Special deliveries Spring calving season a rite of passage at Edie Creek Angus ranch
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NEAR ANOLA — Calving season is a harbinger of spring at the Edie Creek Angus ranch, where 220 cows and heifers mosey about in a pasture dedicated to the mothers-to-be.
New calves scamper across the field, hind legs kicking playfully and tails swinging. In the distance, stands of budding aspen glow almost neon green in the early morning sun.
Third-generation ranchers Jonathan and Stefan Bouw head the operation, raising grass-fed cattle built to thrive on the Manitoba prairie.
Since switching from winter to spring calving in 2015 (and by breeding for animals that give birth more easily and mother well), their calving season is less intense. Twice a day, they drive an older-model Jeep Cherokee or a quad vehicle around the pasture to check on the herd, stopping to weigh, tag and provide a vitamin and mineral shot to any new additions.
That doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing — as with any ranch, there’s always the unexpected. This spring, they’ve already had almost as many sets of twins as they had all last year, which means Stefan’s son, eight-year-old Micah, has a new responsibility. Since one cow didn’t have an adequate milk supply for both of her twins, Micah bottle-feeds a calf (now christened Bryce) three times a day.
Just like his dad, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, Micah is now taking care of cattle on a parcel of land where the family first put down roots nearly 65 years ago.
Mikaela MacKenzie
Photojournalist
Mikaela MacKenzie loves meeting people, experiencing new things, and learning something every day. That's what drove her to pursue a career as a visual journalist — photographers get a hands-on, boots-on-the-ground look at the world.
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