Nine months ago, a handsome bull named Gilamesh was sorted from the herd and just like that, the 2025 calving season was underway.
From the Field: Calving Season Reflections
A new TomKat Ranch calf instinctively knows where to go for nourishment! Photo by Annie Fresquez.
07/21/2025
By: Shannon Waldron, Land & Livestock Team, TomKat Ranch
Nine months ago, a handsome bull named Gilgamesh was sorted from the herd, and just like that, the 2025 calving season was underway. Twenty-eight cows were bred, ranging from seasoned 14-year-old cows to eager 2-year-old heifers. On March 25th, Heifer 12L, one of our youngest, kicked things off with a healthy steer calf. And just to bring things full circle, our oldest cow, 19A, brought the season to a close with another sturdy little steer.
We ended up with satisfying stats: 16 steers and 12 heifers. What’s more impressive is how our herd handled the colder spring weather. Rain, wind, and coastal hailstorms didn’t slow them down one bit. These cows, over 1,000 pounds of muscle and instinct, navigated this rugged coastal landscape with grace. Sometimes I’d look up from a herd check and shake my head in awe. You really hiked all the way up there to stash your baby?
Our calving process reflects TomKat Ranch’s commitment to low intervention and holistic ranching. Cows calved out on rangeland, just as nature intended. We performed morning and evening checks, keeping a respectful distance. After 48 hours, the calves were ear-tagged and banded (steers only). No vaccines, no antibiotics, just pure rich colostrum and generations of good genetics hard at work. This year’s calves are tagged with the letter N, marking the 17th calving season at TKR.
Coming into this season with a few years running livestock under my belt, I’ve got to say I’ve never seen a calving season so smooth, so low-stress, and so in sync with the land. That’s no accident. It speaks to the care our team has taken to select not just the right genetics but the right epigenetics and traits that thrive here. These calves are built for this place!
These 28 new calves mark more than a season; they represent the future of regenerative ranching, and I’m proud to be part of it!
