Just a babe A mother cow keeps a watchful eye on her newborn calf at It’s calving season in Central Minnesota; one of the busiest times of the year for cattle ranchers in these parts.

An estimated 40,000 calves will be born this spring in Central and Northern Minnesota. According to Leader area rancher Roy Bell, at least 10,000 of these calves will be from the four counties of Morrison, Cass, Todd and Wadena.

“We’re just getting started,” Roy said March 30. “We calve a couple hundred cows here at Rawhide Ranch...So far, we’ve got 30 on the ground, one set of twins. Things are going well.”

Cattle producing is serious business for Minnesota ranchers; one that requires a lot of planning and preparation. Calves don’t ‘just happen’ to all be born in the spring.

“No, there’s a system to it,” said Denny Blowers, owner of Double D Ranch in rural Motley. “We turned our bulls out on June 3, last year. The cows are pregnant about 283 days,” he explained.

Newborn calf A newborn calf feeds from his mother, an angus cow owned by Leaderarea rancher Denny Blowers. Calving season in Minnesota typically runs from mid-March through the end of April, depending on when cows were bred. Blowers expects approximately 150 calves will be born at his ranch this spring. The calves will be weaned in October or November and sold at auction. (Staples World photo by Dawn Timbs) It just makes sense to have all of your calves born at the same time, Roy said. That way, it’s easier to keep track of them and they will be ready to be sold at the same time.

Denny’s cows started having their calves in mid-March. “So far this spring, we’ve had roughly 75 calves born.” he said recently. “We’re about half way done.”

Both Denny and Roy stressed the importance of planned matings among their cattle.

“We want to be able to sell registered bulls and heifers,” Denny said, adding that he sorts his cattle prior to turning out the bulls...carefully figuring which genetic variables will produce the best calves.

“Breeding cattle is a work in progress,” Denny said. “We’re always striving for moderation in our cattle.”

Checking the cattle Denny Blowers, a rancher from rural Motley, walked through one of his pastures recently, checking on his cattle and taking note of how many calves have been born so far during calving season. Blowers, a 1986 Motley High School graduate, grew up in the Leader area and first learned about raising cattle from his father, Richard. (Staples World photo by Dawn Timbs) Denny raises Angus; and Roy raises Hereford and Hereford/Angus-cross cattle.

To make sure he’s getting a variety of genetics in his calves, Roy buys his bulls from various parts of the country. “Hey, remember what they say, ‘You know you’re a redneck if your family tree doesn’t fork,’” Roy laughed.

It’s also important, when breeding, to develop a cow herd that’s adaptable to this environment. There are some southern breeds of cattle that could not survive a Minnesota winter, Roy said.

Roy mentioned that he is part of a Hereford Alliance, working with ranchers

from North Dakota who

also raise top Herefords. “We buy their bulls and

they bid on our calves...We work together,” he added.

He knows he’s getting the best bulls around, Roy said; and people buying his product know that the calves have all been vaccinated properly. “We do routine vaccinations and all castrations,” Roy added.

Occasionally, a vet may have to be called for a major medical issue; but for the most part, ranchers try to do things on their own.

“There’s not much profit in this,” Roy said. “I like what I do and ranching has its own rewards (besides money). However, you have to control your input costs as much as possible.”

Both Roy and Denny said, “We’re price-takers, not price-makers,” explaining that their income is often dictated by factors beyond their control, like the weather.

This has been a good spring for calves, Denny said, mentioning that there isn’t any snow and for the

most part the conditions

have been mild and dry. “That’s good. There’s a better

chance of survival for the calves and less chance of sickness.”

Denny lives a ways from where his cattle graze, so he’s not able to watch them on a constant basis. “It wouldn’t be cost-effective for me to run out and check on them all the time,” he said.

This year, that’s worked out just fine, because the weather has been mild and there have not been too many complications. “Last year, there was a lot of snow late in the year...we had more deaths,” Denny added.

“You tend to get a little lazy when the weather’s like this,” Denny said. “If there was a blizzard, a guy would be working day and night. He’d sleep with his boots on.”

For the most part, both ranchers said, they don’t have to be there to help deliver calves...the cows are able to do this on their own.

“I think this makes them better mothers...their maternal instincts kick in,” Denny said.

Most of his cows tend to give birth in a part of the field that is filled with prickly brush. Denny calls it, “Maternity Hill.”

The bottom line, Denny stressed, is that cows have one purpose...to have and raise calves.

“We had nine open cows this year,” Denny said, explaining that these cows did not breed. A rancher cannot afford to keep open cows.

“Yep, you get pregnant, or you are meat,” Roy said.

When his calves are born, Denny gives each an ear tag with a number that matches it’s mother’s freeze brand. “It helps with keeping them paired together,” Denny said.

The calves spend approximately seven months feeding with their mothers. When they are 205 days old, it’s time for them to be weaned.

At this point, usually in late October or November, the calves, which hopefully weigh between 450 - 550 pounds each, will be sold to cattle feeders. Currently, cattle is selling at approximately $1.10 per pound, but that all depends on the market, Denny said.

Roy said he usually retains between 10 - 20 percent of his heifers to put back in the herd. The rest are sold.

There is some ‘backgrounding’ in this area, Roy said, explaining that the calves will be kept, fed out and sold at a later date, when they weigh between 700 - 800 pounds.

Until that time, ranchers hope the calving season continues to go smoothly.

Denny estimates that it should be wrapping up in a week or two; and by the first of May the last of the calves should be delivered.