Tatum's Heroics on a "Normal" Snow Day

I am not going to lie; It’s been a long couple of days. I am not sure what is worse, the days leading up to a big snowstorm or the days after. I am fairly sure, in most cases, that the dread leading up to the storm is worse. However, I have to say that the aftermath of this storm may have been the toughest part. All the preparations in the world cannot make you ready for 13 inches of snow, 30 mile per hour wind and sub-zero temperatures. Especially with new calves and lambs expected.

At least it was a snow day for my wife and kids. I chuckled as I watched the news and they were talking about letting the kids sleep in and have a lazy day inside. That may be true for the majority of the kids out there, but it is certainly not true for farm kids. Those of you not on the farm may think it sounds cruel to make the kids help with chores on a snow day. However, I greatly appreciated three extra sets of hands.

School was cancelled Monday night but the snow had just started Tuesday morning. It was definitely the calm before the storm. We made quick work of making sure all the sheep and cattle were bedded down, all of the hay feeders were full and water tanks were topped off. Then as the snow picked up, someone went out every two hours to check the ewes. It seemed like it took longer to get dressed for the trip out to the barn than it took to slog out to the barn and back.

Tuesday evening came with more heavy snow and an increasing wind. The predicted drifting had started with a vengeance. Chores that night were also a team effort. Tatum and I went out to check the cows (we started calving about 3 days before the storm, another indication of my great sense of timing). The herd was nestled down in a draw, away from the wind. Well, all of them except our newest calf who was stranded at the top of the draw, prevented from joining the herd by an ever growing drift of snow.

Earlier Tatum was telling me that her friends and her were texting, messaging , Insta-graming, tweeting, Snap Chatting, or whatever form of “communications”  teenagers use these days. She was a little jealous that they had slept in until late morning, watched movies, played on the computer, texted each other and definitely had not been outside. This Tatum told me bundled up in coveralls, winter coat, insulated boots, scarf, insulated gloves and a stocking cap. No easy, lazy snow day for my teenager.

We needed to get the calf down the steep slope through a tangle of vines and through what appeared to be a two foot drift of snow. In reality the drift was probably closer to three to four feet when you factored in the slope. Soon we devised a plan. Tatum would herd the calf to me, I would get as far into the snow drift as I could and still reach it. Then I would make my way down the steep, slick, snow covered slope to the cows with Tatum pushing the brush out of my way.

The calf reluctantly agreed to the plan, well, agreed to it after Tatum pushed, pulled and finally carried it to me. I fell, staggered and tumbled through the drift with the calf. Then Tatum and I plowed our way through the maze of branches, a surprising number of which had thorns on them. Finally at the bottom of the draw we were met by the anxious mother eagerly awaiting her baby. Soon they were reunited and the calf quickly found the dinner table. Mission accomplished right? Not quite, we still had to make our way back up the steep icy slope, past the thorny vines and through the mountain of snow at the top. We crawled to the top, looking a little like mountain climbers conquering Mount Everest and, to be honest, feeling the same sense of accomplishment.

Once we were inside the pick-up and had started to thaw, Tatum looked at me through her snow covered stocking cap and wondered out loud what it would be like to have a “normal” snow day. In the end we both knew that the snow day she had was much more rewarding than the “normal” snow day her friends had. She did not have cabin fever, had gotten a lot of fresh air and exercise and along the way saved a baby calf. However, I did think I heard her sigh when I told her school was cancelled for the next day. Only a farm kid would think going to school was less work.

Climate Change for Real?

I guess it is fall, the calendar says so. It is kind of hard to tell when the temperatures are this hot. Of course, I know that by writing this column and complaining about the temperature I am causing it to change. By the time you read this it will probably be snowing and we will have freeze warnings. I know we live in Kansas, where if you don’t like the weather all you need to do is wait five minutes. However, snow in May, cool temperatures and lots of rain in August and 100 degrees in September, that is extreme even for Kansas.

All of this is making me a believer in climate change. Last summer we had extreme heat and even more extreme drought, surely we were in the grips of global warming. Soon we would be toasted, roasted and hung up to dry. The polar ice caps were melting and the Okies would be selling ocean front property. We needed to go green or everything would turn brown.

Then in the midst of the global warming apocalypse came last spring in all of her chilly glory. I am not sure that I attended a baseball game or track meet without a heavy winter coat. Spring planting was delayed because of cold soil temperature, moisture and snow in April and May. Maybe that snow drift in Montana was the southern edge of the polar ice cap. The next ice age was upon us.

