Introduction
Ken is always surprised when people
refer to him as a world-class breeder,
but the Rotokawa herd has put him
in that category.
Ken's background in agriculture runs
deep. His father, Frederick Henry
McDowall, was a pioneer in the
New Zealand dairy industry and
published a huge two-volume set
called The Buttermaker's Manual
as a result of his research and
knowledge developed at Massey
University in the 1950s. It is still
used as a reference in the industry.
When Ken followed his father's
agricultural path, he brought a
scientific approach to his studies,
to his employment/internships,
and indeed to his whole career as
a premier breeder of sheep and
cattle. From working as a teen in
the stockyards and fairgrounds,
he knew he wanted to raise livestock.
After his formal education, he
worked on three carefully chosen
farms to gain intimate knowledge
of three different approaches to
the seed stock business.
With this preparation, Ken started
the Rotokawa stud and picked the
foundation Devon cattle from an old
herd. For thirty years, by careful
breeding, and constant improvement
and selection, Ken has created
a remarkable subset of the
Devon breed.
Ken worked with us for eight
years to increase the numbers of
Rotokawa Devons in North America.
Bakewell imported twelve heifers
and, through an exclusive agreement,
sold Rotokawa semen. A number of
small herds were established using
embryo transfer (ET) as the method
of multiplication. Through artificial
insemination (AI), Rotokawa bulls
have bred cattle across the U.S. and
Canada -- and indeed, across the
world, with many progeny in
England, Brazil and Australia.
Calves from Rotokawa sires are
stunningly similar to one another.
They were bred for prepotency -- the
ability of the bulls to consistently
stamp their progeny with their traits.
The quality of this subset of the
Devon breed is reflected even in the
half-blood stock produced by AI.
Very quickly we knew we had the
answer to producing meat that is
consistently tender and tasty. We also
had an easy-fleshing, early-maturing
animal that gives producers a
critical economic advantage.
The Devon breed historically has
been the "Butcher's Breed" because
of the quality of the meat produced
as well as the excellent cut-out
(because of the breed's fine dense
bone). The major reason the Devon
became a rare breed in the United
States in the past 40 to 50 years is
because they don't work on feedlots.
The breed has the "easy-fleshing"
trait and when fed concentrates,
Devons get overly fat, which is not
a desirable trait in the conventional
feedlot-dominated beef business.
Now, with the new excitement
about 100% grass-fed beef, we all
need to return to cattle that are
easy fleshing on grass. Especially
given the evidence that health
problems attributed to eating beef
actually result from eating beef
that has been raised on grain.
It takes a long time to establish a
large population of animals from a
small number of individuals. The
purchase of the entire Rotokawa
herd will have a significant impact
on the production of healthy, 100%
grass-fed beef and therefore will
impact public health and the
future of the rural economy.
From Ken McDowall's speech at the World Devon Congress
Prepotency
"One of the most important factors for both commercial breeders
and stud breeders alike is the repeatability factor of the sires that
they purchase to advance the quality of their own stock... In most
cases this repeatability is only achievable if the background
genetics are relatively stable. The physical appearance only has
value as an indicator of the genetic makeup of that animal. If he
does not leave those characteristics in his progeny he has little
to offer in progressing the quality of the herds he is used in.. .."
Purebred Stock
"I have long held the view that to crossbreed constructively, it is
essential to have purebred stock to do it with, and nothing I have
seen over recent years has altered that belief. ... "
Hybrid Vigor
"I firmly believe that the heterosis potential is the prerogative of
commercial breeders and should be left intact for their use. Is it
not better that a purchaser leaves your property with a sire that
he is relatively pleased with and returns for further sires, thrilled
with the results of the progeny from that bull? A leading Angus
breeder in New Zealand who has been using our Devon sires over
his large commercial herd has developed a market in the Western
states here -- and the beef is being marketed as Angus Pure!
... The most important factor is how the progeny perform, and if
the heterosis potential has already been dissipated the results
will inevitably be less favourable. ..."
High-End Markets
"The ability of the Devon to thrive in a wide variety of environments
demonstrates the versatility of this great breed ... . The meat
quality, in whatever situation they are farmed, is as good as it
gets and is the envy of other breeds ... ."
"The demand for the quality beef produced from Devon cattle
for use in upmarket restaurants is insatiable in the short term
and this situation is unlikely to change. "
