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| What a difference 12 hours can make! |
When you calve in May and June, you do not expect six inches of snow and blizzard like conditions during any part of your calving season. However, that is what we woke up to last Thursday, the 8th of May. While we are thankful for the moisture, it was hard to get excited knowing we have a herd of more than eight-hundred cows calving like crazy in less than desirable conditions…
Over our morning coffee, Tom and I devised our plan of attack for the day. We decided he would go out to the cows right away and assess the situation. If the cows were within the protection of the hills everything would be fine. But, if they had drifted to the flats with nothing to protect them from the wet snow and the chill of the wind, he would radio me and I would bring the tractor out to feed hay and encourage the cows to move back into the hills. No news would be good news.
As I watched the storm out the window and on the radar, I anxiously waited for the call. I felt torn, like I should be out in the mess helping Tom, but at the same time I had no desire to take the kids out in such horrible conditions. It was an agonizing, helpless feeling. So, I did the only thing I could do in a situation like that. I prayed. I prayed for the cows to be smart, stay in the hills, and to take good care of their new calves. I prayed for a break in the weather and some relief for the cattle. I prayed for Tom’s safety, and then the power went out…
With the power out, I had no radio. This did not help my anxiety as the only way for Tom to get ahold of me without power was through his cell phone which only gets spotty reception on certain hilltops. Being without electricity was worrisome for me and a bother for the kids. It went out right in the middle one of their favorite PBS shows, Super Y. After he had accepted the fact that he couldn’t watch Super Y, Tripp kept saying, “Mom, I want to watch Frozen.” I told him that I was sorry, but the power was out and we couldn’t watch movies without electricity. He kept on it, so, I finally told him, “If you want to watch Frozen, just look outside.” I thought it was comical, but I don’t think he saw the humor. Frozen is the kid’s new favorite movie and we have watched it once a day every day since Easter.
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| This cow is doing an excellent job of getting her newborn calf dried off before it gets too cold. |
Finally after hours of waiting and praying, the phone rang. It was Tom, and he had excellent news, things were much better than we had anticipated! When he got back to the house, Tom filled me in on all the happenings of the morning and how proud he was of the job the cows were doing. The cows had stayed in the hills and were doing a great job of taking care of their calves.
Once we knew everything was ok, we had to joke about the extreme weather change from 70o to blizzard in just twelve hours, quoting Oaken from Frozen, “Yoo hoo! Big summer blowout!” In all seriousness, it was a huge blessing to get the moisture we so desperately needed. We were thankful for it in whatever form it came, and we are even more thankful that all of the cattle, cows and calves alike, weathered the storm and will be belly deep in grass once it warms up!
Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.
Terryn,
Glad to hear things turned out well in a bad situation. Storms make a lot of extra work during calving season. We didn’t get snow out of last weeks front, but did put a few cows in the barn to calf.
We branded at J’s Cousin’s Ranch yesterday, it was 33* when we left at ten to 6 am with a good wind. I was glad to see the sun shining! It was a chilly 4-wheeler ride gathering pairs.
Today we branded at home. It was 32* when we started chores at 5 am and the wind didn’t come up until we were done. We had sun and perfect conditions to work cattle in.
I hope the sunshine stays and we can get some warmer temps. I also hope you can catch some nice rains.
My husband and I were just discussing how this weather feels more like March or April rather than May.
Branding in the cold and wind isn’t much fun. I’m glad the weather cooperated for your branding day! We have our first branding of the season on Monday. I am praying for a warm, dry day!