Tim’s interest, in Devon cattle, started at a very young age. When Tim was born his father, Bob Henderson, was managing Black Brook Farm, in South Hamilton, Ma, which was owned by Judge Standish Bradford. On Black Brook Farm, Bob raised registered Devon Cattle, which were shown at fairs in Jackson, Mississippi, Timonium, Maryland, and Eastern States. The Bradfords, along with the Winthrop family, owned a 20,000 acre plantation in Estill, South Carolina, where they also raised Devon cattle. The cattle were swapped between the two farms for breeding different blood lines.

At the age of 8, Tim bought and showed his first Devon, at the local county agriculture fair, taking a full grown Devon cow off pasture and halter breaking her in a week. He continued showing with 4-H, until he was 18, winning ribbons which included Grand Champion and Produce of Dam.

At 18, Tim went off in different agricultural directions. He worked with a variety of beef cattle, milked cows for several years, and was a truck farmer, wholesaling and retailing a wide variety of vegetables.

In 1993, Tim took a job managing a Belted Galloway beef cattle farm, in Wayland, MA, with his wife, Pauline and 2 sons Tim jr. and Tom. Having researched grass fed beef, Tim was interested in turning the Belted Galloways into a grass based operation, but the Galloways did not have the proper genetics to finish off quickly or heavy enough on grass alone. Tim’s interest in Devon cattle was reignited, in 1994, when his father took a job managing Black Brook Farm for a second time, only under a different owner. The new owner, wanting a herd of Devon cattle, hired Bob, due to his extensive knowledge of Devons. So, Tim and his family began looking into acquiring Devon cattle. With contacts he and his father made over the years, he finally acquired a small herd of Devons, from around New England.

The Henderson’s have a small herd of American Devon cattle and an American Devon herd bull. Tim, again, had cattle he remembers from his youth, cattle that were thick and deep bodied, docile and with good mothering skills, which resembled the cattle that his father showed in the 60’s and early 70’s.

Tim has been breeding Devon cattle and crossbreeding his Devon herd bull “Pete” with Belted Galloways. He has found that the Devons still grow well, on a grass based operation, and the cross bred calves grow quicker and heavier than the straight Galloways. “Pete’s” offspring’s, have uniformity, whether from a Devon cow or another breed, “Pete’s” calves are all thick -deep bodied animals, resembling mini tanks.

The cattle are raised on pasture, in the spring, summer and fall and in the winter are fed grass round bale haylage and dry hay. They are also given free access to salt and minerals, year round, with seaweed mixed in, in the winter. Mulch hay is used for bedding.

Tim and Pauline, along with their sons, are presently upgrading a farm in Maine, which they will eventually move their herd, too. They will continue to sell embryos and semen, while expanding the herd and occasionally having cattle for sale. They would also like to market Devon and Devon cross grass fed beef and help promote the Devon breed.