Barry Bigalky says many people wouldn’t know if they had seen South Devon cattle or not.
But at a win-a-bull competition last year, where people choose by voting for their favorite, his bull picked up the second highest number of votes.
“That was the first time we’d been there so a lot of people had never even seen a South Devon before,” said the rancher from Lipton, Sask.
South Devons are similar to Angus cattle. They are red or black, but have a slightly longer skull.
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Barry and his wife, Gloria, have 50 registered head on their High Chapparal ranch. They are among 40 breeders in Canada, most of them in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The Bigalkys chose the breed as an alternative for their polled Hereford operation. At the time, many producers were moving to Charolais.
“We wanted to continue raising cattle within the British breeds,” Bigalky said. “They are more moderate, and South Devons had the things that we found very appealing.”
These include their gentle nature, milking ability and rapid growth.
Bigalky said South Devon milk contains the highest butterfat content of any beef breed, and at 4.2 percent is close to what Jerseys produce.
“The calves grow very rapidly and go on to do exceptionally well on feed,” he said.
“They will gain three-and-a-half to four pounds a day on feed.”
They convert at six lb. of feed per pound of gain.
They are good foragers and calve easily, he said. Their skin pigmentation prevents sunburned
udders, and it’s rare to have eye trouble.
Bigalky said they fit well into commercial operations because they complement so many other breeds.
“They give you the opportunity to throw a new breed in and still raise black or red cattle.”
Bigalky said the new national cattle identification program will help raise the South Devon profile.
“We’re excited about it,” he said.
“It’s going to give producers the opportunity to place their own information on some of those tags. The feedlot people will know they’re feeding South Devons.”
The Bigalkys are doing their share to promote the breed. Last fall they showed the top three South Devon heifers at Edmonton’s Farmfair and the grand champion pen of three at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
A decade ago, they picked up several titles in the United States.
Bigalky said he uses an extensive artificial insemination program to bring in new genetics. He concentrates on producing polled cattle.
He said the breed is popular in the U.S., where 3,000 head are registered each year. That compares to 300 a year in Canada.
