Groundhog's Day has come upon us, and I was not surprised this morning to hear that, once again, the groundhog had seen it's shadow. "This means six more weeks of winter... great."- was my first thought. But then I looked back on the last few months and realized... has winter even started yet?? It was 53 degrees today for cryin' out loud! I wouldn't mind six more weeks of this!
As much as I have been enjoying this mild winter, it does have me concerned about what we will encounter this spring. What if the snow all comes at once during planting season? Frozen ground and snowy weather does not make getting the crops in the ground an easy task. Weather is a MAJOR factor in farming, and I think that is commonly over-looked by the non-farm public.
To a farmer, winter weather doesn't just mean starting the car early to defrost the windshield and having to shovel the sidewalk. Winter weather means plowing the driveways so that equipment can be moved and operated. It means checking the animals to make sure they have access to food, water, and shelter during the cold weather. It means postponing getting their crops into the ground. It means hoping the weather doesn't cause power outages, because your rural home will be one of the last to be fixed. I can remember going 3 days without any power on our farm one winter while I was in high school. FYI: to all of you non-farm folks out there, when you have your own well, a power outage means no electricity, heat, OR running water! Talk about a stressful time on the farm.
I love the lifestyle that comes with living on a farm, but it does take hard work- especially during severe winter weather. So I hope that the groundhog was wrong this year, and we continue to have a mild winter with a smooth transition into a beautiful spring! Farmers are always in a better mood when planting goes smoothly, and my family is full of farmers... so wish me luck if this winter decides to take a turn for the worse!
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