High Gain Ranching | Bar 10 Ranch

Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch | Long Cattle Company | Folly Farms

Watson Farm | Trinity C Ranch | Dixie Devon | Harrier Fields Farm

12 Stones Grasslands Beef | Chimney Hill Devon | Legends: The Great

Potheridge President | Harl's Creek Farm

Profile: Bar 10 Ranch

One of the canards we hear frequently is that Devon may be fine back East…in the land of thick grass and small pastures…but they sure wouldn’t work in the West. Their legs are supposedly too short and they’re just not tough enough for the “open range”.

We’ve always thought that was nonsense and overlooked the origin of Devon in the United States, where they were selected by the Pilgrims precisely because they were so tough, could look after themselves, thrive on the worst forage, calve regularly and produce the best meat and milk.

But the myth persists, even among some Devon breeders, and so we thought we’d ask Kelly Heaton, whose Bar 10 Ranch near St. George, Utah sits right on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. You can probably count the blades of grass in these pictures.

Kelly and his brother, Gavin, have been introducing Devon into their head of almost a thousand head and within five years expect that all of the mother cows on Bar 10 will be ¼ to 3/4 Devon-influenced. So how are Devon doing? Here’s Kelly’s reply:

Thanks for asking my opinion. We have been extremely pleased with the Devon-influenced cattle that we have produced on our ranch.

We average about 8 to 12 inches of rain annually and our cattle graze year round on the range. The only thing we supplement with is minerals and an occasional protein lick in a drought or deep snow. (That generally happens less than 30 days per year). Our carrying capacity is 1 cow per 150-200 acres. Our cows have to travel at least 2 to 5 miles a day to find the feed and water that they need to sustain themselves and their calves.

Right now we’re using 688 and 982 and mamas and babies here are all 982s. (Yes, we line breed.) As you can see, our ranch requires an animal that tracks perfectly, converts feed and water efficiently, has a calf every 11 months, calves unassisted and protects her calf from predators (coyotes and mountain lions), and has the ability to turn marginal feed into high quality meat and milk. Some might think that this is too much to ask. We know that it is possible. We have always had a select few of our herd that meet these requirements and actually thrive on our range year in and year out. The challenge has been to find a sire and a breed that could improve these select cows with predictable results.

We believe that the Devon breed, and particularly the Rotokawa Devon, to be a pure, genetically dense line of cattle, that have been protected from fads and trends for thousands of years. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. We are currently running approximately 200 head of Devon-influenced cattle and our cows have had a calf every year and weaned an 8 month old calf averaging 550 pounds on the least amount of supplement that we have ever fed.

In addition to our mother cows doing such a great job, they are also a pleasure to be around. Some of the old-timers have it in their heads that “wild cattle” are the best cattle to cover country, but we have seen our Devon cover more country, have no contact with humans for 6 months at a time, and when located be just as gentle as when they were last worked. By the way, it’s the law in Utah that we brand our calves.

Our ½ Devon steers, when weaned and finished on irrigated grass pastures, have all graded low choice to choice and the flavor and tenderness are unequaled in any other breed. Moving cattle can take up to a week and we do it the old-fashioned way. Because of our hot climate we prefer a red-hided animal, as it has been proven that the red hide versus the black hide is much cooler, allowing our cows to spend more of their time working and not shading up.
As you can see we are “steaking” a lot on the Devon breed, and thus far, are extremely pleased with the results. It almost sounds too good to be true, but Devon has opened our eyes to just how amazing the design of a pure cow can be. Now our cows work for us instead us working for them.”

Kelly not only raises beautiful Devon beef on his ranch but he and his wife have produced five beautiful children, too. Here are two examples that he cut out of his personal herd: Lindsay, age 11, and Preston, 9.

We thank Kelly for taking the time to write such a complete answer to our question, and providing some excellent photos. You can learn more about Bar 10 Ranch (and see more “purty pictures”) by going to their two websites:

www.bar10.com

www.bar10beef.com

But we wanted to add that the Heatons also do a thriving recreational business at their ranch. This picture of Whitmore canyon shows not only the tourist mecca but if you look very carefully at the left hand side of the picture, you can see part of the Bar 10 herd in their winter pasture. The Inner Gorge” of the Grand Canyon is in the background.

Profile: High-Gain Ranching

For most of us, the numbers would be over-whelming: 825 mama cows, 67 bulls and 750 stockers, 11,000 acres divided between two operations 160 miles apart in western Canada. You’d think the manager of all that, Brady Wobeser, would look a lot more worn down than this. Brady is also a board member of NADA to keep him occupied in his spare time.

The main base for Hi-Gain Ranching is in Lloydminster, Alberta with another operation near Debden, Saskatchewan. It all started when Brady’s father Dennis started a custom feedlot back in 1991 and switched to a cow/calf ranch a few years later. Brady and his new wife Shauna moved back in 2000 and Brady took over the Saskatchewan land and converted it from crops to grass.

Not long after along came Gearld Fry (getting to be a tiresome refrain, isn’t it, but the missionary work Fry did for Devon is truly incredible). Wobeser heard Fry speak at a Stockman Grass Farmer conference at a time when Fry had not yet discovered Rotokawa Devon but was still convinced that Devon was the answer to the box the cattle industry found itself in. Brady was converted by the excitement and entered an embryo partnership with Fry and Ken MacDowall, who founded the Rotokawa line in New Zealand.

