11 Better Farming | December 2024 Follow us on @BetterFarmingON Digging Deeper Doug, Middlesex County: “We have four priorities for the winter months: Looking after livestock, snow removal, equipment repairs, and enjoying some time off, preferably somewhere warm.” Patrick, Kent County: “Milking cows, chores that go along with taking care of animals, repairs to the barn, repairs to machinery, bookwork for pro-action, snoozing, making sure the laneway is clear of snow for milk transportation.” Veronique, Wellington County: “Playing catch-up on barn work and organizing.” Joanne, Perth County: “A vacation. Spending time skating and doing crafts with my grandchildren. Playing euchre with my parents. Planning crops for the spring and getting equipment ready for planting. Making sure all my custom help is organized for next season. Setting up payments for our land rentals. “And then, hopefully, another trip. To finish it up, some renovations to our house.” Bill, Elgin County: “Repair work, looking for farm equipment bargains, trade shows, meetings, and sleep.” Sandra, Grey County: “Winter is my busiest time when it comes to looking after cows.” Mark, Northumberland County: “Long-term farm planning, crop management planning, economic planning, meetings, conferences, machinery maintenance, special projects, holidays, family time, hockey. It’s not a slow time.” Tim, Oxford County: “Planning for next year. Scheduling livestock placements, and processing dates. Placing orders for spring planting. Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t this year.” Brady, Kawartha Lakes: “Just getting ready for the following year – going to conferences, making a game plan on how to do better in the following seasons.” Theo, Haldimand County: “Our chicken farm and fixing equipment always keep us busy.” Bert, Perth County: “During the winter, I study the markets for corn and soybeans and try to forward contract them at the peak price. I also study the price of equipment that we may need to upgrade. We also try to take a vacation in January to somewhere warm, to get rejuvenated and rested, which helps our physical and mental health.” Barclay, Wellington County: “Spreadsheet work, including adjusting crop rotations and budget-making. I like to spend my time reading and visiting friends that I can’t visit in the growing season. Going to appointments with health practitioners who can help me feel good enough to start another growing season. Winter is also a time for conferences and working on projects for volunteer groups.” Peter, Huron County: “Barn work, snowboarding, sledding, skating, visiting family and friends, weddings, and reading books.” Amy, Huron County: “Life on a pig and chicken farm doesn’t change much, whether it be summer or winter. Each day, we bring new life into the world and try to ensure there are no problems. Our days are filled with animal care. “Winter brings a lot of snow- blowing and clearing as Huron County is known to be a heavy snowfall area, and, from time to time, the need to pull trucks from the ditch. “It’s also a time to hold more team meetings, bringing the team together for training, fun, and fellowship. Winter is also a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate Christmas, giving thanks for the many blessings that we have.” Hauke, Perth County: “Raising chickens and blowing snow. I also enjoy tinkering with my old truck (1947 Mercury), keeping it all original. And once every winter, my family likes to go to Northern Ontario (Earlton) to visit the in-laws and to ice fish.” Derek, Niagara Region: “Icewine harvest, which includes installing netting, machine harvesting, removing all the nets, and pressing the grapes. “Equipment maintenance – almost everything needs to roll through the shop for service and repair. “Transition planning or updating, the kids’ hockey, and of course a winter vacation! “Overall, vineyard fieldwork never truly ends for the season. “Vineyards need different types of care throughout the entire year. Winter is when we do most of our pruning, which marks the start of the next growing season, as we are beginning to set the bud count. With that, we also need to monitor temperatures and look at using our wind machines if we see temperature drops forecasted and be alert for potential bud, trunk, or vine injury.” Sherry, Elgin County: “Machine maintenance and cleaning. Crop planning, soil testing, networking to obtain more ground, or working with other farmers to organize rotation. Family time.” Lloyd, Bruce County: “Play senior hockey, snowmobile, cross-country ski and, best of all, grandkids.” Luke, Huron County: “I spend my time checking that my livestock is healthy in the cold weather and making sure water troughs don’t freeze.” Nancy, Oxford County: “Clearing the snow during the winter is a top priority on our farm, as we need to ensure the milk truck and other farm vehicles have access.” BF Doing something interesting on your farm? With crops, machinery or livestock? We want to know! Paul.Nolan@Farms.com TELL US WHAT YOU’RE UP TO
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