit the fire under gramps.
Next: we finally get started.
Heard at PASA…
Answering criticism that grass fed people were trying to return agriculture to “the good old days”, Brian Snyder, the executive secretary of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, said if he were choosing a theme for a traditional cattle meeting he would call it “Farming for the Status Quo” or better yet, “Farming to Keep on Losing Farmers”. PASA’s theme was “Farming for the Future”. You can read more on their annual meeting by scrolling down.
One of the many top-notch speakers was Doug Gunnink, who teaches sustainable agriculture and has had his own grass fed herd for 17 years. He is, incidentally, about to start a teaching tour with Gearld Fry. Gunnink told his audience that most forage tests are designed by agronomists to put minerals in a bag for yield; not for healthy animals. On the other hand, the cow is designed to take minerals in plant form…not in a box. Gunnink recommended a spray of fish oil, kelp and biologicals and said grass should show a response in 3 to 5 days
Introducing: A New Market
It’s possible, we suppose, that those Angus folks have discovered something their cows can finally do better than Devon. Ridge Shinn came across this in a British journal. We’ve set our Research Committee to work to challenge this semen gap. Click here.
Of course, it’s possible that it works better with a lower sperm count. In that case, this gap could be permanent. (Couldn’t resist)
Profile: Dixie Devon
Life on Jeff and Shelli Moore’s 400 acre farm in South Georgia is about as good as it gets, to borrow a recent movie title. The closest thing to trouble comes when two heifers spy the same juicy blade of grass. Relax girls, obviously there’s plenty for both of you. For the full story on Dixie Devon click here.
Your Reading Assignment for Tonight….
NADA Member Saluted by Farm Aid
Doug Flack has been at the business of grass fed cattle for longer than most of us and so it was only natural for this NADA founding member to be recognized with a profile on the Farm Aid website. Doug breeds Milking Devon and has been a key supporter in the development of this association. You can read the profile by clicking here.
Naturally Unnatural
Here’s the Washington Post bravely wading into the cloning controversy. A careful reading demonstrates that the Agriculture Department spent a lot more time studying the definition of organic than they did cloning. Also the Post points out the contradiction in the organic definition that flatly prohibits genetic engineering and yet the feds now say “meat is meat”. Read the entire article by clicking here.
The Agony of Corn-Aholics
We’re indebted to Kit Pharo for summing up the reaction he’s seen to the pressure on corn prices.
“From a cow-calf perspective, not only does $4 corn devalue the entire inventory, it also creates other problems. Hay stocks are at their lowest levels since 1988, and hay prices are expected to increase as hay ground and water are diverted to grain crops.”
“The impact on feeders can be expected to quickly trickle down to other sectors of the cattle industry. For cow-calf producers, a 50-cent per bushel increase in the price of corn can translate to a $12.50/cwt decline in calf prices. On a 550-pound calf, that's a negative price blow in the the range of $70 per head."
“With higher grain prices and the adjustment in cattle prices – I hope this does not force many out of business. Often a banker will get nervous and not allow a customer to buy cattle back after they have gotten cheaper.”
“The bottom line is if corn stays at today’s historically high levels for an extended period of time, the industry’s short-lived expansion will move into a full-blown liquidation.”
“This represents the biggest structural change in the beef industry in the last 50 years.”
“Stocker and grazing pressure are expected to increase grass costs, as feeders look to maximize gains outside the feedyard.”
“This poses some very interesting dynamics about how the industry might change from a management, marketing and even a genetic standpoint.”
Pharo also has some interesting comments from Charlie Orchard of Land EKG.
I would ask… that you bring to light (especially with these approaching "tough times") another highly profitable opportunity which is so easily overlooked -- simply using smart ecosystem management to augment the productive capacity of one’s own range and pasture resources.
People must realize it is impossible to optimize "animal production capacity" (energy conversion by animals) without first maximizing "manufacturing capacity" (energy capture by plants).
My Granddad’s saying is very true: "A stockman will always make more money putting "poor animals" on productive pasture than he ever will putting "productive animals" on poor pasture."
