Fall on the Ranch: Preconditioning, Shipping Season, and Life in a Cow‑Calf Operation

Fall on the ranch has a rhythm all its own, and November is always our biggest month. This is the season when we ship the majority of our calves. If you’ve been following along for a while, you know we are a cow‑calf operation—the very first step in the beef supply chain. We birth our calves, raise them, and then most move on to feeders, finishers, and eventually processing. Only a select few stay with us all the way through finishing for West Cattle Company’s direct‑to‑consumer beef.

With hundreds of calves on the ground each year, not every animal fits into that program. A large portion is sold, and fall is when all of that work comes to a head.

October: Preconditioning and Prep Work

October is packed with preconditioning—simply put, preparing calves for travel. Shipping is stressful. Being pulled off their moms, loaded, weighed, and hauled to a new home can take a toll on a calf’s immune system. If they aren’t properly prepared, sickness during or after transit is a real risk.

There are two main approaches to preconditioning: weaning ahead of time or weaning on shipping day. We’ve done both. For the past few years, we’ve chosen to wean on shipping day. While this does increase stress and can cause short‑term weight loss, we’re comfortable with this method as long as calves receive the proper preconditioning vaccinations. Those shots are critical—they help ensure calves arrive healthy and strong for the feeder who purchases them.

Our calves typically ship at around 500 pounds. We calve a bit later than some operations, so our spring calves run lighter. The trade‑off is worth it for us: our death loss has been significantly lower. Next year, we plan to adjust our breeding schedule again. Breeding has drifted too far into the heat of summer, which impacts conception rates. Shifting the breeding window back into cooler months should improve breed‑up—but that’s a story for another time.

After preconditioning, calves return to their moms and we begin sorting. Heifers with their moms. Steers with their moms. That early organization makes shipping week far smoother because we already know exactly who belongs where. Our steers and heifers go to different buyers, so clarity matters. The steer group is smaller since West Cattle Company retains a good number for our beef program. This year, the steers shipped all the way to California, while the heifer calves headed to Nebraska.

October also marks the beginning of winter prep. Mineral tubs arrive and get tucked away—salt‑based supplements with a touch of molasses to help carry the herd through cold months. Fences are checked. Equipment is winterized. At home, we stock pellets for the stove, close the garden, and secure anything the Wyoming wind might try to reclaim.

This fall, we added a new layer behind the scenes: our first batch of feeder piglets overwintering on the ranch. We’re hoping to offer ranch‑raised pork at spring markets, which meant building pens, constructing a winter shed, hauling straw, and figuring out better winter watering systems. It’s a full project of its own—and one more thing woven into the season.

November: Shipping Time

We don’t receive an exact shipping date until early November, so the entire month stays intentionally flexible. When the call comes, everything moves fast.

Our schedule follows a familiar rhythm each year.

Saturday: Gather Day

We spend the entire day gathering steers and their moms. Our pastures are large, so this takes time—and plenty of hands. By evening, the cows are moved into a pasture near the corral system, where they stay overnight.

Sunday: Check Day

We ride the pastures again, checking every corner to make sure no cow or calf slipped through a fence. Sometimes we even check neighboring pastures just to be safe. Once everything is accounted for, we wait for Monday.

Monday: Ship Day

It’s an early morning. The truck usually arrives around 7 a.m., which means we’re up by 5:30 getting things moving. Cattle are brought into the corral and sorted one final time—moms one way, calves the other. Then the calves move through the scale.

We use a large scale house, running calves through in groups of ten. A representative from the Western Stock Online Market is on site, acting as the middleman between us and the buyer. He records the weights while we double‑check them on our scale. The buyer only takes a predetermined number, so once all calves are weighed, the lightest are pulled, reweighed as a group, and subtracted from the total. That final number determines the pay weight.

Then the calves are loaded. The trucks pull away. And just like that, a year’s worth of breeding, calving, branding, grazing, and daily care moves on to its next chapter.

After shipping, the cows head to fresh pasture. They’re already bred again and need quality feed to support the calves they’re carrying. Any calves not taken by the buyer are hauled to the local sale barn. We don’t winter calves unless they’re part of our beef program.

The Quiet After the Rush

Shipping season always feels like the closing chapter of our ranch year. Once the trucks roll out, the pace shifts. There’s still plenty of work to do, but the intensity of fall gives way to steadier winter routines. The cows settle. The ranch settles. And we begin preparing—slowly and deliberately—for the next cycle.

This is the life of a cow‑calf operation: cyclical, demanding, and deeply rooted in both land and livestock. Every fall brings its own challenges and wins, along with a deep sense of accomplishment. Even after all these years, watching those calves load up still fills me with pride—for the work, the care, and the role we play from the very beginning.