Using imported embryos and semen, Brady began to infuse his large herd with Devon genetics. It’s been a painstaking process but the results already are evident in heifers such as this 688 daughter to the right. Hi-Gain has only a handful of pure bred animals but about 70 cows in their commercial breeding herd are half or three-quarter blood Devon.

To quote Brady: ”We are fully convinced the Devon have rapidly improved the quality of our cattle. They do a better job than anything else we have in producing an efficient, easy-keeping animal while retaining excellent growth.” Following an old Canadian maxim, Brady shares pictures of a few of his Devon-influenced calves.

Hi-Gain feeds nothing but grass and hay to produce calves like that…and only a basic mineral mix. All the hay is purchased so all the nutrients are imported and stay in the pasture. Typically, the stockers come off the grass in September at 850 pounds and are then moved into the feedlot industry. The Wobesers do finish one or two for themselves and their two boys, Dalen, 5, and Nolan, 3.

Brady is convinced that Devon are not only giving him a competitive advantage in quality but in the lower costs of grass fed production. He is determined to spread the word to his fellow ranchers in Western Canada.

Meanwhile the family is also very involved in the Alan Savory’s Holistic Management International (HMI). Father Dennis is on the international board of directors of the organization and Brady’s sister, Kelly Sidoryk, a partner in Hi-Gain, is a registered educator for HMI.

Clearly Hi-Gain’s “competitive advantage” isn’t just the performance of its Devon-based system but the dedication of the entire Wobeser family to holistic farming and doing things the right way. You can contact Brady by emailing swbw2000@yahoo.com.

 

Profile: Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch
Mineola, Texas
Pam and John Trent

It may not be far from herb to herbataurus in the dictionary, but it was a long trip for Pam and John Trent (pictured here with grandson, Lindley) before coming to ground on the family farm near Mineola, Texas. The journey from Texas (John) and Louisiana (Pam) included a detour through the oilfields (oil platforms?) of Norway. But now they’ve come to ground on the farm, added Devon cattle and are getting ready to build their house and more than ready to leave their temporary mobile home.

If there’s any cloud hanging over the farm, it’s the family argument over whether to call it a “farm”…or a “ranch”. So they compromised and are calling it both: The Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch. Among their many projects is a new website---www.lindleyfarmandranch.com---which is still under construction.

When Pam and John returned to Texas, she opened a health food store, an interest that had begun back in Norway where Pam had done some serious studying on the subject. Three growing teenagers intensified her interest. Pam grew many of her own herbs and recommended that her customers also eat grass fed beef and drink whole milk. But the customers reported back that grass fed beef and whole milk were in fairly short supply in East Texas.

Lindley Organic Farm and Ranch became the answer. The farm had been rented in recent years to a dairy farmer who, among other practices, had used liberal applications of Round-Up to hold down the weeds around the outbuildings. That delayed organic certification for several years…provisional certification came in 2005…and this year the Trents are finally certified organic. The price of their $12 steaks has just jumped to $28!

The family journey to Devon, despite the detours, began in a fairly typical place for Devon breeders. They went to the Stockman Grass Farmer “Purple Cow” Conference in 2006 where the featured speaker was NADA president Gearld Fry. The Trents had a number of conversations with Gearld afterwards and settled on Devon because:

1. they were rare
2. they are historically a triple-purpose breed
3. they are high in butterfat

Pam’s background in nutrition and organic farming had convinced her that high butterfat levels are the key to healthy cows and calves and healthy people. It didn’t hurt that in her search for the “proper cow”, she received some inspiration from Above. Leafing through her great-grandmother’s Bible with her own grandson, a torn half-page of another book fell out. Titled “How to Make the Farm Pay”, it was written in the 1850s and in it the author describes Devon in terms of their high butterfat product. That was enough for Pam!

The Trents bought their first Devon heifer and bull from NADA member Virginia Whitworth’s Vista Knoll Ranch…then made a trip all the way to Vermont and raced a snow storm (and lost) to bring back a Milking Devon. Today their cattle inventory includes:

1. 5 grown purebred Devon and calves
2. a Milking Devon cow and calf
3. a Texon cow and calf (that’s a Devon/Longhorn cross developed at Lakota farms in Virginia)
4. a Holstein/Devon cross

One thing that appealed to Pam, with so many small children around, was the Devon’s docility. Even the calves are gentle, as son Chad demonstrated for the camera. Chad and his wife Denise live on the farm while son Guy and family visit frequently.

The Trents milk every day…daughter Molly is acknowledged to be the best at it…and the grandchildren receive whole milk. Pam says her seven-year old grandson had been plagued by asthma for a long time but the condition cleared up immediately on whole milk. So did her own allergies, she reports.

There’s still a lot of work ahead. Not only replacing that mobile home, but setting up paddocks for the cattle with a reliable fresh water supply in each. One thing is certain: Pam says she’ll be planting herbs where the cows can get at them. After all, what’s good for her customers, is good for her cows.

Well, there’s one more thing that’s certain: growing up on the family farm in East Texas is good for little girls like Trent granddaughters Emily and Eden.

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. It was Fry who led Barto, and his father-in-law Charles Long, to transition their grass fed herd to Devon.