In other words, to capture maximum "free energy" the capacity of solar collectors (green leaf surface area) must be maximized. And the only possible way to maximize this capture by range plants is for them to reside within and upon well functioning soil systems, which rapidly cycle nutrients, hold carbon, and effectively capture life-giving water -- deeper and longer. The trick is knowing how to recognize and track these attributes and then respond with the correct management practice.
My point here, is that people must recognize that one of the true opportunities within the "Energy Transfer Industry" (21st century ranching) lies first, in the land's ecological potential to maximize the capture of that energy. For that potential to be reached it is vital that managers have the skills to observe, monitor, and then respond correctly to what their land system is needing.
Then, once maximum "free energy" has been captured into plant leaves, it is the manager’s job to use common-sense management practices and the most adapted animals to most effectively convert that free energy into a profitable product for his/her business.
PASA: It’s Time for Big Ag to Go….
NADA received a warm welcome at a meeting of what is probably the largest convention of natural food growers in the country. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture has 4,000 members and a budget of more than a million dollars. Almost half of those members were at the four-day meeting in State College, PA.
The NADA booth was a constant hub of activity as Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn answered questions at the breaks between workshops. The increase in interest in Devon was obvious not only in the number of people who stopped at the booth to ask questions and pick up literature on the Association and Devon but in the attendance at the workshops.
Ridge Shinn was the featured speaker at two meetings and talked to overflow audiences at both. In the first, he discussed marketing grass fed beef and focused on targeting what he called the LOHAs…an acronym standing for “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”. Ridge said it was a $227-billion market made up of people who not only care about health and pure food but want to leave a legacy of a clean environment.
The second workshop was a “how to” session, with Ridge discussing everything from the use of electric fencing and the Brix meter (which measures grass sugar content) to the selection of the right cows. His talk was liberally spiced with great pictures of Devon on grass and together the two talks generated questions that took both sessions beyond the scheduled cut-off time.
Its size makes PASA a “player” not just in the natural food arena but in Pennsylvania’s agricultural community as well. It works with the traditional ag community when the interests coincide, but it is not afraid to flex its muscle and confront the establishment when it thinks it necessary.
Out-going president Kim Miller demonstrated that in a speech in which he said that, while momentum now favors natural food and organic producers, they face two threats that must be dealt with: the first, the efforts by industrial agriculture to destroy smaller producers with registration and other restrictive measures; the second, Big Ag’s use of universities as “product development labs”. What comes out of those science labs, Miller said, is not always science but is almost always not for the common good.
To quote Miller: “We don’t expect you to go quietly. But we do expect you to go!” That was red meat (grass fed) to his audience and somewhat surprising language on a university campus at an event partly underwritten by a state university. It was a stunning display of confidence by the often timid natural food movement.
A SUMMARY OF THE SCIENCE….
But for those who are looking for literature on the grass fed industry and particularly the influence of grass fed on nutrition, the California State University at Chico has published a paper rounding up all the “other papers”. You can read the report by clicking here.
In his column this month, NADA President Gearld Fry has some thoughts on a current popular refrain: we need more science to support grass fed beef. Click here.
ED NOTES….
We have updates on two items posted earlier on this page. First, not surprisingly, the feds
have gone ahead and formalized the authorization to market cloned food after what must have been the shortest “Public Comment” period ever. While FDA said again it was convinced cloned food is safe, the AP published surveys showing that 60 to 80% of consumers are not sure they’d buy cloned meat or are adamantly opposed to it. The difficulty with that is, the FDA is so sure it’s safe; they’re not going to give you a choice. No labeling. We can only repeat: Ask the Mouse.
And our Wisconsin bureau chief, Jim Spinner, who demonstrated how well Devon can do on snow, reports that with wind chills forecasts to go down to 35 below zero this weekend, he may relent at Elm Creek Ranch and put out a little hay for his cows. Clearly body condition is not a concern.
Drive a Stake Into It….
That’s apparently what it’s going to take to put an end to NAIS. The Feds claim they have abandoned plans to make the National Animal Identification System mandatory but, not surprisingly, some bureaucrats are trying to sneak it in the back door. With the promise of federal money, states have begun putting in mandatory programs of their own, in some cases by taking harmless looking surveys.
We also understand a few veterinarians have been registering their clients without their knowledge. One of the problems, some are finding, is that if you discover you’ve been registered, you also discover they won’t let you un-register. It takes a lot to hold a good bureaucrat down!
