Snow

Winter-Proof Your Workforce: Keeping Employees Warm on the Job

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:52:23 GMT

What started as a mild winter is bound to become brutal as plunging, dangerous temperatures sweep across much of the U.S. While most of the country will stay bundled up inside, farmers and their employees don’t have the luxury of skipping work for a snow day.

To create a safe and comfortable work environment for your farm employees, it’s important to address the specific challenges posed by cold weather on the farm. As temperatures begin to drop, consider implementing the following tips to keep your crew safe, warm and productive:

Make Sure They Have Adequate Clothing

Dressing poorly shouldn’t be considered “cool,” especially when it comes to harsh winter weather conditions on the farm. However, not all employees know how to appropriately dress for the bitter weather. Consider providing them with the following checklist and keeping a few extra items in a bin for employees to use in case they forget.

Some examples of warm winter clothing include:

Lined jackets
Lined overalls
Stocking caps / hats and lined gloves
Long thermal underwear
Lined boots – waterproof and anti-slip
Wicking wool socks
Scarf

Provide Warm Break Areas

Working out in the cold can take a toll on the body. That’s why it’s necessary to take frequent breaks to rest and warm up. To keep employees going, be sure to create designated warm break areas for your employees to recuperate.

Offer snacks that are not only tasty but also provide energy. Nutritious options like trail mix, energy bars, and fruits can help replenish energy levels. You can also supply a selection of hot beverages like coffee, tea or hot chocolate. If employees are coming in from wet or snowy conditions, consider having a designated area with a drying rack for wet outerwear, gloves, and boots.

Adjust Schedules

Adjusting schedules in the winter is a practical strategy to address the challenges and potential hazards associated with cold weather. Along with allowing more frequent breaks to prevent prolonged exposure to the cold, consider scheduling more grueling outdoor tasks during the warmer parts of the day.

Keep Up Communication

Safety concerns rise as cold weather intensifies. This rings true for not only our employees, but livestock as well. Keep the lines of communication open with employees to address concerns and gather feedback on their comfort and to learn if areas of the farm need immediate attention.

Work in Pairs

While farmers are already hard-pressed to find labor, working in pairs allows employees to get the job done quickly and safely. Using the buddy system ensures that every employee is accounted for and that the work gets done in a timely fashion. This system is especially important for employees working in remote areas.

Have an Emergency Kit

Winter weather can be unpredictable. Having an emergency kit in a well-known location can be a lifesaver when it comes to coping with unexpected challenges. Keep your kit filled with the essentials, such as:

Medical supplies
Extra clothing
Blankets
Handwarmers
Flashlights
Non-perishable snacks

Know the Signs of Cold Stress

Hypothermia and frostbite are the two most common forms of cold stress and can be fatal if left untreated. To help minimize the risk of these conditions going unnoticed, make sure to review and be on the lookout for the following symptoms.

Signs of Hypothermia:

Fast and shallow breathing / trouble breathing.
Going from shivering to not shivering.
Hunger, fatigue and confusion.
Lack of coordination.
Increased heart rate.
Weak pulse.
Slurred speech / mumbling.
Dizziness and nausea.

Signs of Frostbite:

Cold skin, prickling feeling and numbness.
Red, white, bluish-white or grayish-yellow skin.
Hard or waxy-looking skin.
Clumsiness due to joint and muscle stiffness.
Blistering after rewarming when severe (expect exposed skin to peel off).
If the skin turns black seek medical attention..

Normal La Niña Pattern to Return By Thanksgiving

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:57:53 GMT

What are the primary weather events being watched by the leading ag meteorologists right now? Here’s a round-up.

A Bit of an Oddball La Niña

“We need to be really careful about making big assumptions about this La Niña. It is not a classic La Niña,” says Drew Lerner, World Weather, Inc. He points to two large rain events in the southern U.S. Plains this past week.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey adds southern California has also received a lot of precipitation. He says it’s the timing and strength of the La Niña bringing a different pattern than could be expected.

“The big thing we’re watching is the fact that we’re in a La Niña during the month of September for the fifth time in six years,” Rippey says. “And with that, November’s been a little bit strange so far. We haven’t fully kicked into what you would expect to see with a La Niña regime.”

More Precipitation on Its Way

“We also have a lot of warm ocean water between Hawaii and California, so watch for more heavy rain, like we saw this week coming into California a little later in the winter,” Lerner says.

Rippey says people across the Great Plains can expect more storms through this week.

“Given the fact that we are heading into a La Niña winter, we need the moisture across the southern Plains now,” Rippey says. “It looks like more of a La Niña regime setting in for the latter part of November and certainly by Thanksgiving. By that I mean stormier, colder weather across the north, and some of that warm and dry weather should become more established across the South. It’ll be a while until we get there.”

The week of Thanksgiving is showing some increased chance for winter storms and perhaps travel-impactful weather events.

Droughty Conditions Bring Concerns

Dry weather persists in key grazing areas, which Matt Makens from Makens Weather says is his biggest concern for the rest of this year and early into 2026.

Lerner adds: “The northern Plains and neighboring areas of Canada’s prairies won’t see much precipitation. There’s still a big, bad drought up there, and they’re hoping for better moisture. But in the meantime, our wheat that’s in the soft wheat that’s in the lower Midwest bowl will get a nice drink of water.”

