NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — When the weather forecasts up to a foot of snow and sub-zero wind chills, livestock producers don’t run to the store for bread and milk.
Their first thought is taking care of their livestock.
Winter brings a few more challenges, but livestock producers are a hearty bunch. For several area producers, the upcoming winter storm will be just another day on the farm.
‘Usually not a big deal’
Knox County’s Steve Bratton has been in the poultry business since 2008. In addition to crops, the Bratton family operates four breeder layer houses for Case Farms, housing roughly 42,000 birds.
“We get a bird that’s about 22 weeks old that comes out of what they call a pullet house. We raise them until they’re about 58 weeks,” Bratton explained.
“We’re raising eggs for a hatchery, so basically we raise it, the eggs go to the hatchery, and then the [chicks] will show up at broiler houses 21 or 22 days later.”
Bratton said that preparing for a snowfall like the one predicted for this weekend is usually not a big deal.
“Obviously, we have several loaders to move snow and things like that. But anytime it snows, it’s kind of the same thing; whether and how much it snows is really kind of irrelevant.”
Bratton said that on the grower side of poultry, it’s not so much the snow, but the cold.
“The temperature in the houses is set at 68 degrees. Houses must be ventilated, so you’re pulling in air that’s colder to circulate the air. So you’re running your heaters and things like that,” Bratton said.
“We try to offset that a little bit by feeding them a little bit more. I think we’re feeding about 500 pounds more any time we get down around zero for each house.”
Two backup diesel generators automatically switch on during a power outage.
“They’ll run the barn. I think we’ve run them up to two or three days continuously,” Bratton said. “Each generator has 300 gallons (of fuel) that we keep on hand, so we could go quite a while.”
A 1,000-gallon fuel tank on the main farm provides additional backup fuel.
A key to surviving winter weather
Having equipment ready to go is key to surviving winter weather. Bratton keeps tractors, loaders, and other equipment in a heated barn to ensure they’re ready when needed.
“Every day, a chicken lays an egg. So even though the weather might get really poor, the egg truck has still got to be there twice a week,” he said.
“[Case] is a huge operation, and if they have any disruption on our end, then that disrupts the hatchery, that disrupts the broiler houses, and it’s just like a chain reaction.
“We’re supplying a whole bunch of chicken for Chick-fil-A, so if we’re not able to get those birds to the grow houses and get those birds to the plant, all of a sudden we don’t have chicken to provide for our customers,” he said.
Bratton said that Case is good about ensuring supplies get to the farm.
“But it’s our responsibility to make sure our lots are clear, our laneways are clear between the barns so they can bring feed and so the egg truck can show up twice a week and pick up eggs,” he said.
“So we’ll be up in the morning and pushing snow as soon as we get up and have things cleared off. And we always keep gravel and stuff stockpiled, so if we need to spread some gravel, then obviously we will.”
Sycamore Valley Farms
For Joshua and Lindsey Welch of Sycamore Valley Farms, cold and snow really aren’t an issue. The Ashland couple raises heritage breeds of beef, pigs, and poultry.
Livestock includes Scottish Highland cattle and heritage shorthorn cattle, about 100 head, rare Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, and Rainbow Ranger chickens. All are pasture-raised.
“Our animals are built for this weather. It doesn’t typically affect them a whole lot, and they will tend to find a spot in the pasture that gives them the best windbreak,” Joshua Welch said.
“They know what’s up, and they face their bodies a certain direction based on the wind and get through it.”
The couple currently has four breeder sows, a boar, and about 20 feeders. Welch said the pigs thrive and farrow outdoors.
“I’ve had pigs born in a calf hutch at 0 degrees, and they thrive,” he said. “They’re in straw, and they have their calf hutches to get out of the weather. A pig pile is a real thing, so they’ll pile up on each other and just kind of keep each other warm.”
The cows are on pasture, but the calves have access to a barn when necessary.
The chickens are egg layers. Welch said their care involves deep bedding throughout the winter.
Although his breeds are built for winter, Welch will stage extra bales of hay and straw throughout the pasture ahead of the weekend’s predicted snow and cold.
“That way if there is an issue with things not wanting to run or start, they don’t run out of bales,” he said.
‘It’s like any other day’
Welch said the biggest challenge with the cold is ensuring the animals have water.