One ray of hope is that even some environmental organizations are no longer buying this “we’re only trying to protect you” argument the feds use. Check out this investigative report from an unexpected ally.
Building a Devon Herd One Egg at a Time… (Part II)
We could sub-title this chapter: Trying to Beat the Odds. And the odds, in our experience, were not good. Supposedly, you can expect about a 50% success rate in embryo transplants but nobody talks much about the statistical spread. Again, in our experience, we had gone 1 for 4 and 0 for 7. Certainly the problem was we hadn’t been dealing with a big enough sample.
How could we improve our chances? By “redundancy”, as NASA would put it. Instead of one cow, we’d flush two. Instead of one batch of semen, we’d use two bulls. Then we’d flush each cow twice…once to each bull. That would give us four potential bloodlines and plenty to work with in the future.
Important, too, would be the person we selected to do the job. We are fortunate that several excellent embryo technicians work in our area so that would be a difficult decision but we didn’t think we could go very wrong.
We did think it was important to use the same person for both the flush and the implant. Only psychological, but it was a clear message that we were holding the tech totally responsible. Tough to blame the condition of the eggs when you were there for the take-off.
But as we reviewed the procedure we realized there was another variable; two really. Conditioning the cows for the flush; and conditioning the recips for the transplant. That’s a lot of chute time with a lot of animals and this is one time where you can’t make up the appointment.
That began to steer us toward our own veterinarian. Tom Massey, DVM, has a large practice in both dairy and beef cattle and more experience than most vets in embryo transplants. We had gained confidence in Tom over the years and appreciated not only his technical ability but his enthusiasm for his work. He never rushed and always made sure we understood what he was doing. This was important to us and we wanted someone who would be excited by our project, too.
What’s more, he had just constructed a beautiful clinic complete with expansive operating pavilion, well-equipped lab, and a number of paddocks just outside the door with good grass. Beyond that, his staff includes two other vets and several technicians.
All this reassured us that we would have the necessary support for our project. We’d move the donor cows to the clinic for the duration of the flushes and one of Tom’s techs would come to our farm and do all the work with the recips leading up to the actual transplant.
At this point, we were still in the process of selecting the donor and deciding on one cow or two. Tom recommended getting the cow or cows to the clinic a few weeks ahead of the procedure and he also recommended two cows be sent, just for companionship. Well, we weren’t going to pay boarding fees for “companionship”. And that’s what finally pushed us to go with what our first inclination had been: redundancy.
Tom also opened up another avenue as he discussed improving the odds. We could, he said, better our chances with a “live flush”…taking the fertilized eggs from the donor cow at the clinic and driving them right over to the farm and the waiting recips. That has a 25% better success rate but again with all the usual plus/minus/sample size stuff.
Of course, what if you had the recips all dressed up with nowhere to go? That is, what if the recips were standing ready and the flush didn’t work? The obvious answer: do two flushes, freezing the first one. If necessary, do another until you have enough embryos in the can. Then, proceed to the live flush knowing that you have the back-up eggs just in case.
Tom Massey had taken a lot of time with us in working this all out. And his patience and his willingness to explain everything in detail was as important as the resources he could commit to our project. We were upping our costs, we knew, with boarding fees for the donor cows and extra labor in readying the recips. But at this stage in our lives, and in our desire to build a Devon herd as quickly as we could, the last thing we could afford was another disappointment.
So our vet, and The Plan, was set. Next: choosing the cows and bulls.
The folly of chasing larger and larger weaning weights. The Angus people are in the early stages of recognizing where “production at all costs” has driven them. Allan Nation, Kit Pharo, and now Dick Diven have all weighed-in on the topic. And Diven brings Dave Pratt along for the argument. (Do we have a quorum yet?)
Pharo…who would be our kind of cattleman if he sold Devon bulls…is profiled by a popular website. You get pretty much the whole Pharo history and philosophy in about 5 minutes of reading. There’s even a picture of the long-suffering Deanna.
Finally, with all the talk about the difficulty of getting started in farming nowadays because of the high cost of land, there’s a couple down the road who have come up with an interesting deal with a neighbor. Of course, there’s always the Greg Judy approach, too (grazing other people’s cattle on other people’s land) but here’s something for our younger readers to consider.