Pacific Storm Season Brought More Action Than the Atlantic

Reflecting on the ongoing hurricane season, Rippey says while it was indicated we could have an active season, there have been only 13 named storms and only five hurricanes.

Without any major storms making landfall in the U.S., Rippey points to a few factors:

“We had the African feeder storms, the thunderstorms that come off the African coast, came off a little further north than they normally would. And that put some of those thunderstorm complexes into a more hostile environment as they developed or tried to develop,” he says.
“We had a protective jet stream across the eastern United States, a little dip along the East Coast of the United States that really forced any developing storms to recurve before they ever reach the United States,” he says.

“A lot of that moisture ended up in the western United States eventually, remnant tropical moisture, and that certainly has helped to chip away at the drought across the western United States, courtesy of the active eastern Pacific season with 18 overall named storms,” Rippey adds.

Planting Season Outlook

While planting season is about five months away for many, the weather trends are tipping the scales to a slow start.

“I still have some confidence in saying that some of the northern areas of the country — northern plains, upper Midwest — could face a spring with a delayed warm-up,” Rippey says. “We could see some snowy cold conditions lingering into the early to mid-spring across some of those northern production areas. Typically coming out of La Niña, we do see a later planting season in the north, and we will have to watch drought in the south.”

La Niña Will Flip to El Niño

As for what’s ahead in the new year, Maken says while we might start with a La Niña, toward the end of the year, we’ll flip into an El Niño.

“And when you do this flip, it depends on how quickly it flips, because it can mean a lot of rainfall for a lot of folks,” he says. “And not that La Niña and El Niño are the end-all, be-alls, but they’re the major players in the room. Some really like hearing El Niño. Others really do not like the person saying that.”

Widespread Warmth, Lingering Drought Dominate Early November Outlook

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:54:01 GMT

It’s been an unusually warm start to November, a trend that’s gripping the West and preventing moisture from reaching areas that need it. But that trend could shift later in the month, at least in terms of temperatures.

Several parts of the U.S. experienced their warmest November days on record in 2025, including Denver, Colo., and Tucson, Ariz. Other locations like Goodland, Kan., Sidney, Neb., and La Junta, Colo., also set daily record highs. But just how high are we talking?

Denver : Broke its all-time record November high, reaching 83°F and significantly exceeding the previous record of 78°F
Tucson : Set a record for the hottest day of the year on Saturday with 88°F, then broke its own record the next day with 92°F
Cheyenne : Recorded its latest-ever 70°F
San Jose : Reached 80°F

Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe, of Brian Bledsoe Weather, says through the first half of November, he expects above-normal temperatures across the western two-thirds of the country, with the Southeast seeing slightly cooler conditions.

“The western two-thirds of the country are just going to be a blowtorch,” he says.

Not Good News for Chances of Rain

It’s not just the warmth, but also the lack of moisture in the forecast. Bledsoe says rain chances will stay limited for most regions, especially the Mid-Mississippi Valley and the Gulf Coast, where below-normal precipitation is likely. The Pacific Northwest and parts of the Northern Rockies are the exceptions, potentially seeing wetter-than-average conditions.

“We’re continuing to build on some of these dry areas that have expanded across much of the country,” Bledsoe says. “If you look at the current drought monitor, there’s still a good bit of the country suffering from drought.”

The most recent look at the U.S. Drought Monitor paints a troubling picture heading into winter.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

He notes that drought persists in the Southwest, where the monsoon season failed to deliver consistent rainfall. Washington, Idaho, and northwest Montana are also struggling with dryness, while parts of the Corn Belt — and even sections of the Northeast — remain abnormally dry.

“Absolutely, we have areas we need to work on,” he says. “But the current pattern just isn’t conducive to big storms bringing widespread moisture.”

Ridge Holds Firm Across the West

Bledsoe explains a strong ridge of high pressure anchored over the interior West — covering Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico — is pushing most storm systems northward.

A look at how the warmth will shift in November.

(Brian Bledsoe )

“That ridge is basically diverting the storm track,” he says. “Meanwhile, farther east — across the eastern Great Lakes and into the far eastern Corn Belt — we’ll be under the influence of a trough of low pressure. That brings a few chances for colder air and maybe some brief moisture, but it’s not a setup for big storms.”

Pattern Shift Possible Later in November

There is some hope for change as the month progresses. Long-range European models show the upper-level ridge beginning to weaken, opening the door for a more active storm track.

“As that ridge gradually breaks down, we’ll start to see less of the drier-than-average pattern,” Bledsoe says. “Areas farther north will likely see moisture first, and then hopefully that extends farther south into the Plains.”

Precipitation outlook for the first half of November.

(Brian Bledsoe )

Snow in the Forecast?

While the heat was the headline to start November, and continues to be the case in the western U.S., there will be a blip of not just cooler air, but much colder air that could bring snow to the central and eastern parts of the country. But it won’t last long.

AccuWeather says you’ll need to brace for a big change this weekend and early next week in the central and eastern United States . AccuWeather meteorologists warn the weather pattern indicates a surge of cold air and at least one storm capable of producing a band of accumulating snow across parts of the Midwest, followed by lake-effect snow and perhaps a bit of snow in portions of the Appalachians to the south.

AccuWeather says cold air will fail to gain a lasting foothold for the remainder of this week, with significant temperature swings from one day to the next in the Midwest and Northeast.

