Just my luck---again this year!

[jhm47]

Well, calving season has begun. I backed the herd off some this year because calving season was torture last year with snow and unbearable cold every day in early-mid March. So---last summer I synchronized the heifers and a few cows to calve around the first week in April. Bred them artificially of course, and hoped that the weather would cooperate this spring. Well, I've already gotten 5 calves, and guess what??? There is a blizzard watch posted for tomorrow and Tuesday. Weatherman is predicting up to 10 inches of snow and winds up to 50 mph. I have locked up the ones that I suspect might calve tonight or tomorrow, but that's like predicting which team will win the NCAA tournament. I prepared as much as I could today. Gassed up the snowmobile, charged the battery, bedded the calf shelter with new clean straw, bedded the cows down with cornstalks, and fed them extra. Not much else I can do except wait and hope the weatherman is wrong.

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Bud, I spent many nights waking up every hour on the hour during calving season at my friends ranch in Saskatchewan. We'd hop on quads and ride over what felt like icebergs instead of pastures looking for new arrivals. I must confess that I do NOT in any shape, for OR fashion envy you right now; however I can say that I have been there and hope the wind shifts a few miles north of your spread so you can get at least some form of relief. Spring is coming, I promise.

(Thumbs up on the EMT, I'm an EMR at our VFD)

 

[Azriel]

Well, the lovely late winter snow is already hitting here in S. Central MT, so I'm sure its on its way to you. I've got 3" already with lots of winds.

 

[BrownSheep]

Has South Dakota not gotten the message that A) it is spring and B) the whole globe is suppose to be heating up?

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Has South Dakota not gotten the message that A) it is spring and B) the whole globe is suppose to be heating up?

I think their mailman said to heck with the old "Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail..." motto, parked the truck and is sitting by the fire someplace.

 

[greybeard]

Dunno how you folks deal with that kind of winter. First a very early blizzard hits the Dakotas and causes all kinds of havoc and cattle deaths and now a late one hits.

 

[jhm47]

The dreaded blizzard has not hit here yet, but judging from the radar pictures it's not too far away. As to South Dakota weather---we get used to adversity and really enjoy it when we get nice weather. Actually we do have several nice days each year. Or maybe every couple years.

I got the calves back into the calf shelter this morning while the cows were eating. When the cows got done, they immediately came over and called the calves back out into the muddy yard. It does appear that a few of the 3 day old ones are going into the shelter voluntarily, but the new ones still haven't discovered it. When it starts to snow and the wind picks up they might learn more quickly. Hope so anyway!