Well not really. But since we have a new feature called “Op Ed” it does technically seem to require an “Ed” to “Op” to. So here are some scribblings from the website Ed.
Careful, Alan. First, we’re glad to see that Allan Nation plans to write a blog for his SGF website. Alan admits the urge to comment more frequently on breaking stories and the frustration of being “left behind” by the lengthy intervals of a monthly publication. Welcome to the “new media” Alan.
We do hope, however, that he’ll resist the urge to stay out of politics. The lure of bashing is certainly seductive. That, in our opinion, has been a major failing of Acres, USA. We keep subscribing every few years because we think it’s good for us. But then they go off on one of their political rants and they lose us again.
Tell it to the mouse. Having issued the warning to Allan, here’s a rant of our own: we are amused at the federal government’s assurance that cloned meat is safe…that there’s no difference for consumers to worry about in the nutrition between natural beef and the engineered variety.
Guess which mouse has been on a diet of genetically modified soy and which one has been eating natural food. Good guess! We thank the Weston Price Wise Traditions Winter Issue for dramatically putting an end to that argument.
But this is supposed to be about Devon! A couple of pictures came in recently that graphically answer another question. Almost weekly we’re asked whether Devon will “work” in the writer’s particular environment. It’s too hot or too cold or the wrong kind of grass or not enough grass.
Our answer is always: Devon are the most adaptable breed we know. They work almost everywhere.
These cattle are grazing through the snow at Jim Spinner’s Elm Creek Ranch near Courderay, Wisconsin. Actually, Jim says this isn’t even a challenge. His cows routinely graze through a foot or more of snow. It’s all a matter of not spoiling them. “Just tell ‘em the grass is there; go find it.” Jim gets the Editor’s Photo Award for going out in 15-below zero to get the picture!
Of course, this time of year, it’s nice to head south if you can. The Devon on Jeff Moore’s Dixie Devon in southern Georgia sent this postcard to Jim’s cattle saying “wish you were here”. Jeff seeds a rye/rye grass mix and clover in mid-October and by Thanksgiving his cows are wintering in lush grass. Jeff puts litter down before seeding and then sprays with fish oil when the grass is up.
And finally there’s this picture from our friends at another Devon association…folks happily milking a….Jersey?? On a Devon website? I guess if you’re already pushing ersatz Devon by so-called “up-breeding”, you might as well promote the
Jersey cow, too. Incidentally, since Devon cannot be improved by crossing with another animal we never liked that term “up-breeding”….sounds like it was invented by one of those politicians to hide the truth. Like “revenue enhancement” for new taxes.
Now as a service to our colleagues we thought we’d point out that Devon make wonderful dairy animals. They even have a website which you can link to here. In fact, the butterfat content in Devon milk averages between 6 to 8 per cent. Yes, butterfat content greater than a Jersey. Just thought they’d like to know. There’s almost nothing Devon can’t do better!
Thus endeth our editorial. Now we can have Op’s.
Out and About….
Members of our Association are hard to keep track of as they appear at various meetings singing the praises of Devon. We missed entirely Doug Flack’s appearance at the SGF meeting last year in which he was the featured speaker. Well, it’s not our fault. Doug is a new member from Enosburg Falls, Vermont. And Ridge Shinn spoke at the Vermont Grass Farmers Conference earlier this month.
Ridge will be speaking not once, but twice (!), at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture at State College, February 1– 3. His topics are Selling Grass Fed Beef and the ABCs of Raising Grass Fed Beef. NADA will have a booth there, of course, as we will at the National Grass Fed Beef Conference a month later at Harrisburg. If you’re going to either meeting, be sure to drop by and say “hello”.
New members….
Our Association continues its incredible growth. We mentioned Doug Flack from Vermont above and here are some other new members:
Joe and Fran Roukous
N. Scituate, RI
Kent and Lynette Hunter
Yoder, WY
Charles Gupton
Louisburg, NC
Leahey Farm
Lee, MA
Laurel Hoffman
New Bethlehem, PA
We welcome you all and look forward to meeting you in person; certainly no later than our annual meeting in late October. A beautiful time to be in New England so set aside the time right now.
