We’re still in the Northeastern United States on our Great American Cattle Drive. This is the area where much of our country’s important paperwork is kept. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the documents in the Hall of Records, and the Milking Devon Herdbook, Volume 8. We just had to add that last one and take another little teasing dig at John Hall, President of the American Milking Devon Cattle Association, who owns the only copy (we know of) of that particular book. Those documents we just mentioned sound pretty impressive, don’t they? But really, when it comes down to it, paper and the things written on it are just carbon and words. Dead trees and ink. So why is it such a big deal to keep records, and preserve them over time?Writing things down serves to remind us of the meaning and value that might be lost when we forget, and need a little nudge. When one generation fades away, and another rises. When the initial excitement of a new business fades, and gives way to daily transactions and difficulties. It’s a contract between parties, that clarify an understanding of terms, like purchasing a car or getting married. The documentation of the specifics of value, like a certificate of authenticity on an important piece of artwork. The family tree that decides who lives in Windsor Palace and gets to wear the big hat. Our written words -- or the electronic equivalent these days –are the formal representation of the meaning and value of things that people shed blood, sweat and tears to establish. They are kept to remind us of those things in the present and the future.So when we're dealing with our agricultural breeds and seeds, with the food that nourishes us, that keeps us alive, that represents hundreds or thousands of years of culture and history and evolution, doesn't it make sense to dedicate a little paper to that? And who's going to do that thankless task? The registrars! Every breed organization has one, and they are custodians of one of the most important jobs any breed organization has: Documentation.
Today, we bring you Bonnie Hall, who valiantly volunteers her services for this important (and often thankless) task for the American Milking Devon Cattle Association. We know that someday, 200 years from now, someone will want to buy or sell a Milking Devon. They will have a paper trail to follow, and Bonnie's name will be on that book.
Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/423156.King_of_the_Wind#:~:text=King%20of%20the%20Wind%20is%20the%20perfect%20example,itself%2C%20they%20simply%20added%20its%20heart%20and%20soul.
https://www.amazon.com/King-Wind-Story-Godolphin-Arabian/dp/1416927867
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Wind
https://www.milkingdevons.org
http://www.maplebreezefarm.com/