The Rural Voice, 1987-04, Page 28THE HAVEN
Famous for its purebred Herefords, The Haven is one of the oldest
continuously operated acreages in Britain. Richard McNamara visits
the Lewis family and travels an English county as famous for its
agricultural achievements as its beauty — Herefordshire, home of
Hereford cattle and centre of Britain's hops, black currant, and apple
industries.
Fox hunts, herds of Herefords and
flocks of sheep with spring lambs on
pasture, early spring flowers in bloom,
villages and cities that were already old
when the Doomsday Book was written
in the year 1050 — these all added to
the pleasures of travelling across
England from London to a village in
Herefordshire.
We had long looked forward to
seeing Herefordshire, the birthplace of
the Hereford breed, and to visiting The
Haven, one of the oldest continuously
operated farms in England. Owned by
the Lewis family since the 1600s and
stocked with purebred Herefords since
1821, The Haven is next door to the
village of Dilwyn, 15 miles northwest
of Hereford and 10 miles east of the
Welsh border.
Having left London by car on
a Sunday in the first week of April,
we had travelled through the beautiful
rolling countryside in weather similar
to Western Ontario's late April. We
had passed through the counties of
Oxfordshire and Warwickshire to reach
Herefordshire, the centre of Britain's
hops, black currant, and apple in-
dustries. Cider is a big seller in the
U.K. and compares in volume sales
to soft drinks in North America. The
world's largest cider factory, Bulmers,
was opened in Hereford in 1887.
Hereford itself is a city with a
population of 45,000 and traces its
history back to before the birth of
Christ. Hereford is also home of the
Hereford Herd Book Society. Their
herd book is the oldest in the world,
having been started in 1810. (The
by Richard McNamara
Canadian Holstein Herd Book was
begun in 1885.) Many other things
of interest are to be found in Hereford
as well: the cathedral was built by
1080, and the first Bishop of Hereford
was installed in 676.
Arriving at The Haven, we were
met by Leslie Lewis, and over coffee
and cake discussed some Hereford
history. Then we were given a tour
of the farm. With Mr. Lewis at the
controls of a large landrover and yours
truly as gate opener and closer, we
were off to see The Haven.
The Lewis family has
exported its cattle to
more than 30 countries.
Since the 1870s, Canada
and the U.S. have been
Targe buyers.
It's a large operation with 800
fertile acres, home to 700 head of
cattle, a breeding flock of 500 ewes,
and crops including 50 acres of apples,
40 acres of hops, 5 acres of pears, 70
acres of barley, and enough maize to
feed the market cattle. The rest of the
land is in hay and pasture, and the hay
and straw are gathered in large round
bales.
The Haven's purebred horned
Hereford herd includes 120 cows, 5
herd bulls, and 150 followers. The
Lewis family has exported its cattle
to more than 30 countries. Since the
1870s, Canada and the U.S. have been
large buyers.
As The Haven is the most com-
mon name in pedigrees of horned
Herefords in North America, the num-
ber of cattle that trace their uniformity ,
ease of feeding, and good finishing
qualities to Haven ancestors and have
passed through Canada and the U.S. or
are in feedlots here would number in
the millions.
To continue to improve The
Haven's Herefords, Mr. Lewis has
over the years imported a number of
bulls from Alberta. These bulls are
by the top Canadian horned bulls of
the day, and the dams or grand dams
have been sired by Haven bulls.
Prices went as high as $240,000 at
the 1981 Calgary Bull Sale. The
Haven's present bull stud has three
Canadian bulls to its credit.
B.P. Andy Commander 4s was
Junior Champion at the 1985 Agri-
bition in Regina. All purebreds are
tested under the U.K. Meat and
Livestock Commission Beef Breed-
ing and Recording Scheme. Official
weights, rate of growth, and backfat
measurements are recorded for all
cattle raised and each of the sires
with tested offspring is given an
official prove and index.
One bull among a group of
young bulls that recently came off
test, Haven Archie, has just made a
U.K. record. At 400 days his weight
was 690 kgs (1,518 lbs.). This was
260 kgs heavier than the average for
all U.K. Hereford bulls tested during
the same time frame. He is a son of
The Haven's Canadian bull, B.P. 55
C Britisher 1M.
26 THE RURAL VOICE