Information Archive 2007
What’s Wrong with Devon?
…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!
NADA
PO Box 55
Hume, VA 22639
Ph: 540.364.3444
Email: contact@northamericandevon.com
It’s About Time…
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.
The whole article can be found at.....
http://soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010136ernle/010136ch17.htm
And just a really good website filled with info is at...
http://soilandhealth.org/
Recovering…
….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
Stone Ridge Beef
Mike Stine
Long Prairie, MN
World Devon Congress Update…
The latest by clicking here.
Why You Should Choose Devon…(Chapter 97)
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.
Here’s the newsletter: click here.
On Again…
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:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07332/837268-85.stm
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.
PUBLIC HEARING -- DECEMBER 6
Thursday, December 6, 2007, 11:00 am, 102 Governor St., VDACS Boardroom, Richmond, Virginia.
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.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/11/01/what-s-the-difference-between-white-and-dark-meat.aspx
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.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/business/11feed.html
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 publicati
.jpg)
