Winter has been doing all it can to make our lives difficult fo the past few weeks. Since right before Christmas, we have been getting snow dumped on us. Folks in the north have seen more than the rest of us. I just got out of Minnesota for my Christmas visit before our family farm got 17 inches dumped on it. That was on top of the six to eight inches they still had on the ground.
As I have perused the social media posts of friends and family or talked to my mother, I have heard the same message; the work goes on. I remember when I was back in high school and snow days meant you still did chores, and broke ice out of the waterers or the troughs. We still had to clean the barns and grind feed. The kids that were in town didn?t understand that we still had to go outside and move snow and such.
They aren?t necessarily alone. It is in that spirit that I am talking with you today. This is for those who will read or hear this and don?t always appreciate what happens in this bitter-cold weather.
For instance, feeding the animals and making sure they have water. Producers are doing all they can to give their livestock all the food and fresh water they need. This sometimes means busting ice, and fixing trough heaters in sub-zero temperatures. Often they are putting themselves in harm?s way to make sure their animals are safe.
My mother told me the story of how my uncle had to spend two hours earlier this week to get the driveway opened up to allow the barn cleaners to come and disinfect the hog barns so the new batch of pigs can get in.
This isn?t all that farmers do when the weather is nasty. They are topping off fuel barrels, so the barns are heated well enough when those hogs arrive. They are un-gelling tractors to move snow. They are helping pull family, friends, and neighbors out of ditches and snowdrifts. They are cleaning driveways.
Some producers do double duty. Some have off-the-farm responsibilities. For example, a distant cousin of mine has a husband who works for the county to plow roads in Minnesota. He has slept maybe 8 hours in the past week. Some of these farmers and their spouses educate our youth and are holding e-learning classes. Some producers work for businesses in town that have to be open in this weather.
Farmers sometimes have the most thankless job, but they also never forget to thank those who make their job possible. It?s the plumbers, electricians, mechanics, first responders, truckdrivers, plow truck drivers, grocers, teachers, clergy, doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and so many more that help keep the rural community and our farmers supported while they are working to feed the world.
So thank you to the American farmers who are working hard through this nasty bit of weather. Thank you to those that support us on the farms and in our towns and cities. Those who keep us safe and those who make it possible to get on with our lives as quickly as possible. For all of those who don?t get a snow day; you are appreciated.
