Old Daisy the cow is the epitome of red devon breeder Graeme Dyke's philosophy of ''breed from the best and cull the rest''. Daisy is in the top 5 per cent of the Australasian Breedplan for devons. At the age of 14, she is due to retire but not before she has one more calf, says Dyke. ''She is one of my best cows and has produced brilliant calves, but sadly she is getting old. Her teeth are quite worn, so this calf will be her swansong.'' Female red devons such as Daisy are like gold dust, says Dyke, as demand for meat and livestock is increasing worldwide. There are several commercial herds in New Zealand but most stud herds are small. Only a handful have more than 80 cows. ''Quite simply,...
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