(AccuWeather)

AccuWeather is calling it “Christmastime cold” that’s on the way.
Their meteorologists say a large push of cold air arrives this weekend, which will cause conditions to drastically change.

A significant dip in the jet stream is forecast to begin this weekend for the Central and Eastern states.

“Temperatures will feel more like mid-December or even Christmastime in many places by next week,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok says.

A storm is forecast to track along the boundary of the advancing cold air from this weekend in the Midwest to early next week in the Northeast.

(AccuWeather )

But the cold air will fail to gain a lasting foothold for the remainder of this week, with significant temperature swings from one day to the next in the Midwest and Northeast, according to AccuWeather.

It may be temporary, but the colder air will bring chances of accumulating snow in areas of the Midwest and the Appalachians that are farther south and rather low in elevation, according to AccuWeather. The storm is forecast to track along the boundary of the advancing cold air from this weekend in the Midwest to early next week in the Northeast.

“As we see it now, the most likely time for snow showers in Chicago that can bring a small accumulation is late Saturday night to Sunday morning,” Pastelok says. “Around Detroit the most likely timing for accumulating snow showers is from Sunday morning to Sunday midday.”

While an excessive accumulation of snow is not anticipated on the roads, AccuWeather says the snow can fall at a heavy enough rate near the Interstate 94 and 80/90 corridor to make for slushy conditions in some areas.

As Temperatures Near 100 Degrees in the Upper Midwest, Does it Signal a Bigger Problem for Summer?

Tue, 13 May 2025 17:11:12 GMT

The weather this week just might prove how unusual the spring of 2024 has been. From the disparities in moisture, to temperature swing of 60°F in just a matter of days in North Dakota, the weather pattern is abnormal, and weather models are confused on snowfall totals even 10 days out.

Eric Snodgrass, Science Fellow and Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions, says this spring has been anything but normal.

“I don’t think anybody has told me, ‘This spring’s been pretty much what I expected.’ I think most folks have been saying, ‘Wow, when is this [rain] going to quit so I can get in the fields versus, hey, we got everything done early. Just don’t send a frost my way.’”

Just last weekend, cool temperatures gripped the Great Lakes with frost warnings. And with another cold blast on the way for the Plains and northwest this weekend the temperature swings continue.

“Some folks are still battling with those cold late spring temperatures” Snodgrass says. “But I think that you’re going to look back on spring of 2025 and think this didn’t look anything like 2023, and it definitely doesn’t look like 2024. Are we looking at something entirely different for this growing season than our past few years for reference? And I think the answer to that is yes.”

Weather Whiplash Hits the Northern Plains

North Dakota reached record-breaking temperatures already this week. The National Weather Services (NWS) in Bismark reports a record temperatures of 97°F on Monday, which beat the previous record of 92°F set in 1880.

Four record high temperatures were set or tied at primary climate sites in western through central North Dakota today. #ndwx pic.twitter.com/bNQz1qN4z6
— NWS Bismarck (@NWSBismarck) May 13, 2025

Those temperatures will drop to near freezing by this weekend with some models even pointing to snow. Snodgreass says the weather models aren’t in agreement about snowfall amounts, but one thing is certain: it will get much colder.

The storm system Snodgrass is watching will hit early next week, but he says the models are confused and not handling the cold and snow risk very well.

And this just keeps getting "better". The 18Z GFS on Sunday is off the rails with snow over the next 10-days. https://t.co/Ij3MRkMOgU pic.twitter.com/Thb93bgMzK
— Eric Snodgrass (@snodgrss) May 12, 2025

This is the GFS model run on Sunday pointed to as much as 2' of snow in parts of North Dakota and South Dakota early next week. Snodgrass says that model has been unreliable recently, so don’t bank on that.

“The GFS has been having serious problem lately,” Snodgrass told AgWeb. “Do not rely on the GFS right now.”

Snowfall forecast according to the latest Euro model.

(Eric Snodgrass)

Meanwhile, the European mode also shows snow in the forecast, but Snodgrass says he doesn’t trust that model either. However, he says temperatures will drop even further before the snow chances next week.

“There are a pair of deeper lows that are following each other,” he says. “The first comes through and increases the severe storm risk Thursday and Friday, and the second one feeds on the cold air behind the first dropping temps even further giving rise to the chance for snow.”

Disparity in Moisture So Far This Spring

The good news is those cooler temperatures will come with chances of moisture, which will fall in areas of the country that need it. But that moisture will also hit the mid-South, an area that can’t seem to catch a break from the rain.

“Take a look at parts of the mid-South getting over to the southern Plains,” Snodgrass says. “I mean Oklahoma and Texas, we’ve got places that have had five to six times their normal amount of rainfall in the last 30 days. And then you go just north of it. Corners of Kansas, Colorado, most of Nebraska, Western Iowa, pockets of Illinois, Minnesota. You have spots that are like, hey, share the rain a little bit. And they’re looking at very, very dry conditions.”

Precipitation Over the Past 30 Days

(Eric Snodgrass)

The agricultural meteorologist is most concerned about Nebraska. He says it’s not just the fact that area has been lacking moisture recently, but the fact disappointing moisture over the winter is creating a deficit for subsoil moisture.

“We have very low soil moisture values in pockets of the western Corn Belt, while soils are completely saturated across the southern tier of the United States in pockets in the Northeast,” Snodgrass says. “So when you look at that, it’s the story of who’s been getting the rain and who’s not, and this spring has not been very equitable in the delivery of that rainfall.”

