“What do you do in the winter?” is a common question asked of farmers.
Our non-farming friends notice that the hay is all in, the grain fields are cleaned up, the corn silage is off, and most of the grain corn is also off. We get asked about that brown corn that is still in the field.
On some farms the grain storage is full because this year was a good year and some corn will have to wait until there is storage available. Corn gets drier as fall days pass by and drying costs are high with expensive gas prices, so the longer it is in the field, the drier it gets naturally. Some corn may stay in the fields all winter because of lack of storage room. If a farmer depends on using storage at an elevator, that storage is another cost, in addition to expensive drying costs. Most corn today is a hybrid corn that doesn’t “stock-break” if left in the field later. Most grain prices are highest in the spring whenever most of the grain is combined and stored away.
We don’t see as much fall plowing now as we did 20 years ago because there is more zero-till today. That means that fields are just sprayed with a ‘burn down’ spray before being planted with a heavier no-till planter next spring, and are not plowed at all. Most manure has already been spread before all growth stops. That way, the growing grass can absorb the nutrients in the manure before freeze-up. Some manure is spread on corn stalks before fall plowing or chisel plowing to incorporate it into the ground. When manure is applied to corn stalks, the nitrogen and bacteria in the manure help to break down the corn residue. Even if a little snow covers the corn stalks before freeze-up, the extra bacteria in the manure keep working on breaking down the corn stalks under that blanket of snow.
Beef farmers are getting their calves and cows sorted and choose the best to keep for breeding stock, and the rest are prepared for fall sales. Calves are vaccinated, dehorned, castrated, and sorted by size for selling as a group. Older and less efficient cows (that produce smaller calves) are sold before having to feed them all winter. Wintering sites with water and shade from the wind are being prepared to keep cows healthy and happy on dry knolls for the winter. Cattle with their winter coat of hair are healthier outside in a shaded area than in a damp old shed.
Operators of orchards and vineyards are doing winter pruning now that it’s cooler and there is more time available.
Dairymen are making sure that all the curtains and doors are draft-free before winter, and those little calf hutches are placed where they are protected from the cold west wind, with their doors facing south to collect the most sunshine, and are always bedded with lots of dry straw and shavings. Those calves also grow a nice winter coat of hair. Calves and cows that are never in sunshine sometime in the year do not grow a winter coat of hair. Winter ventilation and air movement is just as important in winter as in summer for animals so that they do not get hot and sweat, or they would get pneumonia when it turns cold again.
All farms must get their machinery winterized with antifreeze and winter oil, and are stored away when not needed, and the snow-blower is prepared for that first surprise storm. All the yards and driveways must be junk-free from everything like blocks of wood, pieces of steel, cement block, and anything that you don’t want stuck in the snow-blower or pushed up in a snow pile. A pile of sand-salt mix can be a saviour when an ice storm sneaks in through the night. A couple of containers of that blue fast-acting salt should be close to every door. Farmers find a nice warm shop a great place to work on those little problems with machinery before that busy time sneaks in next year.
All cars and trucks in Quebec must have winter tires. An extra gallon of winter windshield wash, a snow brush, a tow strap, and a set of booster cables can save an expensive call for help too.
Fall, winter, and spring are when most information days or weeks are available to keep farmers up-to-date on animal nutrition, including feeding and protecting the necessary bacteria population in the animals gut and stomach, the newest pesticide course, courses on producing the most profitable crops, courses that teach how to make the best use of those micro-bacteria in the soil that can reduce the need for expensive chemical fertilizer and pesticides, and courses that help the farmers keep their soils balanced to prevent worm and pest damage, as well as reducing fertilizer use. Often those organic agriculture courses can offer much more than a fertilizer or herbicide company can to make the farm more profitable.
This is also the season when some great tours to view top dairy facilities and combine a week’s vacation with a symposium on profitable dairies. Most of these working vacations in a warmer location can be claimed as an expense too.
The most important courses are to promote better mental health and decrease suicide among farmers and their partners. Men often think they are big and tough and don’t want to be found at a course about mental health, but it is men who are most often affected by those “not to talk about” problems. We have just come through mental health month, the cold, gray month of November. Please invite a neighbour to come with you to the next info day about mental fatigue.
