The great Conn tradition

Leslie Conn stands in the kitchen of her rural Montana log home, about to repeat a ritual she’s performed hundreds of times.

She pulls on gray wool pants, a light green Carhartt sweatshirt and mid-calf field boots in preparation to step out into the starshine of a wintery Montana night.

It is just past 8 p.m., and Conn quickly walks from the house to the shop, where a John Deere Gator utility vehicle is parked. She jumps in, fires up the engine and drives the short distance to a large, L-shaped pen with a green metal gate.

Calving season is the busiest time of the year for a rancher. From February to May, Conn checks on the cows and heifers of the Y Lazy U Ranch every two hours, day and night, looking for signs of contractions or protruding amniotic sacs.

Predicting when a calf will come is a guessing game.

By Mark Boatman

Full Story: http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/the-great-conn-tradition-1.2817348#.T18zePXN2So