Cowboy 101: Calving

We calve in a tight April window. The grass is up, the nights are warm, and the cows do the work themselves. We check them at dawn and dusk and mostly stay out of the way.

"Late-winter calving used to be the norm around here - it gets you a bigger weaning weight and burns through your hay and your patience."

April calves hit the ground onto lush pasture, ride their mothers hard through the summer, and wean in October at 550 pounds without a scoop of grain.