Viewpoint: A New Column Debuts….
Here’s a new point of view for you to consider. Devon breeder and NADA board member Bill Roberts who farms in Tennessee kicks off a new column, joining Gearld Fry on our Opinion page. Bill has contributed to our website before and you can read about his farm by scrolling down to the Profile: 12 Stones Farm. Recently, he discovered that Australia isn’t as far west as he always thought. You can read his column by clicking here.
Profile: Harrier Fields Farm
There are few farms that have a history to equal Harrier Fields Farm outside Albany, New York. And there are few Devon breeders who have led as interesting and varied life as Joan Harris and Mike Scannell.
Joan and Mike exemplify a theory we’ve developed over the years watching people in the grass fed field. Typical cattlemen, in our experience, are a grumpy lot. Always complaining about the weather, prices, or the government. But a look at these pseudo-teenagers at this stage in their lives and “grumpy” is the last word that comes to mind. It is something about “doing the right thing”, we think, that makes Devon breeders such a happy and fulfilled group.
Harrier Fields Farm will be home base for the North American Devon Association’s Fall meeting in late October…and from there we’ll be taking off on a bus tour of several other Devon operations. Mike and Joan say they are looking forward to your visit…and so are their red cows!
You can read the full story of Harrier Fields Farm by clicking here.
The pictures illustrating this story are the work of Photographer Peter Zander. You can see more at www.peterzander.com. And we thank Peter for providing us with photos from his portfolio of Mike and Joan and Harrier Fields Farm.
Board Confirms New Mission Statement….
The board of directors of the North American Devon Association unanimously endorsed a new Mission Statement at its recent meeting. The statement, drafted by a committee under J.J. Barto of Dallas, TX, reaffirmed a strong determination to vigorously promote only pure bred Devon cattle and rejected so-called “up-breeding” programs which will only dilute the breed and mislead would-be breeders. The Mission Statement reads as follows:
The North American Devon Association is a fellowship of concerned individuals working together for the preservation, purity and propagation of the Red Devon breed. NADA advocates agricultural production which is economically and ecologically sustainable, promoting healthy land, animals, producers and consumers alike.
We believe the Devon cow on grass provides a nutritionally optimal product. Further, the Devon cow is: docile, economically efficient, suitable for grass-based production, fit for the environment, genetically pure and historically significant.
The board also voted to recognize other worldwide Devon associations and honor their pure bred registrations. NADA also adopted a three-letter herd identification code and specified that the herd code and herd cattle number should be tattooed in at least one ear of a registered animal.
And Your Reading Assignment for Tonight….
It seems as though Ultrasound is approaching the god-like infallibility that EPD’s enjoyed when they first came out. But the people in the forefront of the technology are less convinced than some of the seed stock people. An outfit called Centralized Ultrasound Processing Labs (CUP) has just published a paper with lots of helpful, if complex, information. We asked NADA Secretary Ridge Shinn for his analysis:
Ultrasound is one more tool in the modern cattleman’s bag of tricks. It is amazing to see an image of the inside of the live animal appear on the screen, but what does it all mean? Ultrasound images, like carcass quality grades, are impacted by operator knowledge and skill and might be interpreted differently by different folks. Ultrasound images are given a numerical conclusion by formulae that are incorporated into the software of the specific machine. First, you must remember that the formulae created in the 80’s and 90’s were based on grain-finished commodity and seed stock cattle.
Ultrasound results have been embraced by seed stock organizations as a way to explain characteristics of their cattle. The attached article does a good job of explaining that buyers should beware and understand the various published “ultrasound” values and EPDs. One jump that many folks make is to think that if a characteristic exists in a sire or dam that it will be transferred to progeny. Sometimes they are and sometimes they are not.
Some good advice from the article follows; “…select against fat and you run the risk of indirectly affecting the breeding/re-breeding rate (stay-ability) and milking ability of your cow herd. Select for increased fat, and you subject your calf crop to potential yield grade discounts and inefficient gains.” It is interesting to note that feeding cattle grass seems to rarely produce yield grade problems and most of us in the grass-fed beef business understand that “good fat is good” and essential as in “essential fatty acids”.
