Tony Chartrand has to deal with a lot of bull at work - around 70 of them, actually.

They come from herds all over southern Saskatchewan to the Midale community pasture's over-wintering program, courtesy of producers willing to pay to have the ornery animals taken off their hands until they are needed for breeding in the spring.

As manager of the Midale pasture, located 40 kilometres southeast of Weyburn along the Souris River, Chartrand is the man who has taken up the challenge of caring for and controlling the bulls.

He developed the over-wintering program two years ago. While similar programs were being run throughout the province under Sask Ag and Food's Saskatchewan Pastures program, Chartrand saw a need in the southeast, based on a growing demand from local farmers.

It started with a herd of 49 bulls, but quickly grew to 70 through word-of-mouth promotion. The client base stretches from Ogema to Gainsborough, with producers paying $450 per year per bull to take part in the program.

"For the patrons of the pasture, their bulls can stay year-round. We have expanded to non-patrons where any farmer can bring in a bull and keep it over the winter. The farmer can pick it up for breeding purposes and return them when it's over," said Chartrand.

The popularity of keeping the bulls separate is largely due to the raucous and unpredictable nature of the animal.

Bulls can wreck fences, wander off into a neighbour's pasture, or break out and breed with cows or heifers in the winter. Many producers prefer to keep their bulls separate from heifers and cows in order to run a very controlled breeding program with a short calving season. Getting rid of bulls can also free up pens for newborn calves.

The animal's aggressive tendencies make Chartrand's job very interesting.

"You always find the ones you've got to watch out for. Usually what happens is that they're fighting among themselves - or one gets mad and starts chasing me around," said Chartrand, who herds the bulls on horseback.

"These farmer bulls - at least, that's what I call them - are so used to being moved around with a truck or motorbike, they have no respect for a horse. They run from you or come after you. That's always pretty well the most challenging part of it."

The young and mature bulls are split into separate 15 to 20 acre areas for feeding - and "lots of room to fight," says Chartrand - since the smaller bulls require more food to grow out, while the larger bulls simply need to be maintained.

For pasture patrons, an added benefit is the bulls that stay in the Midale pasture are familiar with each other, which helps when the cows are brought in for breeding.

"Because the bulls are used to each other, we put them with the cows and they go right to work," Chartrand said.

Another convenience is that every spring, a local veterinarian comes out to the pasture to do semen testing and testing for Trichomoniasis, a sexually-transmitted diseases that can cause infertility. Chartrand keeps track of Trich problems very closely, as well as watching for foot rot or any other health concerns.

The majority of the bulls kept in the pasture are Charolais, although a variety of breeds are housed there, including Simmental, Maine Anjou, Limousin, and Red and Black Angus.

Producers who are not patrons of the pasture program will begin moving their bulls for breeding at the end of May. By the end of July, most of the bulls are brought back.

The Midale pasture encompasses 17,000 acres of land housing a total of 1,400 cattle. Chartrand has been the manager for the past six years.