05/10/2021
STAMP FEATURE: Milking Devon cattle, photographed by Heritage Breeds Stamp artist Aliza Eliazarov at Accokeek Foundation.
The Pilgrims brought Devon cattle with them to New England beginning in 1623. Devons were readily available near the ports of England, and the hardiness and practicality of the breed made them a good choice for those crossing the Atlantic. The breed quickly became established in New England and spread down the coast in the coming centuries. Devon oxen were also a draft animal of choice on the Oregon Trail. By the 1800s though, they were slowly replaced and soon faced pressure to specialize as a beef breed during the 20th century.
A small group of breeders disagreed with this trend and sought to preserve the dairy and draft traits in their cattle. This saved many of the genetic stocks and by 1978, the American Milking Devon Association was formed to record and conserve the original, colonial-type cattle.
Milking Devon cattle are one of the 10 breeds featured in the United States Postal Service’s line of . Pre-order your set today: https://bit.ly/USPSHeritageStamps
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ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: The photograph is part of Aliza Eliazarov’s ongoing work to capture the beauty of heritage breeds. This includes her latest book, "On the Farm: Heritage and Heralded Animal Breeds in Portraits and Stories." "On the Farm" is a collection of moving and soulful portraits of beloved farm animals, alongside surprising facts, entertaining anecdotes, and captivating histories of these heritage breeds on American farms.
Aliza Eliazarov’s passionate exploration of food issues, farming and animals has led to numerous projects, exhibitions, and publications including in The Atlantic, Washington Post, Saveur, and Food & Wine. Aliza is best known for shooting the award-winning cover stories for Modern Farmer magazine. She also spent several years as lead photographer at Barkbox. She’s as happy as a pig in p**p (while in fact lying in it) looking through her lens and falling in love with every duck, donkey, and goat she meets.
