Iowa farms spring to life with newborn calves
Author
Published
3/7/2016

“This is really the beginning of the year for us,” said Schuldt who farms near Tripoli with his wife, Linsey, a pharmacist, and son, Levi and daughter Lara. “Driving a combine can be fun, but nothing compares to calving,” said Schuldt, a fifth-generation farmer on the farm established by his great-great grandfather in 1878.
The miracle of birth on Schuldt’s farm, is being repeated all over Iowa as the spring calving season gets off to a good start. The Schuldts, this year, are keeping watch over 23 cows. They started building the herd, a Hereford-Angus mix, about 10 years ago when they started farming.
As the newborn calves get going, Schuldt devotes a lot of time and energy providing dry bedding. This is especially important given that Iowa just experienced the wettest winter on record set over 100 years ago. “The cows have a tendency to get away from the others when they’re in labor,” said Schuldt. “So dry bedding and a wind break are crucial. If a calf is born in the mud, I’ll pick up the calf and carry it to a dry location.”
There’s also a bit of cow-calf match making for the young farmer. He was bottle feeding an orphan calf in the family basement, and came upon a solution. “We matched her with another cow that lost a calf,” said Schuldt. “It’s working out great.”

But even with the cold weather and mud, Schuldt wouldn’t be anywhere else during the calving season. “Even though it’s a tough job, calving brings a smile to my face. I do love it,” he said with a smile.
Photos and content by Gary Fandel. Gary is photographer/writer for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.