Even more evidence of the return of the ice age was county fair season this year. I have never seen so many coats and gloves adorning the spectators of a beef show in July. I, myself, started to shiver and turned the heater/defrost on after judging one show this summer. I fully expected to be judging yak shows next year. I envisioned opening a snow cat dealership.

But as quickly as it started the next ice age melted away in late August and early September.  As cool as our county fairs were, I think the first weekend of the Kansas State Fair had to be one of the hottest weekends ever. A tax on iced tea and bottled water would have funded the state of Kansas for a whole year.  Global warming again reared its ugly, fiery head.

So what does it all mean? Are we going to freeze or is it getting hot in here? Where is Al Gore when we need him? My prediction is that by the time you read this column there is a fifty percent chance that it will be hot and a fifty percent chance it will be cool. We may or may not have had precipitation and that precipitation will take the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail or all of the above.

I know the Old Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a cold wet winter. They may very well be right. I would guess they are right just as many times as any other “expert”. Maybe I ought to go into meteorology. After all, it is the only profession you can be wrong in most of the time and still have everyone hang on your every word. Shoot, you can even change your mind midstream and make your predictions right.

OK, my weather predicting friends don’t get too mad at me. I know it is an inexact science, one that works with the unpredictability of wind currents, cold fronts, upper level moisture among many factors. I understand inexact, unpredictable studies; I have a degree in agricultural economics. I can’t predict the direction of the markets with any accuracy, but I can draw a graph to prove I am right.

It all boils down to something Dad tells me nearly every day. The weather is something we have no control over. We should worry about things we can control and not worry about what we can’t, like the weather. Don’t misunderstand me; I think it is a good thing to protect our environment. We should make sure we leave it cleaner and better for our kids, conserve our natural resources; but I just can’t buy into the idea that we cause changes in the weather.

I guess, in the end, variety is the spice of life. If we didn’t have really hot days, the first cool day of fall wouldn’t be so refreshing. You also have to admit that the first really warm day of the spring feels pretty darn good too. So I guess in the spirit of being prepared I will put on my stocking cap and coveralls over my short sleeve shirt and shorts, who knows I may need them all today.

Bitter Cold and Livestock

The weather is awful tonight. Single digit temperatures combined with winds in excess of 25 mph making windchills, well, downright dangerous. To top it off it is snowing. In short it is not a night for man or beast outside.

Great night to be in my easy chair by the fire. Well, for now I am. However, in a couple of hours I will be heading out to the barn to check the ewes that are about to lamb. If they are in the process of lambing I will spend most of the night with them, making sure they and their lambs are OK.

The preparations for tonight started weeks ago. We winterized the barn, hung tarps , boarding all but one door(to cut down drafts) and hung heat lamps. Pens were built and lined with straw. We try to give our lambs the best possible environment to be born in. If all else fails we have an area in our basement with a space heater to help warm them up.

The bottom line is as a livestock producer we do everything we can to insure the health and well-being of our animals. No matter what the weather conditions or how bad we want to stay in we know that is not a possibility. So later on tonight I will put on my chore clothes, coat and brave the winter storm to take care of my animals. Why? Because as a livestock producer our animals come first.

A Christmas to Remember

This Christmas was one to remember. We got somewhere between 8 and 10 inches of snow with 40 t0 50 mile an hour winds. In short, we missed Christmas Eve services and our family dinner on Christmas Day. It was one of the worst storms I ever remember.

In spite of the weather we had one of the best Christmas Days ever. We opened presents and had a lunch together and watched Christmas movies. It was relaxed and low-key, one that I am sure we will never forget. But that is not what this blog is about.

Christmas morning dawned with gale force winds and lots of snow. Most were snuggled in their beds, unwrapping Christmas presents and generally enjoying a leisurely day. My family enjoyed the presents but our day was far from leisurely. In fact, we worked harder this Christmas than ever before.

Livestock know no holidays. The fact that it is Christmas means nothing to my cows, horses and sheep. They still need fed, watered and looked after. The wind, snow and cold temperatures just made it more difficult. So as most people lounged in their Christmas pjs, we put on our coveralls, winter coats and hats and braved the storm.

Why did we do this? Because we put our livestock first and no matter the day, or the conditions they need to be taken care of. This is what the men and women of our family farms and ranches do every day (holiday or not) to bring you the food on your holiday table. So the next time you sit down to a meal (holiday or not) remember the family farmers and ranchers who brought it to you taking care of their livestock in all types of weather, everyday.