American Milking Devons and the Flack Family Farm – People/Events

American Milking Devons and the Flack Household Farm

by Drew Conroy of Berwick, ME

Slightly below the Canadian border in Northern Vermont is the Flack Household Farm. On a sunny early September day I met Doug Flack at his biodynamic and natural farm, simply South of Enosburg Falls. Doug has been farming in Vermont since 1976.

For years Doug has assisted others with fencing and grazing strategies for livestock, which return to his days working in New Zealand. He’s additionally recognized for being energetic in quite a few organizations associated to agriculture in Vermont, internet hosting interns, and inspiring others to embrace natural and biodynamic strategies on their farms.

Doug greeted me warmly and sat me down for a hearty lunch, earlier than we talked concerning the cattle and the farm. The meal couldn’t have been extra applicable. It consisted of a Devon beef burger (grass fed), a piece of Devon cheese, butter on the selfmade bread once more made out of Devon milk, and eventually different merchandise from the farm together with Sauerkraut grown and fermented on the farm, in addition to potatoes and varied greens and the one factor not grown on the farm was millet.

The meal was a good way to debate the various virtues of Devon Cattle. Doug and I spoke at size about topics starting from domestically grown meals, his ardour for fermented meals. I used to be there to speak about Devon Cattle and our dialogue about cattle led to tales of each of our travels and work in Africa spanning many years. This included how pastoralists handle their herds and grasslands, and led full circle again to his grazing philosophy and a peek at his daughter Sarah’s upcoming e-book on grazing administration to be revealed by Chelsea Inexperienced Publishing.

Doug admits over time, the fermentation vegetable merchandise on the farm have actually taken off, and appear to take extra of his time than different enterprises on the farm. Between operating workshops on the farm, educating folks about fermenting meals at locations like close by Sterling Faculty, and Inexperienced Mountain Faculty, whereas additionally promoting 14 tons of merchandise in 30 Vermont Meals Coops, small shops and eating places, it has turn into a quick rising area of interest for the farm, and generate much more earnings than the cattle.

I had visited Doug about ten years earlier, and was frankly fairly impressed with the milk manufacturing capability and conformation associated to heavy milking that his American Milking Devon cows displayed. His cattle have been additionally a number of the extra pleasant cattle I had interacted with, due partly to his common dealing with and milking.

In actual fact, on the time, I used to be exploring what bulls farmers had that the American Milking Devon Cattle Affiliation may assist in drawing their semen. I knew if I used to be going to write down about Devon cattle, I needed to revisit the farm.

Doug started his story with American Milking Devons, saying, “We’ve got had them about 15-16 years. The primary ones got here from John Wheelock in Colchester, Vermont, together with Jewel, whose 15 12 months outdated daughter he nonetheless has. Different inventory got here from Trauger Groh in Wilton, NH, the place we received just a few, together with some which were actually good milkers. Lastly, we additionally received two lovely cows from Dan Holmes when he was on the Assembly Home College in New Hampshire.” 1

1) Dan Holmes has since moved to Peterborough, NH the place he was promoting uncooked milk, cheese, beef, from his small dairy herd at Sunnyfield Farm a non-profit farm. The herd nonetheless contains some American Milking Devons.

Throughout September 2015 Doug had 5 cows, 5 heifer calves, 2 bulls (each bought to herald new genetics) and plenty of steers from earlier calving seasons. His cattle are solely grass fed, and he’s a agency believer that the Devon cattle with their aggressive grazing and flexibility do that very effectively. He makes use of administration intensive grazing and seasonally milks the herd. “The Devons are tremendous hardy, snug within the chilly, and adapt effectively to hotter temperatures as effectively. Farmers are likely to ignore the animals just like the Devon which can be so effectively tailored to our surroundings. I imagine we do that at our personal peril,” Doug says, referring to the local weather change we face on this planet proper now.

Doug admits, “I really like the Devons and each product they produce. They’re the prime fertility drivers on the farm, however actually are form of break even economically by themselves.” They convert the perennial cool season grasses and legumes that develop so effectively on this area, to manure that’s composted and added to the fields the place he grows cabbages, and different chilly season crops to ferment. The fermentation merchandise we produce generate more cash on the farm than the cattle.

Doug says, “we do make cheese and butter, however for house consumption solely, as Vermont legislation prevents us from promoting processed milk merchandise except we construct an costly licensed facility. Nevertheless, the demand for uncooked milk is large. I’ve been promoting uncooked milk for 15 years, folks come to the farm with their very own container and we fill it.” A fridge is within the small milk room, the place clients come by and decide up their milk.

Doug raises most of his steers for beef. “A really gifted meat cutter in close by Fairfield, Cole Ward, stated he was actually impressed by our grass-fed Devons,” that are processed domestically after which bought by the 50 lb. field for $400. He did admit, he bought his first pair of matched bull calves not too long ago to a teen who wished to make a pair of steers.

