In Montana, few outdoor scenes remind us more of spring than a crop of new calves.

NBC Montana visited Lifeline Farm near Victor to see the latest additions to Ernie Harvey's cattle herd.

It was a warm spring day.

Some calves were sleeping in the sun.

One youngster jumped and bucked, relishing the energy of youth on a nice day.

The ancestors of Ernie Harvey's calves came from Switzerland.

The Brown Swiss breed thrives on his organic farm on Victor's west side.

“They’re very well suited to the climate here. They withstand the cold," said Ernie. " They like hills or mountains. They love the high forage. You could take this scene and it’s like a scene out of Switzerland.”

It's true.

With the snow- covered Bitterroot Mountains as a backdrop, it does remind you of photos from Switzerland.

As a youngster growing up in Dillon's cattle country, Ernie raised Shorthorn cattle.

After he graduated high school, he spent a year in his mother's native Switzerland.

“This Brown Swiss is part of the Graubünden region," he said. " It’s very mountainous. High Alps.”

Many have probably seen photographs and videos of Brown Swiss cows on parade in Switzerland.

“They take the cows up to the Alps," said Ernie. " and when they bring them down, they dress them up with a big bell and flowers all over their horns.”

Looking out into his pasture where cows were grazing, Ernie said cows give him a "peaceful feeling."

The stockman's cattle are multi-purpose.

“We milk cows," he said. "We raise grass-fed steers for beef."

In some parts of the world, the Brown Swiss are also used as oxen.

“They’re very strong," said Ernie. " They’re work animals.”

But there is also Jersey blood in these cattle.

"About ten-years ago," he said, " we started breeding our heifers to a Jersey bull and it makes a great mix.”

The Brown Swiss are big cattle that birth big calves.

The Jersey mix makes smaller calves, which makes it easier on the cow.

“ They pop out and jump up and nurse and are just a pleasure to be around," said Ernie.

Both Jersey and Brown Swiss are prized for their high-quality milk.

From the milking parlor on the farm, the milk is transported to Lifeline Creamery in Victor.

Organic milk, cheese, and butter are distributed all over western Montana.

Ernie said about a thousand gallons of milk and about a ton of cheese are produced every week.

To ensure there's a steady supply of milk for customers the farm calves year-round.

Ernie said about 20% of its 110 cow herd is dry at any given time.

That's when milk production stops before the cow has its calf.

“They get a lot more vacation time than I do," said Ernie. "They get two months off just before they calve, which is really important for their metabolism.”

Some of these newborn heifers will move into the milking herd.

Ernie said the dairy will try out about 25 of them per year.

"If they work out, that's great," he said. "If they don't, we'll sell them."

Those cows might be sold as somebody else's milk or nurse cows.

Ernie said Lifeline Farm practices the European philosophy of bio-dynamics.

It's "the idea that you have a self-supporting farm organism," he said "that acts in a supporting role for your community.”

Whey from the cheesemaking process feeds the pigs he raises on the farm.

The dairyman said the farm recycles everything, from manure to whey.

"We're a carbon sequestering farm," he said. "We put way more carbon back into the soil than we're taking out."

But on this spring day, his calves aren't worried about any of that.

They're just kicking up their heels, enjoying the season.