Starr Farm Report: A Walk in the Pasture

#CalfCrop12

Throughout the spring and summer (and maybe fall if you're lucky), I will give you a little update as to what's happening on the Starr Farm. As the temperatures rise, grass becomes greener and baby calves become more energetic and show calves needs rinsing, I can't resist a weekend on the farm. Continue to check back for more updates on what's happening at the Starr Farm.

Some people spend their weekend taking a walk in the park, I like to spend mine by taking a walk in the pasture to check out the new calf crop and seeing how the cows are doing raising their calves.

It's exciting to see the results of the breeding decisions made early last summer. Most of our cows are bred by artificial insemination (A.I.) or were implanted with an embryo. Incorporating this technology allows my family to apply elite Hereford genetics from all across the country into our own herd right here in Wisconsin!

Unlike dairy cows, beef cows nurse their calves. It's important that the cows stay healthy so they can produce an adequate milk supply to raise their calf until weaning. Generally calves are weaned at 7-8 months of age and can weigh approx 500 lbs. Fortunately, this year we didn't have a lot of calving problems, most turned out like the calving video I posted last week. This is a result of the bulls we decided to breed our cows to through A.I.

Some farmers end their walk in the pasture with a cold Coors Light, a Crown and Coke or some even Natural Light. My mom and I like to end our pasture walk by sitting on the patio, glass of red wine in hand and overlooking the view of the field my Grandpa Lindsay is getting ready for planting.