Many times a technological tool like ultrasound leads us to think that results are “scientific” or somehow better than other measures of carcass volume and quality. Ultrasound is a good tool but not an infallible, absolutely true tool. This article should be read as a cautionary tale.
Kit Pharo always has a valuable newsletter and the latest is no exception. In addition to Kit’s own predictions about the cattle market and how the bad news isn’t always necessarily so bad, he has a valuable column by Jo Robinson.
Jo, of course, has her own website (www.eatwild.com) which is a must-read for people in the natural food business. Her article for Kit Pharo is a good primer on the history of “fat” in our diets and what it means for the grass fed people. She says, in part:
“I’ll wager that the more that is discovered about fat in the coming years, the more grass fed meat will shine. The reason for my confidence is simple: our bodies are superbly adapted to this type of food. In the distant past, grass fed meat was the only meat around…
“When we switch from grain fed to grass fed meat, we are simply returning to our original diet, the diet that is most in harmony with our physiology. Every cell and system in our bodies functions better when we eat products from animals raised on grass.”
The coyote menace back East is still growing…and so is the debate about what to do about it. One school of thought says we have enough natural food out there that coyotes won’t bother with livestock. The other says kill ‘em or buy a guard donkey (yet another debate).
Out West they shoot first and talk later. (click here)
Hay Shortage Stories to Follow….
One place newspapers look for story ideas is at Poynter.org, particularly Al’s Morning Meeting. And once a story idea gets currency there, you’ll see it pop up across the country. So you’re reading it here first. (click here)
Building a Devon Herd from the Ground Up…
Subtitled: One Egg at a Time
With this entry we commence a series that was triggered by the on-going shortage of Devon females and the frustration at being unable to fulfill the demand. You could also blame it on two big names in the cattle business: Gearld Fry and Dave Pratt.
Fry has argued for some time that you have all the genetics you need right there on your farm to build an outstanding herd; selection and concentration is the key. And Pratt is just as insistent that if it’s worth doing, go for it big; and now!
Well, when we at Thistle Hill Farm decided to make the transition from Angus to Devon a few years back, you could still find a few un-bred heifers for about $1500. That was quite a jump from the $800 we were used to paying for a bred Angus heifer but, nevertheless, you could make the numbers work.
Last year, seeing the scarcity, we bought every heifer we could find (8) at a reasonable price and two at an “unreasonable price”. But this year, prices for Devon are continuing to increase….if you can find them. Clearly if we were going to grow a herd, something drastic was required. And the only answer seemed to be embryo transplants.
Frankly, it wasn’t an exciting prospect. We’d tried ET with our best Angus cow once and harvested eight eggs in two flushes and none was a successful transplant. Last year, we tip-toed back into the water, by purchasing four eggs from a Devon breeder and that paid off with a beautiful 688 daughter. But still, we didn’t like the odds and couldn’t afford buying enough eggs to make a difference in our herd.
The answer, as Fry kept pointing out, was to take our own best cow and flush her using the best semen we could find. And, at a Pratt “Ranching for Profit” refresher course, we decided not to join in all the excuse-making once again but instead, to get started.
The star of this story would probably be a young cow…48. Certainly not an outstanding Devon, but, according to linear measurement, she was the best we had. Her rump is weak and over-all she’s just a bit small, although we prefer a smallish, 1000-pound cow. 48 has had a calf, her first that we were about ready to wean, so the timing was right and we had a month or two to get ready.
Choosing the cow, when you don’t have a lot to choose from, turned out to be the easy question. But others kept coming: should we choose two just in case, which bull do we choose, how do we select recipient cows, and most important, who do we want to do the job?
This on-going series will deal with all those questions and a lot more. We’ll tell you right now, we don’t know how this report is going to turn out. This is a story without an ending right now….happy or otherwise. All we can promise is we will tell the story as fully and as accurately as we can and we will open our books so that you can understand all the costs involved (yes Dave, lost opportunity costs, too) and decide if this is a course you want to pursue to get started in this Devon business.
NEXT: Getting started. One cow or two? Which ones? Here or there?
Buddy, Can You Spare a Bushel of Wheat?
Speaking of Dave Pratt, as we were in the story above, there are at least three members of the NADA board who say they've benefited greatly from his programs. All three are in Pratt's on-going Executive Link chapters.