Barto began helping his father-in-law with the cattle operation about seven years ago. He says he squeezes in a visit to the ranch near Texarkana, in northeastern Texas, whenever his professional job (providing real estate and asset management advice to small companies) takes him anywhere east of Dallas. J.J. says working with his father-in-law has “gone off without any major relational difficulties”…but admits he did get in trouble on one wedding anniversary when he forgot and scheduled time working cows instead. Fortunately, his wife Charlotte was forced to divide her ire between husband and father.

Because of the distance to the ranch, day-to-day operations are left in the capable hands of ranch manager Chad Davis. Davis is an excellent cattleman and can call on his wife, Jan, and daughters Joy and Jasey for additional wranglers. The girls seem very comfortable around the cattle and nothing better than helping herd the herd.

Long Cattle is a family-owned ranch 19 miles west of Texarkana with 5,000 acres, divided between pasture and timber. But it wasn’t until 19 years ago that a serious cattle operation began with commodity cattle for conventional markets. About 10 years ago, Long moved toward organic beef but quickly realized they didn’t have the size to provide a consistent supply on a regular basis.

It was then that Gearld Fry entered the picture, convinced Long and Barto that grass finishing was the way to go. Along with close friends (NADA board members Jeff Moore, Glen Barlow and Tom Cope) Long Cattle Company purchased its first embryos and also used semen from 688 and 663 to AI the commercial herd.

The actual number of Devon is still small, 10 registered head, but thanks to AI, Devon influence is everywhere.

Today the ranch runs about 400 head with 175 momma cows. All the calves are either half or three-quarter Devon. J.J. says: “Moving from a cow-calf operation to finishing animals on our grass has given us greater profit margins. It makes sense that this workhorse of the American West (Devon) would finish well on grass.”

Forage on the ranch is mostly Bermuda with some fescue and native grasses. For winter pasture, wheat and oats are planted. Cattle are run on 35 pastures ranging from 8 acres to more than 350 acres! It helps to have extra wranglers around although moving Devon isn’t that much of a chore.

Long Cattle Company is determined to prove that with Devon at the heart of their herd, they can demonstrate that the mid-size cattle producer can still be profitable. And in the process can still provide a wonderful life for two little girls.

 

Profile: Folly Farm, Pine Plains, NY

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. Four Devon and a few Dexters started grazing the land.

Over time John became fond of the Devon, attracted to their beautiful color and gentle disposition. Patricia and John and their family were also interested in raising a heritage breed as their part in the domestic animal preservation movement. Eventually the Forelles purchased the Devon from the friend, and then bought some Devon from Bob Grant, who was in the process of winding down his operation in Pennsylvania. So started Folly Farm.

Early on John got to know Ridge Shinn at New England Heritage Breeds. Ridge was involved with Devon, just starting up the Bakewell enterprise with Gearld Fry. Folly Farm was an early purchaser of Rotokawa semen.

Today Folly Farm is a 200-acre operation with 40 registered Devon grazing the land. Farm manager Michael Prause cares for the animals on a daily basis, and makes hay on the farm for their winter needs. Last season Michael made about 600 round bales of hay, keeping 450 for winter feed, and selling the rest locally. Michael, who worked at the Coach Farm – goats and cheeses – in adjoining Columbia county before coming to Folly Farm, has a strong interest in and knack for the animals and for breeding strategy.

Folly Farm is committed to completely grass-fed animals and organic land management practices. Folly Farm beef is sold locally as well as to a restaurant in New York City in which John has an interest. While John and Michael are very satisfied with their product and the market for pure grass-fed beef is strong, there are challenges in the beef market due to the location of the farm. Not the least of the challenges is the availability of slaughterhouse facilities. Currently the nearest quality slaughterhouse is over an hour’s drive away, and time slots are very tight.

Devon have proved an easy breed to keep in the Hudson Valley climate, with seven months of green grass and five months of hay. Few mishaps have occurred. The biggest setback came this winter, however, when the farm’s second bull – a four year old sired by Rotokawa 667- came up injured and infertile after having a successful breeding season in his third year. “He left us with a bunch of open cows” says John, who is now focusing on developing breeding stock from his herd.

He and Michael are developing several lines based on Rotokawa bulls, as well as their 2,350 lb. herd bull, Grantland Granite – sired by Lakotas Mike, out of Buckeyes Spring Beauty III. and who came to the farm at age eighteen months. Ridge and Gearld are working with John and Michael in making critical decisions on breeding for cows and possible future herd bulls. This spring, Folly Farm will be flushing two of its best cows to breed to Rotokawa 688. A number of recipient cows are ready for the transplant. In addition, a number of progeny of Grantland Granite will be bred back to him to reinforce his line.

Folly Farm will be the final stop for the NADA meeting this October, and John and Michael look forward to meeting as many NADA members as possible, and to show them what’s going on and what’s coming up in the future at Folly Farm. John will also have Folly Farm animals in the NADA auction at Harrier Fields Farm – about 40 minutes away.

Profile: Watson Farm, Jamestown, 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.”

After graduation, the Mintos leased several farms. Each farm a little bigger than the next, and always with more animals. Sheep were first so that Heather could satisfy her need for hand spinning fleeces. Goat herds for milking, poultry, and market hogs were all part of their early ventures. They became involved with cattle in 1977 when they received a young Hereford steer as a wedding present from their friends.

