Longlesson Angus could certainly qualify as a family operation, as Bob and Melanie, along with son-in-law Christophe and daughter Shannon do all the haying and pasture maintenance as well as attending to the breeding, herd health, and calving. We farm 450 acres, which is more than enough to supply quality pastures and hay for our herd. Our calves gain weight easily, and cattle maintain excellent body condition through the winter without any supplemental grain. We believe in humanely raising our cows on good pasture with ready access to clean water. The cattle groups are rotated between fields, moving to fresh pasture each day. With long rest periods between grazing, the fields naturally rejuvenate. We’ve found that grass is good for cows, and cows are good for grass!
A Sustainable Farm:
Many of our cows are A.I. bred to the best bulls in the Angus breed. We select our A.I. sires on the basis of calving ease, growth, and carcass quality, but keep an eye on docility and maternal qualities as well .
We have two calving periods. The spring season has been moved to April and May in order to synchronize the calves’ arrival with the spring growth of our pastures. This provides the moms with optimum nutrition just as the babies need it. Our fall calves come in September and October as the cool season grasses regenerate and the insect populations drop. Having two breeding seasons allows us to make sure that heifers are big enough, (at least two years of age) when they have their first calf. We’ve found that calving at younger than two years increases delivery problems and calf mortality.
