Extreme winter posed additional hazards for farmers

     The winter of 2019 will no doubt go down as one of the harshest winters in recent history.

     Schools were canceled or delayed numerous times. Many businesses in the area, and throughout Iowa, closed shop simply because of the below-zero temperatures and mounting snowfall. Winter precipitation was a hazard for many on the roads.

     While towns simply shut down, that certainly wasn’t the case for the agriculture industry in Iowa. Farmers don’t have the option of not going to work because it’s too cold or because their road isn’t plowed out. Livestock and the need to get chores done in a timely manner come first, and can’t be postponed until the weather cooperates.

     Lydia (Lubben) Grant manages her family’s cattle business on their farm outside of Monticello on Highway 38. Grant and her husband, Neal, and another full-time employee, Allison Kelchen, run the calving operation and cow/calf herd.

     This winter certainly proved to be a testament of their abilities.

     With temperatures in the mid-30s late last week, Grant said this was the first time she could remember being outside without the need for additional winter gear such a face mask.

     Usually by now, the snow has melted in the fields and pasture, allowing the cattle to get to the grass for food. However, snow and ice continue to blanket much of rural Iowa.

     “We’ve been feeding the cattle two to three times a day,” Grant said of providing them with extra nutrients amid the cold and lack of natural pasture.

     To add to the winter headache, their cows and heifers have started to calve recently. The colder nighttime temperatures have been a struggle to keep the calves warm as they enter the world.

     “We started calving around Feb. 24,” said Grant. “We have 20 calves now from the first-time heifers.” Within the next few weeks, Grant said they expect more calves from the cows.

     They typically see eight to 15 calves born in a day.

     “It keeps us busy,” said Grant. And some of the heifers have produced twins, which ads to the work load during the birth.

     After the calf is born, someone has to tag it, treat it, and vaccinate it. The newborns also require colostrum to help its immune system.

     “We just need to get them warmed up,” Grant added. To help in that endeavor, they also use a hot box to warm the calf up right away if needed.

     “They need to be out of the wind and elements and have dry bedding,” she said of the immediate care.

     Extra effort has been needed during the heavy blizzards, wind, and Polar Vortex.

     The below-freezing temperatures can also cause a calf to get frostbite, causing the loss of ears or part of the tail.

     “They come out wet in blizzard conditions or freezing temps,” Grant said.

     The prolonged winter weather forced Grant to modify their calving season, keeping mother and calf inside the barns as much as possible.

     “Usually within 24 hours, we can take them out to pasture,” she explained. “But we can’t get them out because of the snow and the gates are frozen.”

     Wanting to get chores done as early as possible, Grant said their days get extended if they have to move snow to get back and forth between her home on Rock Road and the Lubben farm.

     “If we know there will be rough weather, we start the day earlier,” she said. “We have to check that the water tanks aren’t frozen and step up what we’re doing.”

     The Lubbens’ barns are not heated, which requires additional bedding to keep the cattle warm, especially this winter.

     “We’re constantly bedding everyone to keep them warm with insulation,” said Grant.

     If Grant cannot get to the farm and especially during calving season, she’s able to keep a watch on the barns and cattle via her cell phone and a system of security cameras.

     “I can monitor everything on my phone,” she said.

     During the night, she sets her alarm clock for every two to three hours to check on the heifers as they begin to calve.

     “We need to adjust our schedules and keep close by,” she said. “You certainly worry about them.”

     While it might normally take eight hours for a birth, Grant said the winter precautions have extended that to 10 to 16 hours.

     Grant said after attending Iowa State University, she always knew she’d return to work on her family farm.

     “I’ve always loved cows and working with them,” she said. She has a fascination with cattle breeding and reproduction.

     Grant and her family are working seven days a week, and the winter weather does not allow them to take a day off.

     In contrast, though just as demanding, Chad and Renee Adams, who live just across the highway from the Lubbens, have had to make some adjustments on their farm as well this winter.

     “We’ve spent a lot of time moving snow,” Chad said. “And if the wind blows, we’re out moving it again.”

     The Adams have put in a lot of time and effort clearing their property to get out to their other properties to do chores and check on their pigs, horses, goats, steers and bucket/bottle calves.

     In the event school is canceled, the Adams boys, Connor and Cole, don’t just sit at home playing video games. They provided some much-needed assistance on the farm.

     “They raise the goats and help the Lubbens with their cattle,” said Renee. “The boys are a big help,” praised Renee.

     In addition to getting themselves out, the Adams also have to make sure their feed deliveries can get in and out. They travel up to a 10-mile radius to their other feeding operations.

     The Adams’ hogs are kept indoors in heated facilities, which average temperatures in the low- to mid-70s. On the extremely frigid nights, their computer-monitored system would go off warning them it was too cold for the pigs. Last Friday, when the heat from the sun penetrated the barns, the warning was that of it being too hot.

     “We’ve used 20 percent more LP in the last two months compared to normal,” Chad said of keeping things warm for their animals.

     Renee said because their facilities are heated, the animals never know just how cold it really is outside.

     “It’s important that the hogs stay at a constant temperature for their growing cycle,” she explained.

     In addition to keeping extra LP on hand, the Adams had to make sure their generators were always in working order and that their tractors were able to start to move snow.

     “If they predicted ice, we made sure to put our tractors in a heated shed to make sure it would start,” Chad said.

     The livestock feeders all run on electricity, so should the electricity go out, the Adams would heavily rely on their generators.

     “We never had any issues,” Chad said. “We were very fortunate.”

     Like the Lubbens/Grants, the Adams’ chore day started later than usual if they had to move snow. So instead of a 10-hour day, they might work a 12-hour day.

     “We just had to check of things more and be more productive,” said Renee.

     Maneuvering in the cold is a hazard, especially when the farmyard is covered in a sheet of ice.

     The extreme cold produced some issues for the Adams such as frozen water for the livestock, the need for extra feed and bedding, and the occasional frozen needle when giving the goats their shots.

     “We put in heat lamps for the baby goats,” said Renee. That’s not something the Adams typically do every winter.

     There were a couple of days during the winter when Chad and Renee were out of town, prompting Connor and Cole to pick up the slack and get everything done on time before and after school. Chad said when school’s canceled, the boys work extra hard. “It’s harder than if they were in school,” he said.