Hello April!
Every year March flies by in a whirlwind of baby calves and snow storms. We have spent most of our days and nights in the calving barns. It’s both the most tiring and rewarding time of year.
This year we had a very tight breed up. In other words, during the breeding season, the majority of cows came into heat and were bred during the first three weeks. This is very important to a rancher because it means higher profitability. Having a short calving window means a more uniform and heavy calf crop. It is also an indication of fertility and health in your cow herd.
March has been quite dry compared to our norm, and we are very worried about entering another year of drought conditions. Although snow is hard to deal with this time of year, we are praying for moisture in any form! The positive side of a fairly dry March, is that our calves are very healthy, and we have not had to doctor one calf for scours (diarrhea that normally occurs because of wet/cold conditions).
The kids and I have spent quite a few nights down in our camper at the calving lots. Logan really appreciates this as he has some company during the long days and nights! It has actually been quite fun for us all! Although the lack of water in the camper leads to an interesting cooking and bathroom situation- and we are in desperate need of a shower most days.
April ushers in a new season of ranching for us. While we finish up calving, we also start branding our older calves. Branding is vital for herd health as we vaccinate for a variety of prevalent diseases in cattle. We also brand the calves with our ranch’s brand H lazy S. Many ask why we do this. It is essential for cattle identification throughout the life of the animal. It also prevents our cattle from being stolen. Yes! Cattle rustling is still a problem!
Thank you to everyone who has ordered beef from us the last couple months! And thank you for your patience working with us during calving season! We will also be taking pre-orders for a end of May delivery on large beef orders for local delivery. And If you are not local, we continue to ship beef nationwide every week!
For any order placed in the month of April, we will throw in 1 pound of our new product- an all beef Italian sausage. This product is house made with our beef and the cleanest ingredients at a local craft butcher shop. It immediately elevates your spaghetti or pizza to restaurant quality!
Have a wonderful Easter and April!
Megan and Family