 With extreme weather conditions this spring, local farmers had a difficult time keeping their newborn calves alive. Sarah Wakeman spoke with local farmers about the large number of deaths they experienced this season. The weather this spring is something to be remembered, but for local farmers it's one they wish they could just forget. They're my babies, you know. It was sad, you know. He just felt feel bad and then you feel like you're not doing something right. Even have a barn that they could have in, that they calved in and that didn't matter. On his small hobby farm, Gary Stockman has lost 18 calves this season. Probably sitting at a 50% death loss. As the weather was stressful on both the moms and their newborns. First calf heifers were so touchy that they wouldn't allow the calves to nurse because of the cold weather they were really, really nervous. For next-door neighbor John Tooney, he says after 50 years in the business, this is the worst spring he has ever experienced. I've never calved cows through weather like this, you know. Normally in April you might get a day or two of storms and you can deal with that, but it was just continuously cold and snowy and wind blowing and just never quit. They never got a break. In order to save as many calves as possible, John was putting the newborns into his truck and taking them to a warm place before bringing them back out into the field. We were out here 24 hours a day trying to keep them alive and it just, we were tired. You get tired and more in after a while. John lost 40 calves and most of them were just two or three days old. For others that did survive, they are now suffering with frozen feet leading to numerous infections all over their body. I don't think we'll ever amount to anything. You know, he's healthy now, but he's never going to be a good steer. Even though the future for some calves seems grim, John says he will continue to do his best for them and is remaining optimistic for brighter days ahead. I'll get up tomorrow morning just like I did this morning and just keep going forwards. Reporting in Pine River, Sarah Winkleman, Lakeland News. Although the weather was extreme, the conditions did not qualify for the livestock identity program set in place by the United States Department of Agriculture. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.