MOORELAND, Ind. — In 12 years Tom and Dawn Steffes’ small beef cattle herd had never produced twins, but this year three sets of twins were born out of seven bred cows.

By their own account, the Steffes went from surprise to amazement to wonder. Birthed without assistance, each set is healthy and growing well, they said. Each one is a male-female pair. The first twins arrived on March 14, the second on June 2 and the last two on July 25.

“We’re probably not going to breed as many cows next year. We have an excess number of calves,” Tom said.

Altogether, 10 calves were born in 2012, bringing their herd size up to 31 head, which rotate on 30 acres of pasture on their 45-acre farm north of Mooreland. The Steffes sell their grass-fed beef by the quarter when the steers reach two years of age.

The youngest twins are called Mickey and Minnie. At two weeks they were only 40 pounds because, like most twins, they were born smaller than other calves. Even so, their appetite is good. Minnie is bottle-fed three times a day, as her mother has only enough milk for one calf.

“It’s a little easier when the mamas can feed their babies,” Dawn said.

Another cow, Horseshoe, had to be convinced she had two calves to suckle. Now all the calves nurse from whichever cow is convenient, Dawn said.

The Steffes have plenty of shade in their woods, but their pasture is dried up because of the drought. Their compact herd, including one steer, seven nursing cows, 10 calves and 13 “in-betweens,” feed on grass clipping compost from their yard and hay.

When it’s feed time, the hungry herd responds to Dawn’s “You-ee!” with an answering baritone and eager hoofbeats.

The bigger part of their home-based business is a greenhouse, though with the growth in their herd the meat side is picking up, Tom said. Dawn grows vegetables from seed in the greenhouse and sells starts at a farmers’ market. Her most popular plant is the sun sugar tomato, she said, which produces fruit that is yellow and sweet.

On one Saturday this spring Dawn, with help from their four sons, transplanted more than 1,800 plants into larger pots. “It doesn’t pay to sell produce, but we are doing well with the clippings,” she said.

A former biology teacher, Dawn said her master’s degree in botany is being put to good use. She also teaches Spanish at Muncie Burris Laboratory School.

Tom said they began their foray into beef cattle in 2000 with two cow-calf pairs and have grown slowly – until the twins began arriving. The chief information officer at Earlam College, he has no background in farming.

“We are part of the new kind of farmers. Neither of us was raised on a farm,” Dawn said.

The Steffes did not calculate having so many twins at once and don’t know what to expect next year. They are feeling pretty lucky right now, though.

“Given that in 12 years we have never had a single set of twins, and then three sets, or 60 percent of our calves in one year, were twins, we are contemplating buying some lottery tickets,” Tom said.

More information can be found on their website at www.ToTendAndTo KeepFarm.com