ADCA Percentage Registry Program : About Us : American Devon Cattle Association

ADCA Percentage Registry Program

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Why should you use Devons for your crossbreeding program and then further, why register them?

Devon halfblood Heifers

The Board of the American Devon Cattle Club began the first percentage registrations in 1953. The Qualified Registry was reintroduced in 1982, then called F1 Devon Certification program. Dr. Stewart Fowler, the distinguished animal scientist, while serving as the Devon Cattle Associations Executive Secretary implemented many programs for its membership. One such program that remains today is the Percentage Registry Herd Book. At that time the Percentage Registry (F1) and the Pureblood Registry were maintained separately; throughout the years and to this day have remained separated and apart.

Devon cattle have been used for centuries to upgrade commercial cattle with the many desirable traits of Devons. Due to the several forces in the market place such as the emphasis on the nutritional benefits of grass-fed animals and the sudden high costs of grain to feedlot finish cattle, Devon cattle are once again poised to help provide genetics to assist in this conversion.

The origins of the breed date back to animals originally imported from England.

The Percentage Registry program, now available through the American Devon Cattle Association, provides that cattle may be registered and bred up until they have attained 15/16th of purebred blood as females or 31/32nd as bulls. A qualified ADCA member must inspect these cattle before being granted full blood status. Keep in mind that even then the registries are not co-mingled, but are kept separate to preserve the genetic integrity of the breed. Animals in the Percentage Registry are easily distinguished from the pureblood animals. The registrations are printed on different paper, and have different names and seals on the registration. No matter how many generations pass, the animals in the Qualified Registry will never be in the same registry as the pureblood animals. To qualify as a pureblood animal, the American Devon Cattle Association must be able to verify its pedigree back to England where the breed originated. No other Devon organization can be even begin to document the Devon ancestry in this manner in order to ensure the “purity” of the breed.

Details of the Qualified Registry

The first cross or 1/2 blood is a C. The registration number would look like: P12345C, with registration paper stating 1/2 blood Devon; the C and 1/2 are red and printed on a green paper stock.

The second cross or 3/4 blood is a B. The registration number would look like: P57890B, with registration paper stating 3/4 blood Devon; the B and 3/4 suffix are red and printed on light blue paper stock.

The third cross is done the same except it is 7/8 and letter A. This is printed on a pale yellow paper.

The fourth cross is the same except it is 15/16 heifers are considered Full Blood. This is on off-white paper. They must be checked in the field for the requirements of the Devon, before it can be registered as a full blood Devon, not as a pureblood Devon.

None of the Qualified Registered animals have a gold seal, rather a plain raised seal on their papers. The Secretary of the Association performs these registrations.

The Pure Devon is the only ones that have the Gold Seal. The American Devon Cattle Association considers their Purebreds to be “free from impurities” and full bloods to be “containing all that is possible.”

Commercial Value

Devon: A moderate solution to the search for a balanced outcross. Devon bulls can and should play an important crossbreeding role in the beef industry’s move from the beef of the 80’s and 90’s to the right type of beef like we had in the 40’s and 50’s. Because Devon breeders were immune to the growth and feedlot craze of the post WWII era. The breed has retained its compactness, foraging ability, and carcass merit. Devons today are the right type of animals for grass finishing.

Crossbreeding

This halfblood Devon cow is 12-13 years old.

Obviously, registry numbers indicate that it would be impractical to build a commercial herd of purebred Devon. However, with the trend to crossbreeding and the known reputation for Devon prepotency, Devon bulls represent an excellent way for the commercial cattleman to upgrade his herd.

By crossbreeding with Devon bulls, the commercial cattleman immediately improves his beef margin with smaller framed, more efficient, quicker finishing steer calves and transfers some of the Devon rich milking capability to his replacement heifers. This crossbreeding program, applied by several large commercial operations in the Western and Southwestern United States, has resulted in a substantial improvement in their herds.

3/4 blood Devon heifer from the cow pictured above. She is about 18 months old.

As expansion of the cities and the economics of farming have forced the cattleman into rougher country and off the farmland, the stamina, foraging and traveling capabilities of cattle have come back into focus. In this regard, Devon is second to none. Consequently, Devon are successfully used in the temperature extremes of Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Maine, in the swampy, bug-infested areas of the Gulf States and South Africa, in the sun-blistered ranges of Australia, and the rocky woodland hills of cold, northern New England.

This is a 3/4 blood Devon cow who is about 14 years old.

Devon breeders in England, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States compete regularly and successfully in all breed carcass contests. In England, at the Royal Smithfield Show, London, Devons have been competing successfully against all other beef breeds for over fifty years.

Approximately 13 year old halfbood Devon cow.

Please note the depth of body and clean udders on all of these Devon cross cows. They exhibit the docile and easy handling traits that make them a pleasure to handle. This trait is passed onto their off spring.

This halfblood Devon cow is 12-13 years old.

What If I have Devon cattle that the registrations haven’t been maintained?

Unfortunately, this has been the case in the recent past and probably forever if we admit it. The ADCA encourages you to use the Qualified Registry to become current by identifying their ancestry and recording important Devon genetics. You will help yourself and you will help the Devon breed to preserve and distribute our valuable genetics. Our ADCA staff and your fellow members will be very willing to assist you in the process.

Half Devon heifers

Qualified Registry halfblood heifers.

Half Devon heifer

Register your Cattle

Download the ADCA Certified Registration form

ADCA-Registry-Form.pdf (Adobe PDF)
ADCA-Registry-Form.DOC (Microsoft Word document)

Current Special Program

Presently, the ADCA is offering special incentives to encourage registration of those qualifying for registry.

New rates

All percentage Qualified Registrations from Dec 1st, 2006 through May 31st, 2007 are $12 per animal on the first 25 head, thereafter $10 per animal. DNA testing can be used if needed to verify parentage.