Grace in cow/calf raising

As the sun rises over the Cow Creek, Jim Miller has already checked on the calves, made a few phone calls and is putting hay in the feeder for the heifers.

Jim and his wife Shirley run a 300-head cow/calf operation. The steer calves are shipped to Kansas in the fall where they are eventually marketed to Japan.

With calves getting shipped to Japan, Jim is meticulous in recording when the calves are born, tagged and inoculated.

Jim said he feels fortunate to have found the niche market in Japan early on, thanks to his connection with Doug Laue in Kansas.

The heifer calves are handpicked to repla...