CASSIA COUNTY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —As temperatures drop across Idaho, cattle ranchers are entering what they call harvest season — the critical time to prepare their herds for winter survival.

Rancher Paul Marchant said fall marks the beginning of preparations that will determine how cattle fare through the cold months ahead.

“In the fall, most guys will wean their calves. We’re kind of in the process,” Marchant said. “We, for instance, we tried to get our weaning done just the last couple of weeks, but we haven’t even found all our cows yet. But once the calves are weaned, then the cows kind of have to prepare their bodies for winter.”

The first step involves separating calves from their mothers, a process that allows cows to focus energy on building body condition for winter.

Marchant

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