A Pictorial History of Bulls Sold by BARNSTAPLE DEVONS
Below is a selection of pictures of one bull sold at our annual sales. Bulls are generally rising 2 year old at sale time.
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |||
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| M115 | N140 | P2 | Q25 | |||
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |||
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| R87 | S43 | T134 | U50 | |||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |||
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| V77 | W79 | X21 | Y43 | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | |||||
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| Z24 | A107 |
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BARNSTAPLE DEVONS to Host 2008 World Devon Congress
In spring 2008 breeders of Devon cattle from around the world will gather in Australia for The World Devon Congress. This is an event that is held in different countries every four years. The last time Australia was host was in 1988 during our bicentennial.
BARNSTAPLE DEVONS will be a host for the tour on Friday 12 September (day), and Saturday 13 September (evening). The Congress tour will attend our annual spring sale on the 12th. They will see Devon bulls and females sold at Marriot Park and see the Barnstaple breeding herd and sires. We plan to show our visitors as many of our breeding herd as possible.
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2007 Spring Sale - Widespread Success for Devon Breeders
Reports of a very successful sale of Devon bulls and females at Marriot Park in September 2007 appeared in "The Land" and the "North West Magazine".
Report from North West
Magazine of 2007 BARNSTAPLE SALE at Marriot Park |
Devon bulls sell to all beef areas. The Devon breed had another highly successful sale at Marriot Park Gunnedah on Friday 7 September. The multi vendor sale of Devon bulls and females is the largest in Australia. Six Devon vendors sold bulls to $9000, with a creditable sale average of $3770. Top price bull was Belmur Clay A12 from the herd of John and Ann Rumbel of Coolah. Weighing over 1100 kg on sale day the bull will be used in the large Devon and cross breeding herd of Keith and Trevor Young of Old Kooreelah on the Queensland border. Principal vendor and operator of the sale, Graeme Barnes of Barnstaple Devons, sold 10 bulls to a top of $6500, for an average of $3850. Vic Edwards of Vix Devons sold 11 bulls for a top of $5250 and an average of $3386. Bulls were sold to buyers in Queensland, the north and mid coast of NSW, King Island in Bass Straight and local breeders in the North West and Hunter. Volume buyer at the sale was Barry Rich of Rich Enterprises. Barry purchased 5 bulls up to $3750. He produces feeder steers from cross bred cows at Blackall for his feedlot operation at Wandoan. Rich Enterprises won the Grand Champion Pen of 3, and the Reserve Champion Carcase in the Woolworths Carcase Competition at this year’s RNA Exhibition in Brisbane. Buyers at this year’s sale included breeders returning to the Devon breed. Ishbell & Dave Collins in partnership with John & Helen Brown of Martindale near Denman have renewed their 250 Devon cow breeding program with their outlay of $9000 for Barnstaple Intercontinental 11 and Barnstaple Kaiser 36. Cartmill Bros of Grafton purchased four bulls for $15250; 3 bulls from Vix Devons of Mullaley and one bull from Eppendorf Devons of Forbes. For the tenth continuous year Trevor Cleaver purchased from Barnstaple Devons for his commercial Devon breeding operation near Taree. Trevor produces prime cattle for the high quality local butcher trade. The sale also included Devon stud and commercial females. Peter Schofield of Schofield Grazing, Nundle presented drafts of commercial joined Devon heifers. These heifers received spirited bidding and found new homes at Scone and Somerton. The sale was conducted by Keith Markwell Agencies of Gunnedah. Next year, the sale will be part of the 2008 World Devon Congress. Visitors from the USA, Brasil, the UK and New Zealand will stay in Gunnedah and attend Marriot Park to observe the selling of Devon bulls in Australia. |
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Cleaver Family Buy 10th Bull from BARNSTAPLE DEVONS
Since 1999 Trevor and Margaret Cleaver have bought a bull every year from Graeme Barnes of BARNSTAPLE DEVONS. The Cleaver family are breeders of commercial Devons in the Manning Valley, about 25 km west of Wingham. Both Trevor and Margaret are involved in the day to day running of the 520 ha property, but since a fall from her four wheel bike early in 2007, Margaret has had to let Trevor manage by himself while she recuperates from a nasty leg injury.
The herd is run in a small coastal valley, some undulating country, but steep hills also. The topography of the country has forced Trevor to run his steers on the steeper parts. Cows are generally run as a single mob. At joining three bulls are put with the cows for an expected 95% calf drop each year. All heifers are put with his newly purchased bull. This has given Trevor a genetic diversity and an opportunity to test each new bull under his ever present scrutiny.
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Trevor Cleaver (centre) with advisory travellers Graham Murray (neighbour and Devon breeder) and Allan Edwards (Ellis & Butler - Wingham) during a lull in the 2006 BARNSTAPLE DEVONS Spring Sale at Marriot Park, Gunnedah. |
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At the 2005 BARNSTAPLE DEVONS Sale Trevor purchased a bull he holds in high regard. Here, the young bull BARNSTAPLE HYATT 14 (with his dam BARNSTAPLE NYMPHAEA 5) was just over 7 months old. Sired by BARNSTAPLE MERIDIAN, Hyatt 14 weighed 500 kg at 400 days. Nymphaea 5 was Grand Champion Devon Female at 2002 Sydney RAS. As a mature cow she weighed over 700 kg. |
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Where Do Devons Fit in the Beef Industry?
Knowing our background from looking at the sires and cows that have been significant cattle in the breed can help us make decisions for our future. Knowing the types of markets that Devon carcases can fit into also helps determine breeding programs.
Like any other industry, the beef industry has fads or trends that change as our opinions are moulded by the times we live in. Early in the 20th century cattle were large framed, and sold to slaughter at great weights. During the 1950's and 1960's Devon cattle assumed a squat and early maturing shape, as required by the processors and consumers of the day. These have become known as "belt-buckle" cattle because the attitudes of the day dictated that efficiency in beef cattle was measured by short legs, belly's close to the ground ("you can't eat the space under cattle") and very early maturity. This early maturing style of cattle is again emerging in the United States, particularly with Devons.
Modern Devon cattle in Australia fit a number of markets, but not all. Devons have found a niche in the high quality grass fed markets; carcases from 180 kg up to 320 kg. This range is typified by the local butcher trade, through the supermarket weights (220 - 260 kg) up to the European and North Asian carcase weights (260 - 320 kg). Often there is a premium for Devons to be finished on pasture. Lot fed Devons also command their own price rewards where feeders and processors have forward contracts.
Unlike the very large and heavy carcases (over 350 kg) delivered to Japan from Angus and Shorthorn cattle on long-term feed, their are no premiums for Devons with very heavy carcase weights or high marbling traits. In general, in Australia, there is little demand for marbled beef. Consumers have not demanded such a product, and supermarkets have been averse to providing such a product. The advent of Wagyus in Australia has created interest and a rarefied demand for highly marbled beef, but at great cost to consumers.
Thus Devon breeding in Australia still depends on producing high (and low) quality beef from carcases that have universal appeal to processors. The characteristics of the breed are more than capable to continue to produce seedstock that satisfies this demand, from current and past genetics. That of course can change if unforseen demand appears, such as the emerging experience in the US.
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"Producers of Fine Devon Cattle" |
