Davelle South Devons and Composites

28/07/2026

Calving is in full swing at Davelle. AI calves are coming thick and fast. The due date for AI is the 29th July, we have already had 35 calves starting on the 18th July.

We've seen calves from Rissington Black Magic (Sim Angus), Leachman Judicial (Stabilizer), Leachman Kickoff (Stabilizer), GAR Drive (Angus), West Winds Atlas (Blonde d'Aquitaine), EBS Elker (South Devon) and Kirndeen Gareth (South Devon).

Here is an interesting one? A cow had twins on the weekend both are bull calves however 1 is black and the other red?

Another interesting one is we're sitting on about 80% females. Mother nature says it's going to be dry next year?

23/06/2026

We agree on this one!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EVBMcFSCW/

The fancy ones might catch your eye, but the good ones prove themselves over time.

Function over fashion. Every time.

What's your favorite trait in a cow?

09/06/2026

We all want profitable females.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18qaj7ksrc/

There are many approaches to longevity and overall cow-herd age. Some producers cull after 10, no matter what. Others look at averages. Others look at individual production stats or scores.

No matter what the rule of thumb, what we’re actually talking about is productivity *and* longevity.

Longevity isn't just about keeping cows longer. It's about keeping the RIGHT cows longer—the ones that stay productive, are easy keepers, and don't require extra inputs.

A cow that doesn’t have major disposition or conformation issues, breeds back, calves unassisted, weans a nice calf, and does it year after year? Yes please! A whole herd of those? Absolutely.

We like to call those “Problem-free.” (Or, you know, profitable.)

Structural soundness, fertility, efficiency, udder quality, temperament—these all factor into whether a cow makes it to year 10 or gets culled at 4.

Quality + longevity = profitability.

08/06/2026

"Talk the talk. Walk the walk."

We'd like to showcase the quality of our South Devons.

Davelle is situated in the Mid North of SA, mainly grain growing area with some sheep/lambs and a handful of cattle. Winters are cold, with the occasional snow and hot dry summers, rainfall is mainly winter with an average of 450mm, the last few years have been well below average.

We have been in a rebuilding phase after heavy selling due to the recent dry seasons.

We've been pretty well forgotten with 1 visitor in recent times. We always welcome visitors to inspect our cattle, those that come are always impressed in what they see!

With an awesome long weekend, we went for a walk and took some photos of animals that represent our herd and breeding objectives - low birth weight, good growth and excellent carcass.

Females are due to calve late July.

As you can see grass is limited and they have their winter coats on.

If interested, click on the link to see pedigrees and EBVs.

They all have $Profit data, message if you are interested.

Regards

David and Rochelle Leese
Davelle

20/05/2026

Information is King

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dx5eMXEJ4/

Selecting replacements without INHERIT Select® is like flying a plane without an instrument panel.

Steve Elliott of Rafter E Ranch in Utah was skeptical of genomic testing–after all, he built a great herd of cows using his eyeballs and expertise! But, after giving it a try, he’s sold because INHERIT Select® can tell you things that even the savviest cowman can’t see.

“You go out there and you’re looking through your heifers and this heifer’s beautiful! You pull in her DNA and she’s at the bottom end–and she goes to the feed pen,” says Steve.

It may be a little bit of a heartbreaker, but over time, selecting replacements with the help of INHERIT Select® means fewer cattle whose phenotype and genotype don’t quite match–and less heartbreak!

If you’re interested in knowing more about your cow herd, get in touch with your area rep about INHERIT Select.

Jerrod Watson - Western Region
303-827-1156

Aaron Rasmussen - Midwest Region
308-763-1361

Kurt Schenkel - Eastern Region
740-503-6270

Photo credit: Nicole Jones

10/02/2026

Wise words Gordon

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19tiHosyod/

05/02/2026

We utilise a blood pregnancy test, which is 98% accurate 30 days after mating.

We're very impressed that we got 84/87 - 97% in calf.

All females, cows and heifer have really done well.

Next - weaning

15/01/2026

Davelle Newsletter and Sale List

https://issuu.com/davellesd/docs/davelle_2025

30/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ba9zuiaUd/

I like this, although US based the basics are the same - efficiencies and profit.

13/11/2025