REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Weaning day is much like bringing in the crop. It's a chance to see how the cows did at raising their calves and bring the year's work together. It's always a big day for the Stark family, as everyone pitches in to help at the different ranch locations.

Tristan and Shaylyn Stark own S Bar K Cattle and Hay near Baker, Montana, and are participating in DTN's View From the Range series. DTN is following a year at the ranch to give readers an inside look at how the operation works and how the family cares for their animals.

This segment of the series takes readers through weaning day, and the work involved in gathering the calves and preparing them for the next stage of production.

"We always wean calves the first part of November," explained Shaylyn. "The past several years it has been on Nov. 4. Since we sell the calves earlier in the summer on a video auction, we like to have an exact day of delivery, so the buyer knows."

This year, the Starks sold only steer calves through the video auction. They kept all the heifer calves so they could select replacement females for their cow herd.

PREPARING FOR WEANING DAY

Preparation for weaning day begins several days ahead of time. Supplies are gathered, trucks are lined up, and the family makes sure they have enough help to get the work done. The night before weaning, Tristan and his brother gather pairs into corrals at the south ranch. Early the next morning, the pairs are split, and the calves are hauled nearly an hour to the headquarters.

Meanwhile, Shaylyn and the rest of Tristan's family gather the first-calf heifer pairs and his parents' cows at the main ranch. They separate those calves from their mothers and leave the calves in the corral.

Once that work is complete, everyone is at the main ranch to bring in the last group of Tristan and Shaylyn's cows and calves. The cows and calves are sorted, and the weaning work moves into its next phase.

A sales representative from Northern Video Auction then helps sort the steer calves into groups of similar size. All the steers are weighed.

"A large scale is brought in, and we weigh in groups of around 15. The total weight is divided by the number of calves, so we know the average calf weight," Shaylyn explained.

Some calves may be sorted out of their original groups, but every calf is weighed. This gives the Starks a good picture of how their cows are performing as mothers. The steer calves are weighed first so they can be loaded onto trucks and delivered to their buyers. This year's buyers are located in Montana and Colorado, but in years past calves have been sent as far away as Canada and Iowa.

"We sold three loads of steer calves on the video auction, two at 640 pounds and one lighter load at 550 pounds," Shaylyn said. "Our calves outperformed those weights, which we like to see and may adjust our delivery weights next year."

CALVES PERFORM, COWS ARE DOING THEIR JOB

The Starks were pleased with the results, particularly the performance of the genetics being used in their herd. They feel confident in their cows' ability to raise good calves, even under the added pressure of drought conditions like those experienced in eastern Montana over the past couple of years.

All calves staying at the ranch, including all the heifers and steer calves that fall outside the sale groups, are vaccinated with the same products used at branding. This includes a respiratory vaccine and a seven-way clostridial vaccine.

"We want to get calves worked and let them rest to help prevent any sickness," Shaylyn said. "Weaning day is a big day for the cattle and the people."

A few weeks later, the calves remaining at the ranch will be sorted again. Some of the smaller outliers may go to the sale barn, while larger steer calves will be kept and fed out for beef for the family.

Smaller heifers will generally be sold along with the lighter steer calves. The remaining heifers will move to the ranch feedlot, where they have access to different types of hay, silage, plenty of water and minerals. They will stay there through the winter.

Heifers selected as replacements will eventually be bred and moved to pasture in late April or May.

"We have been working on making a few changes in our herd, especially getting our cow size more moderate, so we are keeping replacement heifers that fit that," Shaylyn said. "But we aren't only looking at size. We still want good fleshing ability, proper structure with good feet and legs, and maternal traits, especially good udder quality. If we cull a cow because of her udder, then we are less likely to keep a daughter out of her."

The Starks also want heifers that can perform without requiring a lot of extra inputs or feed. They develop their replacement females slowly and naturally on a forage-based diet that includes grass and alfalfa hay, some grain hay, and corn or oat silage.

With a cow herd producing the kind of calves their buyer wants, the Starks know any changes need to be gradual. Their goal is to continue raising the right kind of cattle while making improvements that will strengthen the herd for years to come.

Editor's Note: To see previous stories in this series, go to: "Montana Family Shares View From the Range," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranchers Weather Challenges to Preserve Ranch Heritage," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Family Follows Winter Weather Care Routine," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Family Keeps Calving Low Labor," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Young Montana Ranchers Making Dream into Reality," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranch Family's Branding Traditions," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranchers Use Summer to Stockpile Feed for Winter," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranch Keeps Its Cow Herd Thriving Year-Round," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranchers Adapt Grazing Plan to Available Resources," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Montana Ranch Improves Cattle Genetics to Boost Calf Market Value," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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