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Bestyet Blog

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Bestyet Boston – returning A2/A2 sire

Bestyet Boston – returning A2/A2 sire

by | Feb 7, 2024 | ,

Early in our Dutch Belted breeding career, as recounted here, we bought breeding stock from Dorothy O’Neill Hornback’s excellent and longstanding herd. Later we were able to reciprocate by providing her our first homebred bull, Bestyet James (read about him here) to...

Come, sit with me on the barnyard gate

Come, sit with me on the barnyard gate

by | Mar 7, 2023 |

Reprinted with permission from The Times. Winifred and Martha have been writing columns for the regional newspaper for over a decade. Here's a slice of our farm life we think you'll enjoy. Here, have a seat, there’s room beside me on this tall gate. Sit and rest your...

Maid – Cow Family Feature

Maid – Cow Family Feature

by | Apr 9, 2021 | ,

In the late 1950’s, two idealistic and ambitious young men were building up a herd of Milking Shorthorns to fill their newly constructed milking set-up for 100 cows, a sizable operation for their day. These men were my late husband, Kenneth Hoffman, and his brother...

Dream – Cow Family Feature

Dream – Cow Family Feature

by | Aug 28, 2020 | ,

From Sweet Dreams to Happy Dream and everyone in between We thought it would be interesting to take the different cow families represented in our herd today, and trace them back to the original animals we purchased.  This takes some extensive research through the...

Alvin H. Sanders on “The Dignity of the Breeder’s Calling”

Alvin H. Sanders on “The Dignity of the Breeder’s Calling”

by | May 25, 2020 | ,

Sometimes it helps revive our sense of purpose to review the broader picture, looking back at the masters of breeding who came before us. This eloquent excerpt from the writing of Alvin H. Sanders, author and editor of The Breeder’s Gazette in the early 20th century, strikes us as still quite relevant today, allowing for the perhaps extreme opinion of Sanders.

Choosing sires for next year

Choosing sires for next year

by | May 6, 2020 |

Winifred: My daughter Martha and I have been going through our cow list and planning matings for the coming breeding season. Now that this spring’s calves are off to a good start so we can evaluate last year’s matings, we’re looking at our overall plan for the next...

When I First Came to the Farm

When I First Came to the Farm

by | Mar 30, 2020 |

I had so much to learn about cows and farming--but how I loved it and still do to this day! Looking for a summer job It was a super windy early spring day just like this one, 39 years ago in 1981 when I first came to this prairie farm, driving down from Wisconsin...

Training Heifers to Milk

Training Heifers to Milk

by | Mar 23, 2020 |

Photo above by Mary Lou Shaw. Milking a family cow in a stanchion. A reader has asked for a blog post about training heifers and cows to milk.  We will cover the spectrum from training large groups of heifers with the cow herd to training a single heifer or cow...

Cattle Stockmanship for Easier Handling

Cattle Stockmanship for Easier Handling

by | Nov 18, 2019 |

Each of these points of stockmanship work together to develop a relationship of trust between our animals and us that make life on the farm that much more pleasant. As these skills are shared with us from experienced stockmen, we can pass them onto others and continue the fulfilling tradition of carefully tending livestock.

Reflections of a Second-Generation Breeder

Reflections of a Second-Generation Breeder

by | Nov 13, 2019 | ,

The cows chose me, you could say. I was born into the family legacy of heritage grazing cattle, and I’ve never known life without them. I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. I’m here to carry on the legacy from the past and bring it forward into the future.