Soil moisture map

(Eric Snodgrass)

Drought Risk Still a Concern for Summer

The Climate Prediction Center recently released its outlook for summer, saying “ENSO-neutral will continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer and early autumn 2025.” The CPC says the forecast also favors ENSO-neutral with chances nearing 50% during the autumn.

What does this mean? Snodgrass says you don’t need a La Niña to produce drought.

“There’s often a thought process that you have to have a La Niña in order to have a drought in the summer in the Midwest. You don’t, right? The actual more important thing is the ocean temperatures off the Baja of California or in the Gulf of Alaska,” says Snodgrass. “We’ve already got cold ocean temperatures off the Bay of California. If we kind of double whammy that up with cold water in the Gulf of Alaska or even all the way back over toward Japan, hugging the land, that is the recipe for problems.”

The reason drought this summer is still a concern.

(Eric Snodgrass)

Snodgrass says the forecast for June, July and August is pointing to risks of dryness, especially in July. Even the newer European model is indicating the growing chance of dryness this summer.

“Here’s the lesson: If in the next 40 days, those water temperatures warm, you know what’s going on? The atmosphere is gaining momentum,” Snodgrass says. “If it gains momentum, we tend to have more frequent weather systems and no major risk of drought. If they stay cool, we tend to have greater risk of central United States drought. That’s what I’m watching most closely over the next 45 days.”

Preciptitaion Forecast for June through August.

(Eric Snodgrass)

This Winter's Lack of Snow Cover Could Spell Trouble for Drought in These Areas

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:02:44 GMT

It was the winter that wasn’t for some areas of the U.S. Farmers located in the upper Plains, northern Plains and Northeast came up short on snow for the 2024/25 season. In some cases, they experienced the winter that wasn’t, now sitting 10" to 30" short on normal snowfall.

It’s been the “haves” and “have nots” when it comes to moisture. April started with monsoon rains that brought flooding all the way from southern and eastern Arkansas to the Ohio Valley. According to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, some of those areas saw their worst flooding since the spring of 1997.

“Some of these bottom lands and low lands that are filled with pastures and normally planted to crops, we’re going lose that, or we’re going to have to wait a long time to plant that this year. So, there’s certainly an impact with this early April flooding on top of the mid February flooding across the same general area,” Rippey says.

Observed flooding map

(NOAA )

While there’s too much moisture in the South, which is delaying planting for some, the lack of snow and moisture in the northern tier of states is bringing an early start to planting this year.

Rippey says if you draw a line just north of Kansas City directly east to Washington D.C., the area above that line is where he’s concerned about the lack of snow and what it means for soil moisture this spring.

“Pretty much folks north of theNorthern Plains, upper Midwest and Northeast came up short on snow for the 2024/25 season. In some cases, as much as 10" to 30" short,” Rippey says. “That’s a concern for those areas heading into the spring because they depend on melting snow to provide soil moisture in the spring for newly planted crops. So, if we were to have a dry spring and summer on top of that nearly snowless winter, that is where we get into concerns for drought, expansion or intensification heading into the heart of the growing season.”

Season-to-date snowfall maps shows just how dry it’s been across the northern tier of states.

(Brad Rippey/USDA )

Rippey points to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor , which shows elevated drought coverage compared to normal, in areas of Southern California into Texas. There’s also a second area of drought across the Northern Plains and upper Midwest that’s drawing his attention, which is the area that had very little snow over the winter.

“I think it’s really those two Western drought areas which have almost merged at this point where we do have big concerns for drought heading into the growing season,” Rippey says.

The latest map shows three main pockets of drought across the U.S.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

The National Weather Service Outlook (NOAA) seasonal outlook for May, June and July shows that stark line for moisture could continue.

“The precipitation outlook, unfortunately, shows odds are tilting toward dryness in a lot of the north central and northwestern United States. So, picture that fairly snow-less winter and then a potentially dry summer. Could that drought expand into the upper Midwest and the western Corn Belt? Yes, it certainly could. That’s one real area of agricultural concern for the summer of 2025,” Rippey says.

NOAA’s Seasonal Precipitation Outlook indicates areas already struggling with drought and dryness could see continued dry conditions through July.

(NOAA)

Rippey says areas of the country already dealing with dryness and drought are also areas that could struggle to see moisture May through July, according to NOAA.

“It looks like that haves and have nots may continue as you see that wet pattern across the East and hopefully a decent monsoon in the Southwest, but we’re gonna have to wait until July for that to move in,” Rippey says.

As for NOAA’s outlook on temperatures, the agency is forecasting much of the U.S. will see above-normal temperatures, with a pocket hovering over the four corners region in the bullseye for extreme heat.

NOAA’s Seasonal Temperature Outlook points to warmer conditions for much of the U.S. over the next three months.

(NOAA )

'Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back With Your Forecast'

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 15:02:27 GMT

What if you could know the timing of significant weather events for your area during the next six months with 91% accuracy?

Now you can, according to Gary Lezak, a former meteorologist with KSHB-TV in Kansas City turned weather entrepreneur.

Lezak’s business, Weather 20/20, provides weather-based data analytics on a global basis to its customers, who range from farmers to retailers to general consumers.