“My Devons by no means ever get any grain of their life,” Doug proudly states. “The cattle produce milk in the course of the grazing season, with cows calving in April or Might. On condition that the cattle are usually not lactating within the winter, they placed on fats. The Devons have an distinctive skill to hold fats by means of the winter, virtually like a moose. The final word take a look at on their skill to get by on grass alone was 5-6 years in the past, when each hay discipline appeared to get rained on. The hay was actually poor high quality,” and Doug admitted, “I used to be nervous that the calves can be most affected, nevertheless it simply didn’t occur.”

The cows calve on pasture and nurse the cows. The calves stick with the cows for 7-10 months. He locks the calves up at night time and milks the cows within the morning, however this is dependent upon the provision of labor, as he typically has interns working on the farm. Because the cows run with the calves, Doug says, “I solely milk as soon as per day, drying the cows off in November or December.” He doesn’t have any parasite points, and doesn’t deworm. He feels just like the Devons are usually not affected by parasites. He has by no means had a calf with any illness or parasite points.

The cows Doug was milking once I visited have been considerably older than the everyday dairy cow discovered on close by farms. They averaged 13 years outdated. Blossom was 15 years outdated, born on the farm in 2000. The opposite two cows have been 12 and 13. Because of the age of the cows, he weaned three calves early this 12 months, to boost as replacements for his growing old milking herd. “It was a loud affair pulling the cows off their moms, however I wished to have the ability to work together with the calves.”

Within the milk room Doug has notes of every cow’s manufacturing. He weighs their milk after each milking. Doug factors out, “This 12 months the youngest cow we’re milking, Rose, produced probably the most milk, averaging 24-27 lbs/day with as soon as a day milking. Blossom had dropped a bit this 12 months, however produced a median of about 20 lbs per day. Lastly, Roxie, who milks effectively into the 20 lb vary in summer season, dropped to 10 lbs per day.” Doug has two different cows, however they’re in one other pasture, they usually nurse their calves, and are usually not milked.

Doug factors out that he did at one time milk twice a day, and bottle fed the calves. “Blossom and Ruby again then would common about 33 lbs/day, and on no grain, they nonetheless maintained their physique situation, and bred proper again.” Doug feels strongly that his Devons have been extraordinarily fertile and has by no means had any downside getting cows bred again.

As Doug walks and communicate to me about his cattle and the way they match into the ecology of his farm, it’s apparent he isn’t solely passionate but additionally educated. He asks if I do know concerning the distinction between cattle that carry the A1 versus A2 gene for beta casein. I’ve to confess I don’t, however went house and appeared it up.

There’s a firm in New Zealand that began advertising and marketing A2 milk, from cattle which were chosen for this gene. The corporate has trademarked the identify, and it has Model web sites within the USA, Nice Britain, Australia, the place it states it’s “The Milk That May Change All the pieces.” It’s stated to be simpler to digest for individuals who have issues with milk from cows carrying the A1 gene for the protein beta casein. Doug factors out that his excessive producer Blossom has A1A2, based mostly on testing he did on his cattle. He actually appears like Devon breeders must be deciding on bulls to go on the A2 gene.

Seeing the calves within the pen in a big pole barn, I requested if I may go in. All the calves have been mendacity down chewing their cud, and didn’t stand up once we approached them and petted every one in all them. They have been an incredible wanting group of heifers that any breeder would have been happy with.

Doug guesses he’ll hold 3-5 cows sooner or later, with the respective heifers and steers that he’ll increase. He retains the steers by means of their third summer season, grazing them along with one of many bulls he was not utilizing for breeding. “They’ve a really excessive yield, however being that a number of the animals slaughtered are over 30 months outdated, the USDA requires that the backbone be eliminated, which reduces the salable kilos of product per animal, when advertising and marketing for instance boneless T-Bone steaks. The carcass weights differ a bit, however vary from 560 to 700 lbs.” He has the animals processed in close by North Troy, Vermont, at Brault’s Market and Slaughterhouse, the place they dangle the carcasses for 2 weeks. “We simply have an exquisite product that clients are actually pleased with.”

The bulls Doug has had have come from as far-off as Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia, The Bunten Farm in Orford, NH and lots of others. His favourite over time was a bull named Flack Farm Cosmos (10488 within the AMDCA registry) initially bred by Trauger Groh of Wilton, NH. The bull was an exquisite instance of an animal that might produce development calves to be raised for beef, or heifers that might later be milked.

Doug is an American Milking Devon breeder with a number of the finest uddered and effectively behaved animals I’ve seen within the breed. The animals are fantastically built-in into his small and diversified farm. His system of administration appears to convey out the very best within the animals and his enthusiasm for Devon cattle is contagious.

In June 2015, an incredible video concerning the Milking Devon breed that includes Doug Flack and others was produced by the College of Vermont Extension, on their program Throughout the Fence. This may be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAckr4wnzt0

Drew Conroy, Ph.D. is a professor on the College of New Hampshire the place he teaches Utilized Animal Science and Built-in Agriculture. He’s a previous president of the American Milking Devon Cattle Affiliation (AMDCA), a former Vice Chair of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. He has a small farm in Berwick, Maine, the place he and his household increase cattle, sheep, and poultry. Drew is finest recognized for his work with oxen, having authored 3 books and over 100 articles on the use and coaching of oxen, with American Milking Devons having been his favorites.