Old Man Winter’s Fun

Profile Picture of Post's Author Jordan Hunt | Posted November 6, 2023

Fall is a great time of year. Football is in full swing; harvest is wrapping up and the social media influencers can take selfies with their pumpkin spice lattes and colorful trees. Besides all these great things, there is that thing looming ahead of us: Old Man Winter. For some, winter is great fun, but for most in the dairy business it means working in freezing cold conditions and fighting the challenges that snow and ice can bring. Now that I am older, I fully appreciate why my dad often grumbled about winter as I would head out the door with my snow sled. It’s fun to play in, but not fun for working in.

Rather than blog about how depressing winter can be though, I want to put attention on what can be proactively done now around your feed center to help make Old Man Winter’s ‘fun’ less challenging.

  • Liquid setups- If the tank is above ground, consider insulating it if not already done. Protect pumps from the wind and wrap lines with heat tape and insultation to ensure they don’t freeze. Another double check is to make sure the manifold at the TMR has back-slope to the tank so liquid can’t stay in there and freeze when mixing is done for the day. Quick disconnect from the manifold to the supply line can allow it to drain out on the really cold days.
  • Back-up pumps- Pumps will fail whether for water, molasses or whey- it’s bound to happen and cold weather has a tendency to expedite that. Having an extra pump is a great way to minimize your downtime in this event and keep you running. If you choose not to have an extra pump, then be sure to have an alternative recipe in your feed software to replace the unavailable liquid.
  • Time is Money- Having a warm place to park wheel loaders and mixer wagons and tractors is a huge advantage when it comes to starting equipment up in the morning when it’s -40 degrees real feel. Reducing diesel usage from less run-time from warming up will reduce overall time associated with mixing feed. If you can’t park inside, ensure the heating block/element for the equipment is in good condition and plan to arrive earlier knowing that you need time for the machinery to warm up after starting. This will help keep feed drop times on schedule.
  • Back-up QB- We all know who the ‘starting QB’ is on the feed team, but what happens if this person is stranded at home from a snow or ice storm? Who is the backup person who can step in and get the cows fed until the other person can make it to the dairy? Have a contingency plan.
  • Lights and more- We are in the dark part of the year, so double check all lights in and around the feed center are working. Have replacement lights on hand so it’s easy for the crew to replace as needed. It’s hard to see at 4:00am when lighting is poor! Also check equipment lighting. Maybe it’s time to upgrade to LED’s on that wheel loader. Verify overhead doors and accompanying remotes are working properly. Nothing is more frustrating than needing to get out of equipment to open a door because the remote doesn’t work.
  • Plan ahead- Try to provide lead time to feed suppliers for orders so they can plan around storms that might backup their ability to deliver in timely manner. The win for you is getting the products you need on time so you don’t run out and have to make substitutions.

Although none of this is probably news, please be thinking about how you and your team can get a leg up on Old Man Winter. Hopefully, with the right planning, you can enjoy your hot cocoa in the heated shop instead of being stuck out in the cold. Cheers!

You can find a PDF of this blog post here.

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