Prepping For Calving Season Is Here

On our farm we are prepping as we head into the new year on our cow calf operation. This is the time we are prepping for calving, selling our previous year calves, and maintaining the condition of our cows. 

In the fall we brought home our cows from pasture and put them on cornstalks closer to home. We are able to utilize the resources we have of maintaining our cows and utilizing the grain and corn residue for feed while they are on cornstalks. So far into winter we have had a mild one, making it easy for the cows to continue utilizing what is left of the cornstalks, and not having to work so hard to stay warm. 

Once the winter changes and begins to get colder or when it starts to snow, we begin feeding hay and protein to the cows to maintain the quality of them before calving. Every day we roll a bale of grass hay out that we baled in late summer from our own pastures, and also protein cubes to make sure we are meeting the nutritional needs of our cows. 

Preparing and maintaining our cows is a huge part of prepping for calving season. We want to make sure our cows are at the optimum body condition going into calving so they can produce a healthy calf and continue taking care of it once it's born. 

Winter is a very busy time on a cow calf operation because at this time in the year cows are all back home, no longer grazing on pastures. We are gearing up all our facilities, pens, and equipment for calving season that is just around the corner! 

We first start calving out our heifers. We schedule this earlier in the year to be able to keep a close eye on them, help when needed, and keep their calves out of the mud. Shortly after we start in on calving our cows. 

In about a month we will be in full force calving mode on our operation, and even though every calving season presents it's own problems and hardships, it's what we work for all year. To successfully bring healthy calves into this world from the continuous work we've done all year to get us to that point. 

There is truly nothing more rewarding than having a big healthy calf crop on your operation!