In a recent newsletter, Pratt departs from analyzing individual farm and
ranch economics to look at the macro side of things. Still, it comes down to his basic point: if it isn't profitable it isn't sustainable.
And Pratt sees signs that things are about to give. (click here)
Some Tractors Just Won’t Fade Away
They may not be cost-efficient….Dave Pratt would insist they’re not sustainable….but clearly tractors are nothing if not persistent. And even the August Wall Street Journal has fallen under their spell. Front page, no less. (click here)
Feds: Cloned Beef is Safe
The Food and Drug Administration is ready to give cloned beef the green light. The bureaucrats say there’s no difference between cloned meat and the natural kind. Our favorite quote was that it is “virtually” indistinguishable. What a story is in that word “virtually”. Consumer groups are protesting…particularly the decision that cloned meat doesn’t have to be labeled. Here’s the mainstream media story on the announcement. (click here)
Here’s My Beef….
Devon breeder and board member Bill Roberts has a strong reaction to the FDA decision. He went looking everywhere….from government research to the Bible to buttress his argument.
Watching the news the other night I learned that cloned food will be entering the nation’s food supply within weeks. The newscaster on my Nashville television station quoted the FDA as saying: “There is absolutely no difference between cloned food and naturally grown food.”
Now I’m no expert, but I’ve read what they are really saying. And the government is dogmatically stating something that is not supported by the research I’ve read.
In fact, you need go no further than a government-sponsored website headed Cloning Fact Sheet. I urge you to check out this webpage and become one of the informed few.
Read the “natural facts” and see if you can come to the FDA’s “natural conclusion.” Here are just a few of the paragraphs that caught my eye:
“In a process called "somatic cell nuclear transfer" (SCNT), scientists transfer genetic material from the nucleus of a donor adult cell to an egg whose nucleus, and thus its genetic material, has been removed. The reconstructed egg containing the DNA from a donor cell must be treated with chemicals or electric current in order to stimulate cell division”
“Reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient. More than 90% of cloning attempts fail to produce viable offspring. More than 100 nuclear transfer procedures could be required to produce one viable clone. In addition to low success rates, cloned animals tend to have more compromised immune function and higher rates of infection, tumor growth, and other disorders”
“In 2002, researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reported that the genomes of cloned mice are compromised. In analyzing more than 10,000 liver and placenta cells of cloned mice, they discovered that about 4% of genes function abnormally. The abnormalities do not arise from mutations in the genes but from changes in the normal activation or expression of certain genes.”
According to these observations and many more stated by independent researchers in this “Cloning Fact Sheet”, it is clear there is no justification for the FDA’s conclusion that “there is no difference” between cloned and natural food.
Here in Tennessee we would put it more bluntly: the government is lying again!
But why? Generally we speculate that money and power are usually the motive behind corrupting our food supply. But I would go one step further and see this is as a symptom of the cultural dilemma of our age. And it was clearly stated at the beginning of another age.
In the Garden of Eden, God declared His provision for man and beast when He established “life” in seed to replicate and sustain provision for mankind. But here again Man is apparently choosing to take control and devise his own way through “knowledge” because he arrogantly assumes god-like power, sure that God is not as wise as our government scientists and bureaucrats.
The Cloning Fact Sheet states that “reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient.” Why then would man continue to push this agenda?
Natural seed does not need “chemicals or electric current” to jump start it. With proper stewardship, natural seed is not “expensive and highly inefficient”. With proper stewardship, natural seed does not “compromise the immune system and give higher rates of infection and tumor growth and other disorders”. And with natural seed, abnormalities do not occur with the frequency of cloning because there is, in fact, “normal activation or expression of certain genes”.
A final non-scientific quotation: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 53:1). It is my sad conclusion that our food supply is being overseen by fools.
NADA President Gearld Fry also has some thoughts on the cloning issue. Read this month's Ask Gearld.
Devon...It's What's for Dinner
Formal dining in London is a British tradition and so is Devon beef. Forbes magazine reports tradition is still honored in one of London's top restaurants. Despite Forbes aside that you may substitute any beef for the Devon the chef insists is necessary, we continue to recommend that you "Accept No Substitutes".
