Farmers weather turbulent winter
Dairy farmer Kim Moret shared a picture of herself on one of the coldest days this winter, bundled up in seven layers plus a parka hat and scarves. (Submitted photo)
According to Kim, this photo was taken in late January a few years ago. She shared the following memory, "You can notice the green background. In reality we were maybe 50 feet from the barn door. We had to create a trail of barn lime to a spot for the photographer to stage the shot so the cow wouldn't fall. The temperature that day did not get above zero and the nights were at the minus 20 range. Josie was quite alert because she was watching the other cows in the barn yard and had not been out of the barn for several days. The photographer kept his camera in his running car to prevent it from freezing until he could get the perfect shot .We were actually surrounded by snow and ice and through the magic of photoshop Josie was given a lush background. And yes that is me holding her bundled up in my cold weather attire. We needed a photo of her asap for some marketing opportunities and so we braved the cold and got it done."
By Correne Martin
“Every winter, there’s a brutal cold snap and we (farmers) deal with it.”
That’s according to Kim Moret, who has weathered dairy farming with her husband, Greg, in rural Prairie du Chien, for 37 years. Currently, the couple manages their registered holsteins along with help from daughter Kayla, who commutes from Illinois part-time.
For nearly four decades, the Morets have had a pretty good handle on Wisconsin winters. There’s a wall in their barn where they record extreme temperatures, and late January this year was one period that made that list. She recorded one morning when the temperature alone reached -34oF and wind chill temps reached 60 below.
“It was seven-layer cold, including my big fluffy Carhartt coat. We just worked through it,” Kim laughed. “But I was looking at the wall, thinking, ‘This isn’t so bad.’”
That’s because Kim personally remembers at least one day over a decade ago that she calls the most miserable winter day in their lives on the farm.
“The worst day ever was Dec. 21, 2008,” she called to mind. “I remember something broke and Greg had to fix it. He came back inside and said, ‘You could die out there.’ He had to get more clothes on.”
Kim admits it’s never easy caring for their herd and other assets, particularly in the most brutal cold, heat or pounding precipitation.
“We just can’t sit in the house though,” she said. “When the general public is complaining about how cold it is outside, we have to buckle down and get out there to get our work done.
Actually, Kim explained, she keeps fairly comfortable by wearing the right attire. She continued. “I might take breaks now and then to keep my feet from getting cold, and to keep going. The secret is hand warmers, layers and lots of chocolate, which helps when you’re burning a lot of energy.”
There aren’t as many layers available in the stores for the Morets’ animals. However, she said, that doesn’t quite matter.
“We have calf coats and we keep the cattle bedded and out of the wind as much as we can. When it’s that cold, they’re not interested in being out there any more than they need,” Kim shared, adding that they’re also watered more frequently. “As long as they’re healthy, bovines actually do better in cold weather.”
To that end, she said they are ruminants. All the plant matter goes into the rumen where it is processed by billions of microbes and then turned into fertilizer. This generates a tremendous amount of body heat, so the bovine can generate quite a bit of natural warmth.
“In the summer, it’s hard to dissipate that heat, so they have a harder time in warm weather,” she stated.
While the bovines produce plenty of their own heat, the family takes extra care with their dogs and cats as well, leaving them boxes mounded with straw and putting them in the barn when necessary.
As the Morets persevere through the frigid temps, gusty winds and unending snowstorms this winter, they’ll continue bundling up and “dealing with it.”
“We’re just like the road construction crews and the power company guys. It might be 60 degrees below or pitch dark but we can’t just sit in the house. We have to keep everything functioning.”
