Good Reasons Why You Should Consider Devon For Your Pastures www.reddevoncattle.com

Devons are active good "walkers" and are excellent rustlers and grazers. The functional characteristics of the Devon make them a valuable "genetic tool" for the commercial beef industry. The breed has long been noted for its fertility, calving ease, docility, hardiness and ability to adapt to temperature extremes.

Here are some good reasons why you should consider devon for your pastures: a) The Devon carcasses evaluated in this country, 96% have met the demands of the most stringent beef retailers. That means that their tenderness scores have been 1.5 or better and quality grades of choice or better. Back fat measurements of .35” or thicker have also been achieved. Devon-crossed cattle achieved those same numbers in 89% of the cattle compared to other crosses 62%.

b) Everything about Devon strongly speaks to the breed’s fertility. It’s not unusual for a top Devon heifer to breed at 10 months of age, calve before she is two, and rebreed in 45 days. Devon heifers routinely show estrus by 300 days. Devon bull calves have been known to breed cows by 7 months of age. Mature Devon bulls routinely cover 65 cows in a breeding season. The top-selling Devon bull’s semen has a live rate of over 90%. Compare that to the national average of 58%!

c) Maternal abilities go hand-in-hand with fertility. Devon mothers routinely cycle before they’re a year old. Their rich milk production and high butterfat (4.5%) enables Devon owners to wean calves that exceed half their mother’s body weight.

d) The average age of beef cattle in this country is five. The average age of Devon cattle is 7. In 2002, 15% of Devon females in this country were 15 years or older. One of our breeders has cows still producing at the age of 18 and a herd bull who is 14. Devon are structurally sound, have correct udders and robust constitutions. That means that Devon cattle will remain productive in your herd much longer than other breeds.

e) “Supreme Beef on Grass” is our motto! Devon have been bred to produce succulent beef from a grass diet for centuries. Because of this trait, the future of Devon cattle is not tied to grain supplies and high fuel and labor prices. They will always be the most economical to finish. That is why Devon is so popular today in countries from Brazil to Australia.

f) Devon cattle did not take part in the feedlot madness that has had a stranglehold on the American beef industry since World War II. This kept the breed firmly in the hands of Devon breeders who insured the integrity of the breed’s genetics. No breed has a purer genetic base than the Devon and we will continue to insure the genetic integrity and stability of the breed.

g) Devon has always been “the family’s cow”. They were selected to be the first cattle to come to the New World because they could weather the hazardous trip and thrive in the unfriendly conditions of the wilderness. They provided the colonists with their milk, their meat and their muscle. This close relationship with man has insured that they are first and always, docile!

h) Devon have the thickest hides of any cattle in the world. That means that Devon cattle have better resistance to external parasites. It also means that Devon cattle tolerate weather changes and extremes of temperature. All this put together means healthier, tougher, more profitable cattle.

i) The Devon’s robust constitution has enabled them to flourish in the diverse environments of Brazil, Australia, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. You’ll find Devon breeders from Louisiana and Texas up to Washington and Maine. Trials consistently show that Devons not only excel on low nutrition but grow as fast as other purebreds receiving high nutrition diets.

The late experience of the breeders of Devons only confirms their former opinion of the excellent qualities of the breed, for the three grand objects for which neat stock are kept, namely, milk, work, or beef, and their adaptation to many sections of our country, in preference to any other breed; also that they will produce as much milk, work, or beef, from the food consumed, or on a given quantity of land, as any other breed. www.reddevoncattle.com