For the past three years Walker Century Farms has been on an  adventure that has been fun, challenging and frustrating.  The project has been to find absolutely pure Devon genetics among the herds of southwest England, then breed those animals, and bring the embryos to the United States.  Here the fertilized eggs are implanted in recipient cows.  
 
We say it’s been fun because we’ve been working closely with two other Devon farms in the States and seven more in England.  So we’ve made new friends, been welcomed into their homes, and together met the challenge.  The challenge involves poring over records going back more than 100 years, dealing with the science of pairing the right cows and bulls, flushing the embryos and freezing them, shipping them to the US, thawing and implanting them in American cows and finally calving the young ones.  The frustration comes with the inevitable failures along the way.  Even more frustrating has been dealing with the regulations and bureaucracies on both sides of the Atlantic.  These immigrants are certainly not “undocumented”.  Success then, when it comes, is particularly sweet.
 
And here’s success:  a new bull calf that was conceived in a clinic near Cambridge, England.  His biological dam was a cow from North Tawton; the sire, a bull at a farm in Lands End.  Eventually, the embryo was implanted in a cow near Hartwell, Georgia.  He’s everything we could have hoped for and one of three that have just been born.  No name yet; just a number:  TDA 008.  TDA is the abbreviation for“Traditional
Devon America”.  

The group picture is of “8s” proud American family, the partners in the project.  From left to right:  Wooz and David Schoumacher of Virginia, Doyle Unruh the young Georgia farmer raising the calves, John Forelle of New York and Nancy and Bill Walker of South Carolina.  If you want to read a lot more about all this you can go to our special website:    www.traditionaldevon.com.

Well it's supposed to be winter.  Right now the temperatures have been in the 50's and 60's lately.  With the Market being busy the rest of the farm is too.  We are working hard to make sure the cows have enough grass, the pigs are growing well, and the goats are staying where they are supposed to (that's a big job it's self).  In one of our pastures we put in some new water lines to make it easier to rotationally graze.  The other day we were had to move some cows around and I thought they were going to run over me they were so excited (an excited 1400 lb animal with horns is something to see.  And, of course there is always maintenance to do (see the picture).  Well I hope everyone has a safe and blessed New Year.
-Clifton 

Well we've been busy the last couple of months.  Putting in new cross fencing to help keep the pigs where they are supposed to be, the goats where they should be, and the cows, well the cows are actually pretty good about staying where they are supposed to be.  All of our sows farrowed out so there are lots of new pigs running around, it has surprised me at how fast they grow.  Many of the goats are either going to explode or kid out, me I'm hoping they kid out.  And, our cows on the fall calving schedule are calving now.  Two weeks ago we had some problems with one of our cows.  She is a milk cow and evidently milk cows can have some problems with calcium deficiencies that beef cows do not have, who knew (oh yeah the people that raise milk cows, special thanks to Martin Owens our neighbor and Diane Harper another neighbor for helping us out).  But the rest of our cows that calved are doing well. 

-We are continuing to try and find locally produced products for the Market.  Well we've been able to find some new things.  First we have  Blue Moon Sauces, Spices, and Spreads.  These are some very nice products that are Certified SC Products.  I really like the Original Pimiento Cheese.  In addition we have some Spices and Sauces.

And, I am also very excited to introduce our newest products from  CocoBon Chocolatier!  That's right CHOCOLATE!!!!!!  Ok, I don't think I need to say any more...chocolate!...sorry I couldn't help it.  But, seriously . CocoBon is right here in Anderson.  Now if you don't know there is no where in the continental United States more coco trees grow so the coco is imported but CocoBon tries to use as many local ingredients as possible.

So come on by and try some out.