“The Best Gourmet Beef on Grass”
2022 Annual Event & Meeting
October 20-22, 2022
Thank you to all who made the event and show a success. Especially our hosts Thousand Hills Acres, LLC and River View High School FFA. Thank you to our sponsors Kencove Fencing, Multi-Min and Agri Dynamics.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Cattle Arrive at River View High School - 26496 St Rt 60 N, Warsaw OH
4:00 pm Vet Arrives for Cattle Inspection
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Open Social at Thousand Hills Acres LLC - 26527 State Route 206, Walhonding OH, Mark Reed, Owner and Event Host (740) 819-2016
** Dinner on your own
Friday, October 21, 2022 - River View High School
7:00 am -7:45 am Registration – Coffee – Donuts / Refreshments
8:00 am – 8:15 am “Welcome & Introduction” Steve Montgomery, RDUSA President
8:15 am – 9:00 am “Maximizing Efficiency Through Periods of Transition!” - Jerry Rusch, DVM of Axiota Animal Health
9:00 am – 10:00 am “The Transition from Owner/Breeder to Seedstock Producer” - An interview and discussion with Vernon (“Shorty”) Hochstetler, 2022 Show Judge
10:00 am – 10:15 am Break
10:30 am – 11:30 am “Why Devon: The Breed designed by centuries of Grass Farming" - Jeremy Engh, Lakota Ranch
Or
10:30 am -1130 am “Selling Gourmet Devon Beef” Panel Discussion - Blake Hitzfield of Seven Sons Farms, Christian Ramsburg of Harmon Creek Farms, and Steve Montgomery of Lampost Farm
11:30 am -1:00 pm View Show Cattle and Lunch Break – Red Devon Gourmet Beef Burgers and more! Lunch served by FFA students (Donation to River View FFA suggested)
1:00 pm – 2:45 pm “Cutting Gourmet Grass-fed Beef” - Live Demonstration by A.J. O’Neil, Award-winning 3rd generation butcher of O’Neil’s Quality Devons/Foods
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Return to Thousand Hill Acres LLC
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm “Pen Evaluation” - Shorty Hochstetler and Jeremy Engh
** Dinner on your own
Saturday, October 22, 2022
10:00 am - 1:00 pm Herd Discussion at Thousand Hill Acres LLC – Mark Reed
** Lunch on your own
2:00 pm “Show Results” at Riverview High School - Judge Shorty Hochstetler and Christian Ramsburg, Show Manager
6:00 pm Dinner featuring Red Devon Gourmet Beef (Sponsored by Axiota Animal Health) and Annual RDUSA Meeting at Thousand Hills Acres LLC
Our tentative schedule is subject to change based on availability of speakers and any unforeseen delays. Follow www.reddevonusa.com for details and to sign up!
Meet Judge Shorty Hochstetler
Vernon (Shorty) Hochstetler is the founder of Schwarzerde LLC
“We’ve been educating ourselves for over 20 years, within the teachings of some of the best Geneticists and Grazers in America and from abroad! I have had the opportunity to be mentored by people like Gearld Fry, Johanne Zeitsman, Gabe Brown, Gene Meitler, Dr. Allen Williams, Dr. Gordon Jones, Greg Palen, and many more successful ranchers too numerous to mention.
We operate a beef cattle Seed-Stock business with our farms being 100 percent grazing and/or hay production. We currently operate the cow/calf side of the business on our own farm, with the finishing cattle being contracted out onto other farms.
We supply seed-stock throughout the USA and Canada. With our satisfied customer base growing for our grass phenotype bulls, even in fescue country… the “Schwarzerde Bull Test” was launched several years ago, with the assistance of Dr. Allen Williams. This is an all-forage test with a fairly intense selection process, designed to benefit and unify our breeders’ network.
Schwarzerde LLC also has established a network of producers throughout the community as well as surrounding areas, who follow our “no grain ever” protocol, while jointly marketing the bulk of the grass finished beef through the Seven Sons Family Farm business.
My experiences would lead me to believe, that the Dr. Jan Bonsma type of cattle, tend to lead the way in being some of the most profitable cattle in the world. We practice linebreeding, and shy away from selecting for extremes while selecting for hormonally balanced cattle that are adapted to their environment. I enjoy sharing our farming experiences, and hope to help other farmers enhance their profits.”
Vernon (“Shorty”) Hochstetler
LaGrange, IN
(260) 463-8613 ext. 1