How To Prepare Your Farm For The Cold Season

Winter is here in many parts of the country. And if you haven’t started prepping your farm for the cold season ahead, then now is the time to start. 

Winter farm preparation helps protect your land, crops, and animals as freezing temperatures set in. It also ensures that, come springtime, your farm is ready to grow and prosper again. 

Keep reading for the basics of winter farm prep, and make sure your property is ready for the snow, sleet, and cold that’s just around the corner. 

How Winter Impacts Your Farm

Prepping a farm for winter is about so much more than just keeping your animals warm and stowing away your farm tools and equipment for the season. 

The winter months have a major impact on farmland, slowing down crop production and increasing the hands-on needs of livestock. Done efficiently, however, winter farm preparations can set you up for a more productive spring, summer, and fall, especially when it comes to things like ensuring your land is ready to go at the first signs of warmer temperatures. 

Keep in mind that on top of the predictable impacts you can plan for, you never really know what winter will bring. Extremely low temperatures, ice storms, or heavy, lingering snow all need to be considered, and the sooner you do that, the less you’ll have to worry about when and if they come to pass. 

Protecting Crops and Soil

There are two main things to focus on when it comes to protecting crops and soil in the winter: fortifying winter crop production and preparing soil for the next growing season. 

If you are growing crops year-round, then you probably already rely on greenhouses or high tunnels to provide vegetables, fruits, and herbage with a safe space to weather out the winter. Depending on your climate, you may even be turning your focus to rabi crops like chickpeas and potatoes, which can handle colder temps. In any event, have a plan for how you’re going to protect your crops, whether that means shielding them with netting or canvas, or planting them indoors. 

As for your soil, now is the time to get to work tilling your land and assessing soil conditions. You should also audit your current drainage conditions, ensuring your land is draining properly and putting in adjustments where needed. 

Developing a Plan for Livestock

Your animals will require extra food and warmth in the winter, as well as access to unfrozen water. Provide adequate shelter, adding in extra insulation as needed to ensure everyone stays warm. As part of your daily check-ins, monitor all interior bedding to make sure it’s dry, and keep a close eye on the body condition of livestock so you know if you need to make adjustments to their diet or living situation. 

Maintaining Farm Machinery

It’s essential to take good care of your farm machinery in the winter. This includes not just storing your equipment away from the elements but topping off fuel, changing oil, antifreeze, and hydraulic fluids, and performing regular inspections on things like belts, tires, and engines. 

Throughout the winter, make a point of removing any dirt and debris from your machinery. You should also consider releasing the tension on any accessory belts to reduce the risk of breakage during a freeze. 

Planning for Electricity and Fire Safety

Electrical and fire safety should both be a top priority during the winter on your farm. Thoroughly inspect all electrical components on a regular basis, such as wiring, cords, and outlets in all main structures and outdoors. Replace any worn components as you come across them, and make updates or adjustments where needed to prevent burnouts or fires. 

In addition, plan for and execute all necessary fire safety tasks like checking your smoke detectors are working and stocking up on fire extinguishers around your property. 

Extra Tips for Winter Farm Prep

Prepping your farm for the winter – and maintaining it during the season – is a big task with a lot of moving parts. Here are some helpful tips to help you tackle your farm winter prep to-do list and ensure that everything gets done on time. 

Make a Checklist

Before you get started, outline your plan and break it down into manageable steps. This will make it a lot easier to get everything done, and it also takes some of the stress out of taking on such a long list of tasks. 

Make it a Family Activity

Assign winterization tasks to family members, and make it a game to see who can get their winter prep work done first. Just make sure to go around after with your checklist and verify that everything was done properly. 

Have an Emergency Plan

Even the best planners can’t predict what winter will bring. In the event of a severe storm or other winter emergency, have a plan for how you’re going to take care of yourself, your animals, and your property, and stay connected with your local community to ask for and/or provide help when required. 

Final Words

You can’t plan for everything, but you can take steps toward setting up your farm for success in the winter and making it easier to jump right back in when things start to thaw. The tips above are a good place to start and should provide direction as you go about preparing for winter and all of its elements.