Many local cattle producers in the area are calving this time of year. (submitted photo/Jolene Billay)

By Ronald Quaroni

Cool cows

Cattle producer unfazed by record cold start to May

May 2, 2019 | 2:00 PM

It may not have felt like it, but Prince Albert just went through its coldest May 1, in 133 years of keeping weather records.

Beating out the old record of -11.7 Celsius set in 1954, yesterday’s low of -12.3 C easily surpassed the 65-year-old benchmark.

Cold weather is usually a concern when cattle producers are in calving season, but one local producer wasn’t fazed by the cool start to the month.

“It’s not -30 C so we’re not complaining. It’s pretty normal to deal with cold temperatures this time of year,” producer Jolene Billay said. “You just put out more straw, you check them a little more often. If they’re calving, you take them into the barn so that the cold weather doesn’t get to the calf.”

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Beginning in mid-April, Billay said they’re now about halfway through the calving season.

While Billay said calving season is going well, she is concerned about the lack of moisture in the area.

“If we don’t get a lot of rain, we’re not going to get hay that we need for the summer,” Billay said.

Low precipitation amounts could also have a big effect on pasture land in the area.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni