Rake is on call. The cows usually go into heat when a front comes through. Weather fronts are frequent during the change of seasons. In the autumn and winter, when the crops are off the field, he gets the busiest because farmers have more time to watch their cows and recognize when cows are in heat than during spring planting. The farmers leave messages on Rake's answering machine.
Many farmers also prefer to freshen their cows in the cooler seasons.
This is also the time when they are not busy with crops. He breeds more cows from December to March, probably 20 percent more than normal. If cows are in barn pens, paddocks or pastures, the farmers single out the cow in heat, tying her to a fence or isolating her in a pen. If the farmer has a stanchion barn, the cow may be waiting with a sign over her head. Timing is critical.