Organic & Demeter Certified 30 Woodbridge Road Salem, CT 06420 Phone/fax: 860 889 5797 E-mail: woodbridgefarm@sbcglobal.net |
| Devon History Devon cattle may not have come over on the Mayflower, but it was not’t much later. They have been at the heart of the American agricultural scene since Pilgrim times. In fact, Devon arrived in North American in 1623 on the vessel Charity at Plymouth Colony. Four years later it is recorded in the Pilgrim Memorials that Edward Winslow “hath sold unto Capt. Myles Standish his sixth share in the red cow in consideration of 5 pounds 10 shillings”. Multiply that by 400 years of inflation and you can see how valuable that “red cow” was. Back then, the Devon was favored for its hardy foraging ability in uncertain grass conditions; their rich milking ability favored the sustenance of both calf and the pioneer family, and their docility and strength adapted them for use as oxen. The Devon was the all-around cow, providing milk, meat and muscle for the new nation. But the history of the Devon goes back far before Colonial times. Devon are named for the county in southwest England where records indicate red cattle were present as early as 200 B.C, grazing the rolling fields of this outpost of the Roman Empire. But we still haven’t gone back far enough! The theory is that Devon originated in northern Africa and were introduced to the Romans by the Phoenicians. This may explain the remarkable ability of the Devon to adapt to both hot climates and the cold and damp of English winters. Behind the present-day Devon lies a story of intelligent breeding and tremendous foresight stretching back almost three centuries. Devon in the 18th century were bred for smallness of bone. Breeders wanted them wide between the hips and thick through the heart. Most Devon men were taught a rhyme as boys about the Devon cow: Broad in her ribs and long in her rump; Straight flat back with never a hump. Fine in her bone and silky of skin, She’s a grazier without and a butcher within. Records for Devon as a pure breed began when an Englishman named John T. Davy published the first volume of “Davy’s Devon Herd Book” in 1851. Colonel Davy’s family had been breeding pure Devon for at least 150 years prior to that publication. Queen Victoria had a herd of Devon and when she won first prize at Smithfield in 1891 with a heifer daily live weight gains were about two pounds. Today daily gains of three pounds are not uncommon. In the United States, the first Devon herd book was begun in 1855 by Horace Sessions in Massachusetts with the last volume appearing in 1879. Two years later James Buckingham of Zanesville, Ohio began publishing the American Devon Record. That Devon registry has remained intact for 125 years! Thomas Coke (1754-1842)and Clark Hilliard with Devon ox bred at Holkham, Norfolk. Ironically, the very success of the Devon was the reason for its decline. Having been associated with its outstanding performance under tough conditions, it was assumed it could not compete with pampered animals that were raised on a steady diet of grain. Industrial agriculture particularly wanted a hot animal for finishing in the feedlot. But recent years have seen a re-discovery of the Devon. The grain shortages after World War II saw a rise in the popularity of grass finishing. More recently the trend was accelerated with diseases like Mad Cow and FMD. Devon breeders are at record numbers worldwide, and once again Devon has become the all-American cow because of its ability to perform and finish on grass, its superior fertility and maternal traits, and most of all its ability to deliver high quality grass finished organic beef to the consumers’ table. |
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