January Farm Update
Hi Friend,
Brrr, it’s cold outside. It is finally starting to feel like winter after a few weeks of no snow and relatively warm weather. My rose bushes were still trying to grow in December!
January is always laid back on the farm. The fields are covered with snow and the roads are too bad to drive on them. The cows are settled where they need to be for calving season and our weaned calves are growing by leaps and bounds. Yes, it’s pretty quiet.
Snow covered sagebrush tucked away in the draws on our farm.
So what do we do during January? January is usually spent in the shop fixing pieces of equipment that will be needed for the new crop year. Now is the time to have mechanics work on the computerized parts of our tractors and combines (it’s always a pain when the computer doesn’t cooperate when we need it the most).
Snowy country roads lead us home.
We also spend January planning for our calving season that begins in February. Records are updated and supplies are gathered so that calving can go as smooth as possible for us, our cows, and their newborn calves.
A great view of a stuble, with the farm in the background. The straw keeps the snow from blowing out of our field.
On another note, snow is an important part of our farming practices. While we cannot control it, we rely on it to protect and water our crop. As snow mounds on the wheat, it acts as an insulator, almost like a warm winter jacket from the freezing temperatures. Our favorite type of snow is a wet snow followed by a period of freezing. What this does it puts a “crust” or a frozen layer on top of the snow to keep it from blowing away. Then in the spring, the snow can slowly melt and will be more likely to soak into the ground, watering the wheat.
Stay tuned! Next month we should be able to share about newborn calves!
Bests!
The Sieverkropp’s