We had our first calf born yesterday, 4-06-2022. Montanan's have claimed that day as Montana Day! It felt pretty special that it was born on Montana Day!
Calving season is my favorite and least favorite season of all time! I'll explain.
I love calving season. I love seeing all the fresh little cow babies running in the fields. I love seeing a mom cooing to and licking off her new baby. It brings on the feel goods out in my...I may even get teary eyed sometimes.
It also symbolizes a restart to the ranch. Our ranch is a cow/calf operation...that means we help facilitate in making the very best cow babies possible. Every year when we get more babies it feels like restart to the ranch.
You never know how calving season is going to go. We calve in the spring so that we can calve out on the pasture. However we have had some CRAZY spring storms in the past that have made us feel like that is a bad choice. Most people who calve in the winter or even early spring will have a big barn to calve in so that they can divert the major issues that come with leaving small baby calves vulnerable and susceptible to the elements.
When spring goes as it should go and cows and calves are living their best life on the prairie...it will even put a smile on the most sour persons face.
like I said it is my favorite and my least favorite time of the year because where ever there is the miracle of birth, there is also death.
Just like any animal there isn't a 100% birth rate. We get still born calves. We get calves being born the wrong way and trying to help the mom and baby might turn out futile for one of them. We get moms that reject their own babies. And the list goes on...and just like before, I have been known to cry a little bit.
I was told when I first got here, "you'll get used to it"...well I will tell you its not true.
I have learned to expect it. It isn't as much as a shock any more, however it still hits me just as hard!
We are expecting a couple hundred calves this year. We are hoping to get some rain so that we can feed them all!
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Winter #13
We have seen snow in every month in North Central Montana.
As far as I can remember we usually get a snow storm in October interrupting any nice autum weather we might be experiencing. We usually get a big spring snowstorm as well. It usually includes power outages, frozen blossoms and flowers, and icy roads.
jennie becker
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