A livestock specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development says calving season in 2015 was head and shoulders better than last year, with much warmer temperatures and less precipitation.

Ray Bittner notes snow and wetness left much earlier, which contributed to better calf health, and less cold stress.

Calves with ears tipped by frost will be much less this year, with only a couple of events in late February and early March that were too cold.

Bittner notes that incidents of calf hood scours continue to be a challenge in the industry.

"Pre-calving scour vaccinations becoming a necessity on larger herds which cannot individually care for calves," he explained. "Management actions that you could use to alleviate these problems would be moving portable shelters more often and then re-bedding calf shelters, even on days when it appears to be plenty dry."

Bittner says cow calf producer mood is very positive this spring with strong calf prices, and expansion on many producers' minds.

He adds retail sales of livestock penning and equipment has been brisk.