More cattle soon followed but it wasn’t until 1980, however, that their career with cattle really started. It was at this time they answered a small ad for a farm manager at Watson Farm. That would change their lives forever.

The farm had been owned by the Watson Family for five generations before Tom Carr Watson bequeathed his 265 acre, seaside working farm to Historic New England, a large regional Historic Preservation Organization, with the stipulation that the farm be managed in perpetuity as a working family farm.

“We didn’t know anything about the position.” Don remembers, “All we had was this phone number. So we called, and though it was late in the hiring process, a woman from Historic New England agreed to meet with us. We walked the farm together and knew within an hour that this was our dream come true. We rushed home and put together resumes and a 5-year plan for the farm.”

After an extensive interview in Boston the Mintos were given the opportunity to run the farm and develop public programs at the site. With a toddler and a baby on the way, they moved into a tent on the property while the 1796 farmhouse, which hadn’t been lived in since the ’38 Hurricane, had plumbing and electric service installed.

Watson Farm is on Conanicut Island, an island in Narragansett Bay, which would become the Town of Jamestown. It was settled in 1657 when the colonists purchased the island from the Narragansett People. The Island had been in grasslands for literally thousands of years as the Narragansett tribe practiced slash and burn agriculture. They were an agrarian tribe who had farmed the land for thousands of years, planting corn, squash and beans. They harvested the bounties from the sea, and cleared the land establishing open fields of grassland. Watson Farm may be one of the longest continually farmed properties in America.

Don and Heather had their hands full the first few years. The land and herd had been left on their own for quite awhile with only stone walls and old woven wire fences to keep them on the property. Grass was the greatest resource at hand so the decision was made to set up New Zealand style high tensile fence and use portable fence systems to follow Andre Voisin’s style of rotational grazing. This also fit nicely into the historic pastoral traditions of the Watson Farm.

The goal was to bring the farm back to a level of productivity which would enable them to raise grass fed beef and lamb for their community, market wool products from their flock of Romney sheep, and develop public access and educational programs.

It quickly became apparent that while some of their cattle performed well on grass and others were just terrible. Their loyal customers were honest and told them when their meat was tough and when it was great. Obviously, consistency was a problem.

Heather and Don contacted Ridge Shinn regarding his work with the New England Livestock Alliance. Soon after, Ridge gave a speech at the processing plant that the Mintos had been using, talking about value-added beef, Heritage Breeds, grass fed beef and the importance of genetics. The idea of a Heritage Breed fit in nicely with their historic farm. Smaller framed animals sounded good, too, animals that finished tender and tasty on grass seemed too good to be true. They were hooked.

They learned more about Devon and were introduced to linear measuring at a conference at the Hancock Shaker Village in 2002. Not long after that, Ridge and Gearld Fry asked the Mintos to care for three of the first Rotokawa Devon imported from New Zealand. The beginning of a great adventure and a new partnership with Bakewell Reproductions took place in June of 2003 when the three Rotokawa heifers left quarantine in New York and came to Watson Farm. Within a month those three young cows gave birth to heifers of their own.

Now the hunt was on….where to get more of these Ruby Red gems? With a lot of research a small herd was located in Westport, Massachusetts and the owner Tom Wilde was willing to sell 3 heifer calves. Then one day Tom stopped by the farm. “He wanted to know if we were still interested in buying any of his cows, Don said, “and I asked, sure, which one? And he said, ‘All of them.’” In December of 2004, a trailer pulled up with 3 bred cows, 5 with calves at their sides (4 heifers) a steer and a Lakota bull.

The Wilde Herd was linear measured and ultrasounded and the measurements were impressive.

One of the older cows was grand-sired by the great Potheridge President. He was imported from England by Armour Beef in the sixties and became the first Certified Beef Sire in the Devon breed. That cow was bred back to Potheridge President and two eggs were implanted into recipient cattle.

One of the transplants was successful and Watson Farm now has a fine yearling heifer, “First Lady” R30, to brag about. The same process occurred the following year and on March 31, 2007 a full sister to “First Lady” was born at Watson Farm. These heifers lead the pack as foundation females for Watson Farm’s herd of Devon.

A memorable milestone occurred when the Mintos stewardship was recognized by Historic New England Magazine. You can read the first of many articles about Watson Farm’s modern incarnation by clicking on www.historicnewengland.org and going to the magazine issue of Summer, 2004.

Working with Ridge and Gearld has tested the Mintos’ motto: “Learn by Doing”. Until just a few years ago, Don and Heather had always left the breeding to a bull. They now invest in quality semen and AI their cows. They have also done some embryo work, using the Simmental/Angus cows as recipient mothers. While this has expanded the Devon genetics in the herd more quickly, it has also spread out calving over 7 months.

“We are excited, however, said Don, “and feel that all the hard work has been worthwhile and that our herd is improving in quantum leaps.”

In the few years that the Mintos have been involved with Devon, they have also ramped up their marketing of grass-fed beef and lamb. Working through the stringent permitting process of the Rhode Island Dept of Health they have been selling their meat at the “Coastal Growers Farmers Market”. Last year 13 head of grass-fed beef were sold by the retail cut. The customer list has grown and more and more demand has been established for grass fed beef.

