Start of the Calving Season - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Thousands of calves are being born across the state--signaling the start of sleepless nights for many producers.

Ag Reporter Sarah Gustin visits with one rancher who's calving season is just getting started.

It's a familiar sound this time of year. (cows mooing) 

Fred Helbling and his brothers have been calving out cows south of Mandan for nearly 30 years.

(Fred Helbling / Rancher) "Herefords have been walking this ground for quite a while."

The ranch is now receiving some of it's newest members.

Helbling says so far about a dozen calves have arrived.

And the fun has only begun.

(Fred Helbling / Rancher) "There should be 350 or so left to go."

Helbling says by the first of April, things are going to get busy.

(Fred Helbling / Rancher)"Our biggest days will be 15-20 and that won't happen until the second week in April. Cows are due to start calving the first of April. Right now, we just got the heifers calving. So it won't be get hectic until right around the first of April." 

(Sarah Gustin / sgustin@kxnet.com) "Helbling says one of the biggest improvements of backing up his calving date and been the improvement in the health of the calves."

(Fred Helbling / Rancher) "That's the biggest improvement is the health of those calves. Whereas we used to spend a lot of time, watching and worrying about sickness on these calves and doctoring. not that's an oversight anymore, but it's not nearly as labor intense."

Helbling says in roughly 3 weeks these little guys will be moved out to pasture.

Helbling says they plan to be done calving by the middle of May.