There are hundreds of uses for this product around the farm, but we wonder if you’ve ever tried it as a fly repellant. Some people say it does chase away the flies…and it lasts longer than those expensive sprays and tags. Not only that, it’s not a poison.
WD-40 was originally designed as a rust preventative for missile parts. The WD stands for “water displacement” and the “40” signifies that it was the 40th formulation they tried. The one that worked.
One of it’s inventors assures us there is nothing in WD-40 that could hurt you (or a cow). It is made mostly of fish oil.
NAIS: An Idea Whose Time Has Not Come?
Something has happened to slow-up if not derail the NAIS steamroller. Just weeks ago this new National Animal Identification System seemed a sure bet to bury farmers in an avalanche of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape. After all, who could argue against safer food…as NAIS had cast the argument? But the feds now have backed off a little though the critics are warning the fight isn’t over yet. Give a bureaucrat a foot in the door and he does tend to occupy the house.
The New Farm has a roundup and at the end we’ve thrown in the thoughts of Charles Walters of Acres, USA. Walters, as usual, pulls no punches.
The New Farm, Dec 14, 2006
USDA now says animal ID system is really, truly voluntary; skeptics remain
Even after publicly assuring farmers that the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) will be voluntary and releasing a new set of guidelines, anti-NAIS advocates question what will really happen in the months ahead to farmers and their livestock.
The user guide outlines how producers can participate, should they wish, and outlines how the program might benefit them and the country, and how the program is being implemented. This is all fine, opponents say, but what will state departments of ag now do, and why weren’t the guidelines published in the Federal Register?
A range of groups oppose the requirements for various reasons, nearly all of whom feel the goal of public health and safety can be met as well—or better—without the cost and government intrusiveness proposed in the program.
Membership in NADA continues to grow at a pace of one a day, our secretary Allison White reports. Here are just a few of our new members since the last report:
Lee Roggenbuck
Snover, MI
Carol Steven Jennings
Princeton, WV
David Nortunen
Marengo, WI
Donald Everett
Bessemer, AL
Scott Bowen
Hooper, VT
We welcome all our new members and urge you to make plans now to attend our annual meeting at Harrier Fields Farm in October near Albany, NY. There’ll also be visits to some other great Devon operations on that same weekend!
And speaking of Allison...
We thought you might like to see the "face" behind the crisp efficiency of
our secretary, Allison White. Now you see why we like to come to work in
the morning.
When she's not gazing at the pictures of her family, Allison handles the
registration of both man and beast...and sorts out the random confusion.
Acres, USA: The Meeting in St. Paul….
Attendees at the Acres, USA conference swamped our representatives at St. Paul, Minnesota earlier this month. NADA president, Gearld Fry, and secretary, Ridge Shinn, found themselves talking non-stop for the three days of the meeting. It was the second event in a month that demonstrated the perfect match between Devon cattle and sustainable agricultural systems, building on the earlier Weston Price conference in Virginia.
Charlies Walters
Charles Walters, the heart and soul of Acres, USA gave a rousing welcome to the 1200 attendees. Walters, now in his early eighties and nearly blind, recently had a kidney transplant. Still, without notes, he spoke eloquently, reciting poems and statistics both.
Walters is a prolific writer and has been on the leading edge of the eco-agriculture movement for more than 30 years. With Gearld Fry, he co-authored the book “Reproduction and Animal Health” which is available here (www.bakewellrepro.com).
An Acres USA conference always draws many experts. Speakers this year included: Dr. David Getoff, Joel Salatin, Jeffrey Smith, Arden Anderson, Jerry Brunetti, Bruce Tainio, Robert Cain, Richard Orlee, Sarah Flack, Will Winter, Bob Yanda, Neil Kinsey and Gary Zimmer. All of the sessions were taped and are available from www.acresusa.com
Fry estimates that more than 500 people visited the NADA booth, seeking information about Devon and our Association, as well as tips on selecting and managing the right kind of animal to thrive on grass. There were also old friends, of course, as well as new people who have recently heard about this increasingly-popular grass fed beef missionary.
Said Fry: “All in all, it was the most intense three days I have ever experienced at a trade show. People are hungry for information. I was exhausted at the end but I loved every minute of it.”
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