Today the Watson Farm is home to about 90 head of mostly Devon and the coming year will bring about a linear measurement assessment of the entire herd and the culling of all but the very best cows. The new goal for Don and Heather is to be a source of quality Devon seed stock.

 

Profile: Trinity C Ranch, New Meadows, Idaho

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. After enough reading, and meetings, and thinking, we finally get around to asking ourselves: “what are we doing”.

Shortly after that, we start becoming grass farmers.

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 and in the Fall they were shipped back out.

That gave the Campbells time to reflect on their grass…and the kinds of animals that did the best on them. Here, though, their experience tends to mirror many Devon breeders. Steve became a reader of Stockman Grass Farmer, saw an article by Gearld Fry, noticed Fry was going to be featured in an SGF program, jumped in his car…and was converted.

A two-day session with Fry exactly three years ago was the clincher. As Steve told Debra back then, “We’ve got to get this.” But it was the proverbial easier said than done. Steve said he just couldn’t find the cattle he needed anywhere in his area..

Looking back he now recalls one visit to a nearby ranch and sorting through about 1100 head of cattle. He came up with only 15 heifers that he thought would work in his plan but after linear measurements he was down to just 7. He had somewhat better luck at a ranch about 50 miles south where, after checking about 500 animals, he found 25 “keepers”.

The Campbells set to work immediately…ai-ing their herd to Rotokawa 861. “Phenotypically, he’s probably not at the top of the Rotokawas,” says Steve. “But the tests indicate he produces the best meat.” And the Campbells quickly developed a market for their all-natural, grass fed quarters, halves and wholes.

They call their customers when their animal is ready and they deal with the butcher. Trinity-C typically produces a carcass with a 600-675 pound hanging weight. With the long winters, inevitably a lot of the weight is put on with hay but Steve insists that, for the final 40 days at least, the animals are on grass.

It is that grass which is the Campbells’ competitive advantage. New Meadows was not homesteaded until 1879 and most of the land has never been cultivated. That means the soils still maintain much of their original mineralization. In the tight circle of western ranchers, New Meadows is the place to fatten steers.

Today, Steve and Deborah have a herd of about 50 cows and they’re now producing calves with Rotokawa influence. The pictures of these bull calves

were taken from the time they were three months until just a week ago at six months of age. Steve is a believer in the adage that the best cows are the ones that lose their winter hair coat the quickest. And his calves certainly get slick.

Despite the ideal grass, Steve still believes in an aggressive mineral program and uses an Albion chelated mixture recommended by Fry. “If you’re going to get by without all the vaccines and drugs you want to keep good minerals in front of them,” he says.

The Campbells expect to grow their cow/calf herd to about 75 using both AI and embryo transplants. Steve, with amusement, recalls the buyer he ran into some years back who rejected of his calves. The chubby buyer said the calves looked too much like him; that is, short and fat.

“Today,” Steve laughs. “That’s all we have.”

 

Profile: Dixie Devon

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To borrow the title of a recent movie, life on Jeff and Shelli Moore’s 400-acre farm in South Georgia is about “as good as it gets”. 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.

Dixie Devon is based in Dixie, Georgia, 25 miles west of Valdosta. Jeff and Shelli Moore started raising cattle in the mid-80s on leased land and purchased this farm in 1996. Previously it had been a row crop, timber operation. They began by converting the crop land to pasture…installed paddocks and then began sub-dividing the paddocks using one strand of polywire on a spool.

Today, their farm has 40 four-acre paddocks…all with access to fresh water…and that makes it possible for the Moores to put their cows on fresh grass with clean water every day with little effort. No wonder happiness reigns.

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Jeff and Shelli have four children. Their oldest daughter, husband and one year old son have a home on the farm. Pictured here are Jessica, David, Shelli holding grandson Brayden, Jeff and Sarah. Kristen and her husband were vacationing when this picture was taken. It’s a family with a passion for health and nutrition which began six years ago when both Shelli’s mother and father were diagnosed with cancer. They quickly focused on grass fed beef and with it the need to improve the way they treated their grass and soil.

The Moores realized that their commercial herd would not finish well on grass and so, like so many others, they began their search through the pages of Stockman Grass Farmer and Acres USA and in 2002 heard a speaker that brought it all together. Not surprisingly, that speaker was Gearld Fry, now the president of North American Devon Association. Jeff felt the Devon’s thick red hide was perfect to fight the heat and bugs of South Georgia. He also appreciated their docile nature since his “hands” were his wife and children. When Jeff learned that Devon would convert his forage into gourmet beef, he was sold. With the scarcity of seed stock, the Moores started with their first embryos in 2004 but had only limited success. Fry then convinced them to use their best commercial cows to serve as recips for the next group of embryos. This time they had a 55% success ratio.

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Today, the Moores have 20 Devon: half bulls, half females and all from embryos. So they are particularly excited about the next calving season because it will bring them their first set of natural calves. The plan is to then begin to evaluate which females will do best as donor cows in their on-going embryo transplant program. Meanwhile, they also will continue using some of their young bulls on the commercial herd to supply grass fed beef to their retail customers.

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Because they are so health conscious, the Moores stay away from wormers and vaccines and all the other poisons that traditional farmers use on their land and cattle. For fertilization they spray a base of fish oil and molasses, then add micro’s as indicated by constant forage testing. Jeff sprays twice a year with a Boomjet nozzle on his spray rig.