Some of the farm’s water sources don’t rely on electricity; others do. Frost-free hydrants help.
“Losing electric makes things a lot more challenging because your oil pump has to work to have water; otherwise I have to go to the creek and bail water out. At those temps, that gets kind of dangerous,” he said.
“Ultimately, my cows would eat snow for a while for their water. It’s more about the pigs.”
Natural gas and unleaded gasoline generators provide backup for the livestock. However, in addition to the livestock, the Welches operate a retail store on the farm.
“We have thousands of dollars of product there that we can’t lose. So we have to be very, very cautious and always paying attention for planning purposes of what’s going on to take care of that,” he said.
“It’s like any other day, just maybe just double-checking to make sure they have access to water for them to weather the storm.”
Joshua Welch, Sycamore Valley Farms
Welch’s tractor is not in a heated barn, so the cold’s effect on the battery is a concern. However, he has a heater to warm up the engine block and a battery pack to jump-start the tractor.
“It’s just trials and tribulations; eventually we’ll figure it out, and eventually we’ll get it started,” he chuckled.
“If I have to walk square bales of hay out to the animals or walk bags of feed to the pigs, I don’t need any mechanical means. I’ll just use my own horsepower if that’s what’s necessary.”
Fortunately, the pasture is only 100 yards from the house. And Welch has a wood burner in the house when he’s finished.
Hartschuh Dairy Farm
Rose (Dudgeon) Hartschuh operates a dairy operation with her husband, Jason, in Crawford County.
A 2004 East Knox grad, Hartschuh represents Richland and 25 other counties as the northwest regional trustee for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.
The couple uses robotic milking for the 380-head herd.
“With the robots, the cows can get milked 24 hours a day. Unlike a traditional parlor where we have set milking times, with robots, it’s all on the cows,” Hartschuh explained.
“They come up kind of free choice as they’re ready to be milked, so the milking process actually lasts for the entire day instead of having shifts like what a parlor might have.”
Hartschuh said that because the farm heavily relies on power, they are making sure their readiness plan is in place.
“It’s kind of a combination of making sure our resources and equipment’s ready to go and making sure that the animals are comfortable and stocked up for the weekend,” she said.
The readiness plan
Preparing for the storm includes ensuring the animals are heavily bedded with lots of straw so they stay warm and comfortable in the cold.
“Luckily, all of our animals are in barns, so that definitely helps keep them warm and comfortable and cared for. So that is one less thing that we have to worry about, but we still have to make sure that [ventilation] curtains are working and the barns are closed up, and that we’re closing off the drafts.”
Hartschuh said the cows will naturally start eating more in preparation for the storm.
“They know that the weather’s coming in, too, and so we just make sure that there’s constantly feed in front of them so they have the energy that they need,” she said.
The plan also includes checking generators and ensuring everything is fueled and ready to go.
“Because the cows still need milked, whether or not we have access to the utilities to do that,” Hartschuh said.
“Snow plows are really important in this kind of weather because we have trucks constantly in and out. For example, our milk truck comes and picks up our milk every day, so we have to make sure that the driveway is clear and that they’re able to access it.
“In addition, the cows get fed every day, so we need to make sure that the truckers are able to get in and out of driveways and whatnot,” she said.
The biggest challenge
Hartschuh said that forecasting might be the biggest challenge for the upcoming weekend.
“We have an idea what to expect, but we don’t know for sure. Certainly, the cows have to be milked every day, so trying to keep power on in the barn is really important. As we’re watching the forecast, that’s one thing that we’re considering, whether or not we might lose power for the weekend,” she said.
“All of the work will still get done, whether or not there’s 1 foot of snow on the ground or whether or not it drops to subzero temperatures. It all just takes longer.”
Rose Hartschuh, Hartschuh Dairy Farm
“I think one of the biggest challenges is just that time component, getting it all done. Because every time a forecast like this comes in, we know that it’s going to take longer to get our chores done,” Hartschuh said.
“We’ll be outside doing our chores, no matter what the weather brings. … We have a wood furnace outside, so we don’t have it in the house, but it’s nice to come in at the end of the day and know that the house is warm. And we definitely go through a lot of hot chocolate in this kind of weather.”