We are at the mercy of mother nature and it appears she’s not done unleashing blasts of wintry weather. On Friday, 14 locations in Saskatchewan broke cold weather records and more are expected to be broken over the weekend.
For most of us it’s an inconvenience but what if your entire livelihood depended on seasonal temperatures because it meant the difference between some of your calves dying or surviving.
Cattle producers say the bitter cold that has gripped many parts of the province is making for a miserable calving season.
“I do the eight o’clock check in the morning then we’re going all day from there, I go until 11 o’clock.” said Kara Wilson whose homestead is near Harris, Saskatchewan.
It’s long days, long nights during any calving season but with the harsh wintry weather not giving up it means checking on cattle every hour some days as opposed to every three.
“We just go until we can’t go anymore.”
This calving season the Wilsons have had 315 calves in 30 days, they have 102 more to go.
“Some days we’re calving 20 calves a day,” Kara added. “We had 18 pens in here and they were full and there were days we had to rotate fast.”
They have the blessing of a barn but say they feel for the ranchers who don’t.
“Every calf you lose come fall is probably $1,000-$1,200 right out of your pocket – right now,” said Nita Wilson, who has been a cattle producer since 1972.
“If you’re outside calving no matter how much you’re checking and how many people you’ve got, you’re going to lose more than normal.”
The Wilsons say some producers are bringing calves in from the cold and warming them in their homes or shops to ensure their survival.
“They’re stacking them where they can and they’re running out of space.”
The Saturday of the Easter long week-end was the coldest March 31st to ever be recorded in Saskatchewan’s history and with warmer weather on the horizon – cattle producers will still have challenges to contend with.
“It’s going to be nip and tuck whether we’re going to have enough feed to get through to grass,” Nita explained.
“We’re not going to probably get grass until the end of May now, normally grass we get in the middle of May, we’re really up against it and most producers are.”
Despite the issues brought on by this prolonged deep-freeze. The Wilson women say they wouldn’t give up ranching for the world and welcome some warmth.
“I grew up doing it, seeing the babies in the spring is the best.” smiled Kara.