The Dixie Devon grass program was designed by consultant Doug Gunnink, who told the Moores that since cows eat grass, not soil, they should test their grass. Jeff said he was amazed by the quick results. And once they stopped applying heavy doses of nitrogen, they not only saved money, they saw their pastures improve dramatically. An unexpected benefit has been a lessening of the fly problem.

Triggered by a desire to get things right in their business as well as on their pastures, the Moore’s turned to Dave Pratts “Ranching for Profit School. Jeff calls the experience “a real eye opener” and says anyone who is serious about the cattle business should attend the school.

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The heat and humidity of South George brings its own set of problems, but still a creative farmer can grow good forage 12 months of the year. Common grasses are Bahia, Bermuda, with red and white clovers. Jeff has also planted a new forage which is Perennial Peanut, a legume that is the Deep South’s equivalent to alfalfa. This Perennial Peanut can get RFQ’s above 200. The Moores have also found some earlier forage in their pastures that hadn’t been seen for years because of the widespread use of fertilizer. In addition, Jeff plants rye and rye grass in October and the cows can start grazing that by Thanksgiving. The ryes carry the herd until April when perennial grasses are well underway. Dixie Devon uses leader-follower grazing techniques, with the finishing animals and heifers going on first then followed up with the brood cows for clean up.

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The Moore’s sell everything off the farm direct to the consumer by whole or half carcass. They even raise some pastured poultry as well. Says Jeff: “We have found it easy to sell these healthier products because the public really wants them. We don’t do any advertisement it just spreads by word of mouth. Good food speaks for itself.”

Good, happy food sells even better.

 

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!

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.

Mike Scannell was born not far from where he lives now and spent his earliest years on his grandfather's dairy farm. His family moved away, but the desire to have a farm of his own one day was unwavering. After a stint in the army in Viet Nam, he went on the rodeo circuit riding broncs and bulls. Then he became more focused on the riskiest business of all: farming.

But fulfilling the dream was still to require some off-farm work. Mike labored as a blacksmith, longshoreman and welder, and took other jobs now forgotten (best forgotten?) that would pay off the mortgage on an old farmstead that he bought in 1983 in Columbia County, NY, not far from Albany and the Hudson River. The home farm consists of sixty acres. Twenty adjoining acres are leased for pasture, and an additional one hundred and fifty are leased for the harvesting of hay. He named his farm Harrier Fields for the hawk of the grasslands and marshes that gracefully flies over his fields in search of voles and other rodents. Harrier Fields Farm's soil was worn out, like most farmland in the United States, so he first needed to return fertility to the good soils he had. Mike has always farmed using organic practoces and never applies chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Holistic Resource Management open his eyes to intensive rotational grazing, and he began grazing a few Holstein replacement heifers.

This is where Joan Harris entered the picture. In search of draft horses to use as models in her painting, she discovered Harrier Fields Farm. Mike has Belgian horses as a major part of his plan for Harrier Fields Farm to become a truly independent and sustainable farm. Joan grew up on a dairy farm and had driven a team for several years with her father. She attended college, became an art teacher, raised a family and was about to retire when she re-discovered farm life. She and Mike began to raise grassfed beef animals. But it quickly became apparent that they needed to find the "right kind of animals"; animals that would fatten on grass only and consistently taste good and be tender.

Enter Gearld Fry. Exit any thought of retirement. The only trace of the artist part of Joan’s life shows up in the Devon calendar produced for the past three years

Joan tells what happened next:

“It was in March of 2002 that Ridgeway Shinn brought Gearld to measure our cattle at a small workshop. We followed him on to a presentation he gave at a local college that same night and we have gratefully been following him ever since. Half of our cows failed to pass his linear measurement system and most were minimal. Where were we to find the kind of cattle Gearld told us about? Ridge had introduced him to the Devon and its many attributes. We wanted cattle like that. Our opportunity came later that year when a drought hit Virginia and were were able to buy fifty crossbred Devon heifers. This was quite a jump from the one or two that we would pick up from the local auction every week or so.

“Barely a month later, Ridge called us to ask if we were interested in buying any full-blood Devons from a herd that he and Gearld had purchased in western Pennsylvania (originally the Leedom Buckeye Herd from Ohio.) We gulped hard and said we would like to purchase eight of them. We chose the "old girls" with Rotokawa bred calves at their side and then opted for two more heifers. Now we have about thirty females and a few bulls. We have sold some bulls, but have been breeding, flushing, or waiting to breed the youngest heifers. In the future we hope to have seedstock to offer, perhaps as whole families. We are linebreeding with Rotokawa bloodlines and making progress in developing our own herd sire. At the farm we now also have six Milking Devons and are hopeful that time and energy will allow us to get set up to milk for our own use.

“All this sounds straight-forward and rather simple but, in fact, the learning curve has been monumentally steep. Not only have we learned about genetics, bloodlines, and pasture management, but the ever important facts of herd health and the mineral program necessary to obtain that good health as well. We still have our freezer beef customers and sell about twelve Devon crosses each autumn. Our customers are loyal and appreciative and do not at all object to paying $4.50/pound hanging weight.

