I was raised on a dairy farm in southern Ontario. Back in the day, it was considered a fairly large operation with 36 milking cows.
As early as I can remember I went to the barn to help as I loved the farm life. In the summer they were kept on pasture and in the winter they stayed in the barn.
I always enjoyed feeding the calves and bedding down the cows, and in the summer, I hopped on my horse to herd the cows in for milking.
The winters did not get as cold as they do in Saskatchewan, but we did get some nasty storms causing some grief.
This winter has been a roller coaster for farmers. One week it is in the single digits and the next week we are fighting -40 C wind chills. I have a friend who owns a horse ranch and has many boarded horses. In the cold snap, her water bowls froze.
Out of the blue, I asked her how she was doing with the cold, meaning, are you okay, as she lives alone.
She said, “Don’t ask,” and then proceeded to tell me she had to water over 30 horses by hand until she could figure out how to solve the problem.
She and her mom are very crafty people, and they resolved the problem to a certain extent, but my hat goes off to them, having to do this in the frigid temperatures.
Not living on a farm anymore, I have the choice to stay in my warm toasty house or to venture out. A farmer does not have that choice when they have livestock to feed, water and bed down.
The wind that we have had also creates drifts in the fields, another issue the farmer has to take care of.
When the drifts get too deep, the farmer may blow a path for the cattle to go down and this may also be the place where they will unroll the large bales of hay and straw for bedding down.
In the cold temperatures, the farmers need to make sure their equipment will start. In my day, we could feed small square bales, after all it was only a small herd, but the farmers that have a large herd of cattle to feed, it is difficult if the tractor will not start.
Most of the farmers here do not have a barn big enough to house all the cattle in a storm, so they need to be prepared in other ways. They have shelters that block the animals from the wind.
It is also getting closer and closer to calving season, and I am sure some have already started.
They need to watch their herd and see who is getting close, so if a pending cold front or storm is blowing in, the expecting cows can be brought into the barn for a closer watch and more shelter.
I sure do not envy a farmer during those cold snaps, nor do I envy them either when we get a sudden heat wave.
This creates another headache for the farmers. While the snow is melting into slush, it causes a mud path for them to drive through and sink into the deep slush.
Most farmers care for their animals very well, after all this is their bread and butter.
I know that being a farmer is the profession that they have chosen, but this does not mean I do not feel bad for them when the weather works against them.
It is because of farmers that we have many of the things we can purchase in the store or from them directly.
So, my hat goes off to the farmer when the weather is not at its best.