Eighty Years In The Making
Lezak learned in the mid-1980s that a weather cycle exists, an insight he attributes to Jerome Namais, who first addressed the concept in the 1940s. Namais, a renowned American meteorologist, was Chief of the United States Weather Bureau’s Extended Forecast Section in Washington, D.C. from 1941 to 1971.

“What it’s all about is the weather pattern above us – the river of air that goes across North America through the westerly belt, across to Europe, Asia, and then back around across the Pacific. That jet stream flow, that river of air above us, has an order to it,” Lezak told Andrew McCrea, host of the Farming The Countryside podcast, during a recent conversation.

For the next 20 years Lezak continued to study the weather cycling concept, refining what he learned as he went along.

By the early 2000s, Lezak was blogging about what he had learned, eventually calling the concept he developed the Lezak Recurring Cycle (LRC). He founded Weather 20/20 in 2008.

“The LRC is all about the cycle,” Lezak says. “After many years of practicing it, 20 to 30 years of using it, we are able to predict when and where and a little bit of the what,” with regard to weather, he told McCrea.

The core tenet of the LRC is that a unique weather pattern establishes itself every year. It starts to set up in early October, with develpment continuing through early January. By then, Lezak says the pattern can be identified and predictions of every day’s weather around the world can be produced.

Based on the LRC, Lezak says he can predict with a 91% accuracy level when and where there will be major weather events – from snowstorms to hurricanes to droughts – for the next seven to eight months in the U.S.

“That (timing) is the sweet spot of the LRC and fits agriculture perfectly,” Lezak says.

He adds that Mother Nature still creates weather disruptions he can’t predict 9% of the time, based on influences such as El Nino, La Nina and the Arctic Oscillation.

Lezak’s take on the accuracy of weather forecasts differs from what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports, though an apples-to-apples comparison is not available.

The NOAA says a seven-day forecast can accurately predict the weather about 80 percent of the time and a five-day forecast can accurately predict the weather approximately 90 percent of the time. However, a 10-day—or longer—forecast is only right about half the time.

Agriculture Takes Notice
As Lezak was honing the development of the LRC in the early 2000s, fellow meteorologist, Dean Wysocki, then based in Nebraska, learned of it and reached out to Lezak for more details.

Wysocki started using the information he learned during his broadcasts, noting that Nebraska farmers were hungry for more accurate weather insights and predictions.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s a game changer. That’s the easiest way to put it,” says Wysocki, who joined Lezak on the podcast.

Wysocki, now based in Fargo, N.D., got LRC certified and began telling farmers in the Dakotas and Minnesota about its benefits.

“It’s a major piece of long-term weather forecasting, and the accuracy on it has just been amazing,” Wysocki says. “We’ve signed up between about 50 to 100 in our ag community and we’ve got nothing but positive feedback. Is it 100% correct? No, nothing is, but it’s a great tool to have on your tool belt.”

The Weather Outlook Ahead
During the conversation with McCrea, Lezak and Wysocki shared some of their weather predictions for late winter and early spring 2025, based on information the LRC has provided. Here are three of their predictions:

1. Lezak says a La Nina, which is the cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, has a grip currently on parts of the western and upper Corn Belt areas, but he expects that to ease up.

“That grip that it has tends to shift precipitation patterns to the eastern Corn Belt. That’s not good for Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota,” Lezak says. “It shifts precipitation patterns to the East, but that grip we think is going to be let loose by March.”

2. Wysocki says he foresees a wetter spring, in March and April, for most of the Dakotas.

“We’ll get our moisture that we need in March and more than likely into the first part of April, and that should be good for planting season,” he says. “I’m still concerned about the western Dakotas into areas of Montana and Wyoming, worried that they’ll remain dry.”

3. With regard to drought, Lezak encourages farmers to keep an eye on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, as he says droughts are constantly either shrinking or expanding.

“It appears that over the last year or so that areas of drought, as we look at the entire nation, have begun to decrease,” he says. “This one has been shrinking for weeks, and that is a good sign. The likelihood of that trend continuing is high.”

Wysocki and Lezak offered additional weather insights during their conversation with McCrea. You can hear more of those specifics on the podcast, available here:

Your next read: With More Arctic Air Set to Blast the U.S., Why This Winter Could Be Remembered for Its Extremes

With More Arctic Air Set to Blast the U.S., Why This Winter Could Be Remembered for Its Extremes

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:04:44 GMT

After ice and blizzard conditions blasted the Midwest, South and East to start January, another round of frigid temperatures is set to blanket much of the U.S., and this time, temperatures could fall even lower than the previous round of cold.

Much of the U.S. is still seeing snow cover, with temperatures too cold to melt the recent snow. But now, we’re bracing for even colder temperatures as what’s called the “Siberian Express” is set to arrive this weekend. What exactly is the Siberian Express? Well, it gets its name from the cold air’s geographic origins. It’s when arctic air spills into the U.S., and it can have multiple sources, including Arctic Canada, Alaska, and in this case, Russia’s Siberia region, which is home to the coldest place on earth.

snow cover

(Weather Undground)

Meteorologists say the active start to January is a sign of what’s ahead.

“We’ve tried to bring some moisture back into places that have not seen it,” says Eric Sodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist with Conduit. “I’ve had this concern for a while about the lack of good flow in the atmosphere and what that’s meant toward building drought in some places through fall and now early winter. And I hate to say it, but nasty winters tend to give us a much better outlook for the next year. So, hey, let’s keep these things going for the rest of January and February, too.”

