It’s been a winter for the record books, and it’s not over yet. Cold weather on the farm means taking extra precautions for the safety and well-being of our animals and our employees.
Animals are sheltered from the wind in our barns.
When it’s 10, 15 and 20 degrees below zero, we really appreciate how dedicated our employees are. They go above to care for the animals and monitor the equipment to make sure everything is running smoothly. Things can go wrong quickly when it freezes, so we need to be on the lookout for frozen water pipes, because making sure the cows have a constant source of water is key. We also make sure there aren’t icy patches built up where animals and people could slip and fall. It takes vigilance, but it’s important.
Keeping staff warm in the milking parlor is key.
During this cold weather, we take extra precautions to keep our cows comfortable. The barns are always 10-20 degrees warmer than outside, and the animals are out of the wind. But when temperatures fall, cows need more energy to keep their body temperatures up at their normal level of 101 degrees. They eat more feed to do this, so we recognize that and take it into account when we’re planning. It’s just like when people work out more – they need more calories to keep them fueled.
Just like people, cows get hungrier when it’s cold.
Even when it’s cold, calves are born. We take extra care to make sure they are dried off immediately and get under heat lamps right away. Then they get colostrum, their mothers’ first milk, and are given proper veterinary care to make sure they get a healthy start.
Checking the health of a newborn calf
Our employees work extra hard when it’s cold, and we try to help them be comfortable too. This year that has meant extra heat in the milking parlor and providing boxes of hand warmers for employees to put in their pockets. We also make sure employees have breaks where they can warm up and have some hot coffee to take the chill off.
It’s times like these that we realize how fortunate we are to have a staff committed to the health and comfort of our cows. Because on a dairy farm, that’s the bottom line.
