From mid-August to late September is probably the busiest time on the ranch. That's when the calves are weaned and shipped. It's also the noisiest time because the mother cows don't like being separated from their calves. We now have a better understanding of the lyrics "the cattle are lowing, the poor baby sleeps" in the song "Away In A Manger"! In 2011, about 32,000 calves were shipped. About 25% of the heifers stay here on the ranch for replacement cows. We have two heifer development units. David Genho is the Heifer Development Manager. Where do the calves go in those big cattle haulers? Some go to our feed lot in SW Kansas and some go to grazing land in Georgia. DCC cattle never leave our possession from birth to sale from the feed lot. Buyers like that! The cattle trucks have two drivers when they head to Kansas because they have to get there within 24 hours. Otherwise, they would have to unload the cows for 8 hours before going on.
The cows are separated into heifers and steers and moved into different pens according to size. Then they are weighed. They weigh a few at a time, maybe 15-20, on a flat surface with sides and gates where they enter and leave the scale. The total weight is divided by the number of cows being weighed. Then they are loaded onto the trucks. Each truck has two levels inside and holds 80-100 cows. These pictures were taken on Unit 11 where Jim Campbell is foreman.