It’s not just the cold that’s turning heads, but it’s also the amount of snow that’s fallen since the start of the year, and it’s setting records. Take Kansas City, Mo., for example. That area has seen 13.” of snow in January, which makes it the second snowiest start to January in Kansas City history. Some parts of Arkansas saw as much as 15" of snow last week. That compares to areas that typically see snow, such as Chicago, recording little to no snowfall so far this year.

pic.twitter.com/rC9Dbh0qHE
— NWS Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) January 13, 2025

The Winter of Extremes and Episodic Cold Outbreaks

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey thinks the winter of 2025 will be remembered for the extremes.

“With this pattern set up, it’s going to be too dry in the Southwest, stormy in the Northwest, and episodic cold outbreaks across the country,” he says. “Everybody remembers those because especially embedded in an otherwise relatively mild winter, you really remember those hard hitters.”

Cold

(GFS Model )

And that’s exactly what we are in for later this week. According to Rippey, the upcoming Arctic blast is one of those “episodic cold outbreaks” we typically see during La Niña, and what he describes as a re-amplification of the pattern we’ve been seeing for much of the month.

“Sunday night’s GFS model is showing this for extreme minimum temperatures over the next seven days,” says Rippey. “Bitter cold should stay out of the Deep South, but it may get a bit colder than this early next week before it gets better.”

Cold

(GFS Model )

Recent Moisture Helps Drought in Places
What about the moisture? The recent moisture is helping drought conditions in parts of the upper Midwest and some areas of the plains.

“But as you move to the south, that’s where I have concerns, that southwestern quadrant of the country, southern California, to the High Plains, like West Texas, western Kansas, western Oklahoma,” Rippey says. ”All I can say is it’s very fortunate those areas in the central and southern plains had a wet November because it doesn’t look good for the foreseeable future.”

But what about areas farther north, like Montana and the Dakotas? Lerner doesn’t expect widespread relief this winter.

“We’re getting some waves of snow to come across Montana and the Dakotas, but it’s a dry, powdery snow, and it’s really not providing high volumes of moisture,” says Drew Lerner, founder and senior agricultural meteorologist at World Weather, Inc. “This pattern will continue for the next several weeks, so we’ll put out a little bit more snow up that way. But as far as being able to get a big soaking rain type, you’re going to have to wait until spring.”

Meteorologists say one thing we are seeing that’s consistent with La Niña, is the sharp dividing line between wetter conditions and drought. And NOAA’s seasonal outlook shows that divide with below normal precipitation forecast for much of the southwest and Deep South over the next 90 days. Above normal in areas of the northwest and east.

Precip. Outlook

(NOAA)

Temp Outlook

(NOAA )

Drought Watch
Lerner thinks parts of the upper Midwest and northern Plains could see more active weather with rain into spring.

“So, I’m not too terribly concerned about the fact that we’re still seeing persistent dryness in those areas,” Lerner says. “Not all of that region will get relief when we get to the spring, but I would say probably two-thirds of that region will.”

But even with more moisture across other parts of the U.S., Snodgrass says he’s concerned about drought in other areas due to the weak La Niña.

“We tend to be wet through the Mississippi valley and east going into spring. There tends to be lots of storms, but we tend to see the drought that’s in West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, the Sunbelt expand up toward Colorado,” Snodgrass says. “Most models want to bring dry conditions out of the southern Canadian prairie into Montana, and that’s kind of funneling toward the western Corn Belt. And I’ve based this off historical analogs looking at a lot of different years that looks something like this one. We just tended to be a bit hotter and drier.”

He says looking back, six out of 10 years that we’ve seen a similar pattern, we’ve ended up with heat and dryness in key months of July and August.

“To be honest with you, this is the first time in fall and winter that I’ve been kind of saying, ‘Hey, I think our risk is elevated for drought,’” Snodgrass says.

He says something extremely important to watch is what happens in the Gulf of Alaska.

“If between March and June, if that’s where it gets cold, the risk of drought in the Midwest goes way up. Watch that March time frame,” Snodgrass says. “I think that’s where our risk factor is going to be going forward. So I’m watching winter, but I’m more concerned about spring/summer.”

Your Next Read:
Winter Storm Wallops the U.S. With Heaviest Snowfall in a Decade, Southern States Brace for Round 2

2025 Weather: Drought and Root Zone Maps Signal Dryness Ahead

Hope For Drought-Stricken Land? Your Winter Weather Outlook

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 20:30:10 GMT

What is it you remember from last year’s winter? Maybe it was when the wind chill in Kansas City brought temperatures down to -30°F and Patrick Mahomes’ helmet shattered in the middle of a playoff game. A more accurate representation of the season, though, is probably Wisconsin’s snowmobile industry dubbing the season a “lost winter” from the lack of snowfall.

Regardless of how we remember it, last year’s winter was incredibly mild, with temperatures well above normal and snowfall almost nonexistent. But according to Eric Snodgrass, senior science fellow at Nutrien Ag Solutions, the consensus is that the months ahead are going to look a lot different.

“We didn’t really have a winter last year,” Snodgrass says. “This year, we have a better chance of a storm track coming through the “I” states and out through the Ohio Valley toward the northeast. So, the forecast is a little wetter there with periods of colder air. It doesn’t mean it will get cold, stay cold and not stop snowing, but it’s certainly going to be different than a year ago.”

