It seems as if we just wrapped up our fall harvest and now we have started a whole new year.

While we have officially entered the winter season on the farm where things slow down for us just a bit, there’s still plenty to do. 

There are a few fields in our area that still need to be harvested, but the majority of the farms in our area have the grain out of the fields and cattle have been moved in to graze the remaining stalks for a few months this winter.

While I grew up helping feed cattle over the winter months, breaking ice and occasionally bringing a calf inside to warm up or feed it with a tube, my winters are now void of that.

A handful of years ago we transitioned to 100 percent fall calving. We no longer bundle up in multiple layers of clothing to conduct routine checks in the darkness of winter for newly born calves.

While I miss having my children experience that season, I’m thankful our cattle have a place to graze during the winter and get bred before they return to our location in late spring. 

We may not be monitoring the arrival of newborn calves during the winter months any longer, but we are preparing for the arrival of our next group of lambs.

The ewes are definitely showing signs that our winter lambing season is quickly approaching. And while we might not have calves warming up in the mud room any longer, there’s always a chance a little lamb or two will be brought inside allowing my kids the opportunity to dry them off, warm them up or even bottle-feed a baby or two.

Before these little lambs start arriving, the goal is to have the maternity pens prepped and ready. The pens are inside the barn and provide a warmer experience for everyone involved. The warming lamps also need to be tested and set. Hay and grain also need to be moved closer to where we’ll be spending more time at for the next few months.

Who will lamb first? How many will she lamb? Will we have enough room for all the babies? What’s the weather look like? 

There are so many questions that my family is starting to ask. While we don’t know the answers to any of the questions yet, we will surely know some of them soon. 

It’s always an exciting time as we prepare for and await the first arrivals of the winter lambing season.