It's déjà moo for a North Dakota rancher

It's déjà moo for Chris Johnson. For the second straight year, the Sharon, N.D., rancher and his family have seen a torrent of twin calves that far exceeds what's normal. One year could've been a statistical fluke. Two years defies happenstance and begs for logical explanation. "Yeah, two years of this. You'd think there has to be some reason for it," says Johnson, who ranches with his dad, Keith; uncle, Wayne; and brother, Jeremy. The Johnson ranch has seen its share of twins before, but the past two springs have been extraordinary. Last year, 58 of the 480, or 12 percent, of cows on the Johnson ranch gave birth to calves. This year, 50 of the 350, or 14 percent, of the cows giving birth so far have had twins. Chris Johnson is confident that more twins will be born this spring. Both those rates are exceptionally high. Johnson says he was told by a veterinarian that about 3 percent of beef cows typically have twins...more