That’s because this winter brings about a 75% chance for La Niña to develop, which is when the trade winds across the equatorial Pacific are strong. With La Niña in the forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting wet conditions in the north and dry, warm weather in the south.

The 2024-2025 U.S. Winter Outlook map for temperature shows the greatest chances for cooler-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.

(NOAA)

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says La Niña can also bring chances for extreme cold events.

“Not every La Niña is like this, but I will say two prime examples were in 1989 and 2021 — that latter outbreak was when Texas pretty much lost power,” Rippey says.

Drought Dangers
With dry conditions in the forecast, Snodgrass says the big story this winter will be whether or not there will be enough moisture to work against the drought that has been building.

“The best winters for agriculture are the ones we hate and remember as being terrible — we get good, hard freezes and plenty of moisture comes in,” Snodgrass says. “If we don’t see that, we get into a situation where we become very dependent on spring rains and may have a conversation about 2025 drought risk.”

The 2024-2025 U.S. Winter Outlook map for precipitation shows wetter-than-average conditions are most likely across the Great Lakes region of the U.S.. Drier-than-average conditions are forecast for parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

(NOAA)

Snodgrass explains drought is often a multiseason effect, and Rippey says this one has been building since June.

“There’s been a four-fold increase in drought to now affecting about 50% of the country,” Rippey says. “That was great for summer crops, dry down and harvesting, but now the problem is what will happen with winter wheat, cover crops, pastures and range land.”

While much of the north will have the opportunity for relief from this growing drought, that likely won’t be the case in the south.

“We are expecting a generally warmer- and drier-than-normal winter across the entire southern tier of the United States, reaching all the way from Southern California to the middle and southern Atlantic coast. That does include important winter wheat production areas into the Southern Great Plains,” Rippey says. “There’s not much reserve right now in terms of soil moisture, and this could amplify already existing dry conditions.”

That brings concern for river transportation as the bump in water levels that came from Hurricanes Milton and Helene has worked its way through the system now.

“Historically, those levels tend to bottom out around January at the latest,” Rippey says. “We’re probably talking about a few more months of low water issues, and then you start to turn a corner around February because plants don’t use as much water during the winter.”

Timing Will Be Everything
Because winter is technically the country’s dry season, it won’t be easy to break drought in the months ahead. For the wet forecast in the north to make a difference, Rippey says it will all come down to timing.

“It’s important to start getting moisture before it gets too cold,” Rippey explains. “When you go into a cool season like this with limited soil moisture, if the cold air comes in too quickly, you freeze the soils before you get moisture, which can limit the absorption of rain and snow into those soils.”

The timing of when La Niña really starts to take effect will be important as well.

“December is going to be the month where we test if this La Niña really has what it takes to give us the things we expect,” Snodgrass says. “Normally, La Niñas peak around Christmas, and then they start to fade. If we miss that opportunity, we will watch all of the sub-seasonal things and hope they can deliver good winter weather to knock out the risk of drought going into 2025.”

But even with a few “drought risk” boxes being checked, it’s still too soon to speculate or worry about what next year’s growing season will look like.

“2022 had major fall drought, and then what happened? It rained in July, didn’t get terribly hot, and we had a decent crop. Indiana had one of its best crops ever in 2023, even though it was so dry in spring,” Snodgrass says. “We have to remember that the crop has many ways by which to stay alive and do well, and we’ve engineered that seed to be better performing even when there is some stress. We can’t make big, broad assumptions that 2025 is going to be a year of substantial drought risk that destroys yield.”

Now Is the Time to Pay Attention to the Weather Forecast: Severe Snowstorm Forecasted to Dump Multiple Feet of Snow

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 21:08:28 GMT

As the calendar flipped to the new year, Mother Nature unleashed the potential for back-to-back blasts of winter weather. From the possibility of blizzard conditions early next week, to flooding in the southeast, the impact on agriculture could be two-fold: a possible cure for drought conditions in parts of the Plains and South, but stressful for livestock.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the forecast is pointing to a very active weather winter pattern in January, which is a hallmark of El Niño.

“There’s no question about it. As I always say, you can’t blame an individual or a single storm and El Niño, but you start looking at the overall patterns, and there’s absolutely no question that when you start seeing a pattern setting up like this, a storm pipeline from the Pacific coming across the Southwest and into the Midwest or east, that is El Niño,” Rippey says.

Eric Snodgrass is a well-known ag meteorologist who’s also watching the change in potential winter weather this month. He says El Niño reached its peak at the end of December.

“It has plateaued. And what that typically means is we tend to have what we call a back-half weighted winter, which means December is usually pretty mild, not a whole lot to talk about, but once we get going into this new year, that jet stream is really going to start to become quite a bit more active,” Snodgrass says.

Active Jet Stream Set to Bring Multiple Winter Storms

The active jet stream is exactly what the U.S. is now seeing, with multiple storms lined up for the start of the year. Rippey says it’s an active storm track that starts in the South, eventually ending up along the East Coast.

“The storm that’s coming out late this week, it’s going to be a decent storm system - a decent winter storm. But it’s going to pale in comparison to the blockbuster storm that we see coming for early next week,” he says.