The Chatham Farmer’s Market is about 15 miles from our farm and is associated with the Real Food Network, as association linking consumes with locally produced food.

“We are associates of the Bakewell Reproductive Center and have had the privilege of caring for three imported Devon cows and their offspring from Rotokawa Estates in New Zealand. With Gearld's supervision and expertise we have been flushing for embryos every three months. We also belong to the American Herbataurus Society and have animals that are far cry from those first auction cattle we bought. These animals are truly functionally efficient, and we will be looking forward to showing them to our visitors who come on the North American Devon Tour in October of this year. We place a pin in our map for every visitor to Harrier Fields Farm, and we hope there will be a pin placed on our map for you. We would like to share what it is about Devons that makes it such a privilege to care for them.

“I'll close with a twist on the Jack and the Beanstalk story. Jack sold his cow for a handful of magic beans. Mike and Joan used a few beans to buy some magic cows. And they lived happily ever after.”

 

Profile: 12 Stones Grasslands Beef…

Tilbrook Sunrise

Bill Roberts, a member of the board of NADA, has made the trip many of us are taking: starting a Devon operation from the ground up after experience with other breeds while leading another (civilian) life.

Roberts and his wife, Nancy, live in Brentwood, Tennessee and raise and market grass fed beef. They also operate a 350-acre grassland farm near Somerville, Tennessee with a partner, Dr. Richard Gallina. Beyond all that, Bill is a “companion animal representative” for Novartis Animal Health. Here’s an article he wrote detailing his experience taking his farm from zero to a functioning Devon operation in a very short time.

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In 2004, at the first Grazefest in Montgomery, Alabama, I was a man on a mission. My purpose in going was to connect with people who my research on grass fed beef had exposed as pioneers and leaders in the field. The primary objective within the purpose was to learn what breed or breeds of cattle embodied the ideal traits for producing quality beef from grass.

After listening to several presentations and talking to many people in attendance, I was drawn to Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn. They seemed to have extensive experience with a multiplicity of breeds and had carcass data and other concrete evidence for comparison. They seemed convinced that Red Devon Cattle and grass were a match made in heaven for healthy gourmet quality beef.

Ridge concluded his conversation with the sobering addition that the Red Devon’s desirability was only exceeded by their scarcity in the United States. He prepared me for the realization that it may be slightly harder than impossible to procure enough seed stock to start a herd.

Two weeks and many e-mails and phone calls later, I pulled into the driveway of Jerry and Jeremy Engh’s Lakota Ranch in Remington, Virginia. Timing and good fortune converged to allow me to buy 11 bred cows and a yearling bull for a joint venture with my partner, Dr. Richard Gallina.

We are entering our third year in the venture and thought, with the rising interest in Red

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Devon cattle, others may find our experience of benefit to them. I offer some candid observations for analysis. The experience includes exposure to Red Devon from two other herds as well. I had the privilege to buy cattle from Sally Womack and Lea Vern Sims in Louisiana, so our base of knowledge exceeds one or two lines of Devons for scope of evaluation. We are currently building on 55 purebred Devons and 24 South Polls for embryo recipients and crossbreeding.

Disposition: It has been my experience that cattle, horses, dogs and people do not show their true nature until under pressure. Our cattle are evaluated for temperament during chute work, driving and during a brief halter breaking session we do with every Devon calf before weaning. While we have small numbers, the hands on time identifies the depth of disposition and facilitates easy handling in the future. Drawing from working with 17 breeds and a multiplicity of crossbreds over the years, I can say that Red Devon are as gentle and responsive as any cattle I have worked with and significantly more intelligent. They yield to mild pressure as well as many horses, which is very rare They drive exceptionally easy and remember where they are going if they have been there before. The bulls have been exceptionally tractable. They are a rare combination of passive disposition yet very aggressive breeding drive.

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Maintenance Efficiency: We have incrementally developed a 350 acre grassland farm that was 95% fescue and some volunteer little blue stem. We over-seeded during late winter with orchard grass and red clover and established a significant mix by the second summer. Our first winter and summer were a true test of fescue tolerance. We were 100% stock piled grass the first winter. The second winter we fed a grand total of three round bales to 36 head during a two week period in late winter when we had a significant snow. That is the only hay our cattle have had for two years. Every Devon except one maintained at least a body condition score of 5 or better during the worst of the winter and a 6 to 7 in the summer. We have one that can reach a 4 during the August burnout while nursing a late spring calf. She still is in better shape than 99% of the industrial cattle on poor August pasture in Tennessee that I have seen without supplementation of some kind.

During February and March the protein in Tennessee grass is minimal. We do supplement with a natural flax and canola seed product. We use Albion labs minerals. Our first year the monthly mineral cost was $ 2.60/head and the total feed cost other than mineral was $ 13.04/head for the year. Our second year, the mineral averaged $ 2.03/head/month and the total feed other than mineral cost $ 14.50/head for the year. Now in our third year we are feeding some hay due to unimproved sparse pastures being used for winter grazing and the fact my partner bought a baler to keep ahead of the grass during the spring and summer lush. While the feed cost will escalate, it is more of a function of increased numbers and pasture management than the ability of the cattle to convert forage. All in all, the Red Devon have proven very economical in maintenance efficiency.

