Every year when the cold week in January arrives with -20 something temperatures we question this global warming thing. However, it’s the same scientists that tell us that the “extreme weather” with floods, wild fires, a diminishing polar ice cap, droughts, and wild temperature swings are all linked to climate change.
Meanwhile in the Canadian cold we bring out the long johns with the trap door and look for the old Ski-Doo boots with the felt liners and pick up some new felt insoles for our boots if the stores are not already sold out. We don’t forget to bring our pets in at night before they accidentally unplug the extension cord or bump the stable door open and forget to close it. Besides they need to be in out of the cold as much as we do.
When we plug in those electric heaters we must be careful to choose a plug that is wired heavily enough that the heater does not over heat the electric wire and set fire to the outbuilding or the house.
This is the week when employers find out who the dedicated employees are. They are the ones who get to work even if the car won’t start, or just call in sick. Employers should remind their employees to start their vehicles at noon and warm them up, those few minutes also helps recharge the battery. Everyone should try to park out of the wind with the vehicle facing the sun. Sunshine might only make a couple degrees difference in temperature but that just might make the difference in the vehicle starting or not.
Farmers don’t have the option on a cold day to not make it to work. Animals have to be looked after every day. Milking is a 365/seven days a week/two or three times a day necessity.
If the water freezes it has to be thawed out now. If feeding or cleaning equipment breaks because of the cold, it must be repaired PDQ. Extra dry bedding has to be provided to keep all the animals dry because when their hair or fur gets wet their body temperature quickly drops in frigid temperatures.
The feed that the farmer feeds the animals must contain more energy because animals require more energy to stay warm. This high energy ration contains more grain and the cost of the ration is also more expensive. Engineers tell the farmers to keep cattle outside with only a windbreak to hide behind. Animal nutritionists tell us that animals need more expensive high energy feed in cold weather and extra dry bedding.
Any baby animal that is born in extreme cold has only a few minutes to get dried off, fed and sheltered from the cold.
Farmers sometimes don’t get too many hours in a nice warm bed in frigid temperatures. If it’s a dairy farm, the lane must be snowplowed before the milk truck arrives too. When the hydro goes off the farmer better have the tractor that runs the standby generator warm enough to start even if the block heater quits when the electricity goes off.
Please don’t use a blow torch or other open flame to thaw pipes or anything else. A couple of my neighbours have lost a building or a house that way. Keep heaters away from anything that just might ignite when heated. I like to keep booster cables, a tow strap, extra cloths, windshield washer fluid, a flash light, and energy food in the vehicle all winter.
A fashion statement in a Canadian winter is warm mitts, a fur lined hat with ear flaps, felt lined boots, two or more layers of clothes from head to foot and a well charged cell phone.
Be safe!
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com
