Three Little Calves All Grown Up

Around this time last year, we were posting proudly of the three calves born on our farm. This was a big deal to us as they were the first official animals born and raised solely at Section 32 Farms.

Over the last year, we’ve watched them grow up. And now, almost one year later, it’s hard to tell which of the cattle in the field are those same calves. As we approach their first birthdays, we thought it might be fun to give a little update on how those calves are doing. All our cattle are numbered to help us track what year they’re born in and their parents. The calves are called 01, 02, and 03.

01

Day 1

This heifer (female) was the first calf born on our farm on May 28.

One Year Later

01 is growing great. She’s pretty tall like her mama, as well as pretty mild tempered.

02

Day 1

This bull (male) calf was born towards the end of the day on May 29. We walked out to check on the cows and there he was!

One Year Later

02 is the only male of the three calves born last spring. His hair is darker and curlier like his mama’s. He’s smaller than most of the other cattle, so he’s learned how to stay out of the way. And boy does he moo loud!

03

Day 1

This heifer (female) was born on May 31 and was the only calf we witnessed being born.

One Year Later

03 has very feminine features and a great build for a female. She’s our favorite of the calves so far with her easy manner. Can you spot her mama in the background giving us the stink eye?!

Babies No More

After a year, we stop referring to these as calves and instead call them yearlings. Seems pretty straightforward, right? We’ll be having more calves next year, so it will help us tell them apart.

But when your “calves” start measuring in the 400/500 lb. range, it’s hard to think of them as babies any more. Their personalities are pretty defined at this point, which helps us know how they fit into the rest of the herd.

For the females, we will likely breed them with Mac when they’re ready (at about a year and half old). We think they’ll both make good mamas.

For 02, he isn’t quite the make-up we’re looking for so we won’t be using him for breeding. He’ll stay on the farm for another year as a steer. And yes, he is ALWAYS looking at the camera like this (he’s the one in the middle), as if he’s ready to bolt at any second.