Calving time. March is likely the month with the highest number of cows calving in it. "With calving, we have difficult deliveries and mortalities of both the cows and calves," Cole says.

Hay problems. Another reason is it is the end of the winter, and the feed supply leading up to it is not the best in quantity and quality. "This winter, most cattle producers monitored their hay supply very closely and testing has revealed nutrient values to be somewhat lower this year since all kinds of unusual hay was put up, almost in desperation in 2018," Cole says. The low-quality hay or other stored forage results in cows losing body condition.

Deteriorating body condition. A body condition score amounts to about 80 pounds of actual weight on a cow. A mature cow with a BCS of 5 in November and December could easily lose 80 pounds by March. Thin cows at 4 and lower BCS will have lower-quality colostrum for the nursing calf. "The thin, poor condition cows suffer more from the damp, chilly, muddy weather often seen in March,” Cole says. “It can result in deaths of cows with the sole comment about why they died being that she just looked like she ran out of gas.”