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Reproductive Efficiency: The summary of our experience is that Red Devon cattle are extremely fertile even under stressed conditions. However, they can experience anatomical and physiological abnormalities that affect reproduction just like other cattle. We bought three older cows in poor condition in our initial purchase that had failed to rebreed. We took a chance due to the scarcity of cattle available, the quality of the individuals purchased and recognition that our smaller scale and abundance of grass could work in our favor. We did get a 19 year old cow to breed and raise her calf successfully and rebreed for a March 2007 calf. This was accomplished solely with nutrition from aforementioned pasture, mineral and management, no fertility drugs were used at all. The other two cows affected by age and condition at purchase, returned to cycling regularly but failed to conceive. Such are the known problem cattle. Take away the senior citizens from the team and we are batting 1000 in reproductive efficiency.

The observations on healthy cattle that are not senior citizens are that they are extremely fertile and breed back quickly. This quick rebreed appears due to their ability to maintain condition even in late winter or late summer decreases in forage quality. In our effort to adjust our calving from what we inherited at time of purchase, we have had cows conceive within 30 days of calving. We have had 100% unassisted calving in 2 ½ years with zero scours or disease. The calves are extremely hardy and the maternal instincts of cows and heifers alike have been excellent. We have lots of buzzards and coyotes that have caused some problems on neighboring calves but not on ours.

We will be harvesting our first steers next year. If the carcass quality, taste and tenderness of the Red Devon hold as true to the claims of Gearld and Ridge as every other production detail have, a fantastic dining experience awaits us and the growing group of concerned and interested carnivorous friends who have heard about the attributes of the Red Devon.

In a world full of over-promising and under-delivering, it is a joy to experience the reverse. We are very thankful for the Maker and the messengers of the Ruby Red Devon.

Profile: Chimney Hill Devon

Our latest featured farm, Chimney Hill Devon, can tell stories enough to fill a novel. The 800-acre farm is located in north central Massachusetts and has been owned by the Hall family for 96 years.

Within the past five years, Robert Hall and his brother have decided to reclaim the farm and after considerable research decided Devon were just right for what they wanted to do. They didn’t have to do much research to find their manager. Shelley Knapp’s family has been caretakers of the property for 56 years and Shelley took over in 2001.

Shelley tells us she particularly likes the Devon temperament, their easy calving and mothering ability. Besides, she says, “they’re great looking animals”. She and Sam Kowalczyk divide the work although Sam has a full-time job off the farm. And with their three children, her time is divided, too!

At last report, Chimney Hill had a few females for sale and there’s a contact email address coming up if you move fast. Despite her hectic schedule, Shelley made our job easy by building a special website just for the Association.

So you can click here for a photo album of Chimney Hill Devon.

 

Legends: The Great Potheridge President...

You might say he was the 688 of his time. And Potheridge President's time was the 1960s. He was one of 12 bulls selected back then by the Armour company for their Beef Cattle Research Project and, as the original heading under this picture put it: "Down the chute to destiny goes Potheridge President." (click here)

 

 

 

 

Profile: Harl's Creek Farm, Cameron, Texas

 

Q: Tell us a little about your family and farm, Johnny.

A: My wife, Jeanette, and I own Harl’s Creek Farm. We have a son and daughter and my daughter and her husband have blessed us with three grandchildren.

Our farm is named after the spring-fed creek, Harl’s Creek, which flows through it. Many times past, the spring supplied water for a number of families in drought years. Some of the farm has been in my family for three generations.

Q: So how long have you been doing cattle?

A: My family has been farming and ranching my entire life. The only time I have not owned cattle was while in the military during the early 1970’s. I have been primarily a cow/calf operator and also over-winter calves on small grains and rye grass pastures. I have used crossbred cows and started a herd of Limousin cattle.

Q: How did you get interested in Devon?

A: I had processed grass beef for my family and friends for a few years, when the Stockman Grass Farmer sponsored a seminar in Tulsa in 2003. I heard Gerald Fry speak at the seminar, and listened to him talk about Devon cattle. I came home and started a search for the Devon.

Q: Why did they appeal to you?

The cattle are very good looking, gentle, and easy to work with. They maintain body condition very well through all seasons with calves. I believe these cattle are very adaptive to all regions of this country. Thus far the production traits equal or exceed other cattle I have produced.

Q: How many pure bred Devon do you have now?

A: I have 23; including a herd bull, 10 cows and 12 Rotokawa 688 and 982 sired calves from embryo transfer that range from 3 months to one year.

Q: What about the lighter colored cows? Recips?

A: Yes, they’re recips mostly. I use the Devon bull on them after embryo transfer. So you’re seeing some embryo calves that are Devon and some cross-calves that I use in our direct marketing grass finished beef program. I also sell a few of the Devon cross heifers.

Q: So what does the future hold for your herd?

A: Well, to continue to develop our herd using AI, embryo transfer, and line breeding. I plan to build a herd of beautiful and productive Devon cows and be a source for breeding stock.

Q: What do Devon breeders need to be doing to improve our breed and how can the North American Devon Association help?

A: First, ensure the purity of the breed by maintaining high standards for selecting cattle. I believe that cattle producers who are looking for improvements in their herd’s productivity should study this pure breed and encourage them to join the North American Devon Association. The directors and officers are dedicated to promoting and rebuilding the pure beef breed.