What do you do for your farms when the weather is bad?

[Cynthia DuVal]

I'm at loose ends now that the weather is so bad here in Washington. It's dark and soggy and what my mom used to call nasty weather. I'm trying to like it but I miss the summer smells of the fields and the build up to harvest time. I'm doing some planning and dreaming for those first days of Spring. What do you do for your farms in the Winter? Is it a welcome break or just a different kind of work that gets done?

[Adam Gaska]

In California, I don't think there is much down time. Winter is our rainy season but it doesn't get that cold, especially when it is raining. Our winter is like a wet, sort of cold spring. We get an average 40" of rain, not much frost or snow, and many days are in the 50's and 60's.

On our farm, olive harvest is in November, then they are pruned almost immediately afterward. Grape pruning starts in January and harvest is October. We raise sheep and lambing time is between Halloween and Christmas (now) so I'm checking them often, pulling ewes and lambs out of mud puddles and moving them into the barn for a few days until turning them both back out. Cows calf in March about when the sheep end. We plant veg year round, even in winter when it's dry enough but Feb.-June is our big planting season while summer we spend a lot of time weeding, fertilizing, irrigating, and of course harvesting.

When it's actually raining, we work on fixing equipment, cleaning up, working on buildings, etc.

So to answer your question, in winter we get wet :).

[jeremy gerow]

same thing feed the animals spread manure and try to keep from getting frozen as always this is the time of year i start (and my wife lol) dreaming of a heated shop in the back yard but then there always seems to be something more pressing to send the money on

[Matt Folsom]

Its when I am thankfull for 70 degree hog confinments.

[CB Sowder]

Milking cows is milking cows, whatever the weather, or season, or day, it's your birthday, Christmas, love my job.

[Jason]

Winter for us is a little closer to a regular 9 to 5 job. Mostly its work in the office, hauling grain or pushing snow. I don't mind the sleeping in until 9 but what do "regular" people do with all their time when they get off work at 5 everyday all year long? It drives me nuts and we only do it for a couple of months.

[Cynthia DuVal]

Thank you all for chiming in on this discussion. I hope all goes well for you and Happy New Year!

Cynthia

[Sam Shiflett]

Hey there,
I know what you mean about the winter weather, it can get ya down sometimes if you let it. Myself, I am a caregiver plus a small farmer. I only do crops I can "truck farm" (sell at the farmers mkt). plus the veggies and herbs that we as a family need ourselves. Although I have a longer growing season than you in the winter time is my "repair" time and I am an avid quilter. I enjoy so much being able to sit with my aging mother (whom has alzhiemers) tell tales and just quilt away. Try finding a hobby or something honey. Don't let the blues get ya down.

[Ryan Boston]

winter is the time for me to get projects done around the farms such as cleaning out the hay mow and shop, fixing nic nacks here and there, and of course snowboarding and snowmobiling. my dad goes hunting basically every day after plowing out all the farms driveways. since we have a technician hired at our farm, work is basically at my discretion until spring.

[James Marbach]

It's a welcome brake, but i usually spend most of my winter in my shop building things that i thought of during the summer, and servicing my equipment.
I winter cattle on my alfalfa but that takes very little time.

[Dammann Farms]

Winter for us consists of taking care of the cattle and with this morning being -12 without the windchill it is a full time job. IT is also a time for us to do shop work and getting equipment ready for spring.

[Matt Folsom]

Were did you find the heat wave it was -20 when I walked out the door this morning.

[Curt Elmore]

We haul a lot of our grain in the winter months (and if we wanted to do it every day we certainly could)- I find the winter months (as stated by the above posters) time to work one equipment, things that are put off due to being busy during harvest, summer months, etc. I also have a car project that i'm going to start working on very soon-I have no idea what i'm doing so it should be interesting. But I guess overall after a month or so of sub-zero temps I yearn for the warm summer months looking at the bright green crops growing in the fields..