High Plains with current storm 53% covered in shallow layer of snow. Feet of snow on the way? pic.twitter.com/fAZzWeHurr
— Allen Motew (@QTweather) January 5, 2024

Snowfall reports from the National Weather Service (NWS) Albuquerque, New Mexico station shows impressive snowfall already falling in the Rocky Mountains. As of midday Friday, January 5, NWS reports 10 to 18 inch snowfall totals in the southern Rockies before it made its way across Kansas.

Eye-Popping Snowfall Totals Possible

However, Rippey says this first snow system isn’t the headline. Early to mid-week next week, a different significant storm will emerge from the Southwest and Four Corners region, which could bring monstrous snowfall totals.

“That storm will be going across the Central and Southern Plains Monday and reach the lower Great Lakes region by Wednesday,” Rippey says. “That system really has the potential to create a wide degree of disarray across the country.”

(Farm Journal)

The storm early next week will pack a punch with high winds, but it will also bring much needed drought relief. NOAA is warning of weather impacts that will span from Coast to Coast. They report heavy snow is likely in the higher elevation with blizzard conditions possible. The high winds are expected to hit much of the Central and Eastern U.S., with some winds exceeding 50 MPH.

“Some of them can be big snow makers through parts of the Midwest and some of them are putting down some heavy rains across the South,” Snodgrass says. “And the big picture here is that our U.S. Drought Monitor, which still shows about 50% to 55% of the land area in some form of drought, about one-third of it in the drought categories, that could really change a lot in the coming weeks.”

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Winter arrives finally. 10 days from now mountains, West, Plains, North BURIED! pic.twitter.com/EbPLLFlB74
— Allen Motew (@QTweather) January 5, 2024

The winter storm is forecasted to bring heavy snow, which could provide relief for winter wheat country.

“We’ve already chipped away at the drought across the Great Plains,” Rippey says. “If you look at USDA’s winter wheat condition, we saw improvement from the end of November to the end of December. Kansas winter wheat jumped from 32% good to excellent at the end of November to 43% in December. Oklahoma saw a big jump from 53% to 67% good to excellent. So more moisture, more snow - that’ll be good news for winter wheat.

(Farm Journal)

While the storm system will bring much needed relief, it could also pose problems for livestock producers.

“As the storm crosses the southern Great Plains and moves into the Midwest, we’re going to have a big wind-driven snow event. So certainly, some livestock stress. And then for the Southeast, those folks where it’s not a drought situation, they could be dealing with flooding and flash flooding, as well as our first significant severe weather outbreak of the season early next week,” Rippey says.

Euro model... 😳❄️🌨️ pic.twitter.com/PqZKmP7G0W
— Darin D. Fessler ✝️ (@DDFalpha) January 5, 2024

Much Need Moisture in Areas

As the south braces for impacts of the forecasted storms, Snodgrass says that moisture is desperately needed.

“The South has been, in my opinion, on the wildest ride with moisture in the last 24 months compared to any other place on the planet at this point,” he says.

And as this El Niño pattern takes hold, Snodgrass thinks cotton country could final see some relief this winter.

“I think the best chance for recovery and moisture is going to be across the South, pockets of the Mid-South, the Southeast and in the East Coast,” Snodgrass says. “That track from Texas to South Carolina to Maine, I like it. That area is going to be getting some good moisture.”

It’s not just snow that producers will need to brace for, but temperatures are forecast to plunge with a possible Artic blast. Weather models are pointing to extremely cold and extreme Arctic air also moving in.

Still watching historic climate emergency risk from Arctic blast 📉❄️🌡️

Overnight weather model [ECMWF HRES 00Z] still shows historic Arctic blast into the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. in 6-7 days.

Extremely cold w/potential for snowfall along California coast including… pic.twitter.com/PsNLPAccdj
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 5, 2024

The Duration of El Niño

Snodgrass says the question is how long until El Niño fades, and the impact it could have on the spring.

“If El Niño peaks right now and begins to fade throughout the rest of winter and into spring, I’ve looked at every event since 1960, and most times when that happens, we tend to do okay in the Midwest the following year in terms of precipitation. That’s not a guarantee, but you look at historically, we tend to go out of ridge riding storms, which are often the types of storms that save crops,” he says.

That scenario, however, spells trouble for key growing areas of the South this spring and summer.

“The only way you can get a ridge riding storm system, though, is to put heat and drought across the South. That’s the Cotton Belt that could be impacted negatively by that,” Snodgrass says. “That’s all speculative. But that’s all you got this time of years to base it off of those bigger picture things.”

Areas of the Country Could Still Be Dry This Spring

With the active storms to start the year, there are still pockets of the country that need much more moisture to replenish dry soils before spring.

“I’m worried about the Northern Plains,” Snodgrass says. “I’m worried about the Canadian Prairie on drought. I’m worried about the lack of snowfall we’ve had so far in parts of the upper Midwest. We need to be piling a whole lot more snow there.”

The debate of just how long El Niño will last is heating up. There’s even talk of La Nina making a return this year. There’s no certainty either way, but for now, Snodgrass says a strong shot of winter weather isn’t a bad thing.

“I’ll just tell you this, the nastiest winters we’ve ever had, have almost always given us fantastic springs and summers,” he says. “So, I hate to say it, but I’m wishing for just a terrible second half of winter so that I can talk to you next spring summer and say, ‘Hey wasn’t that terrible? But now look what we got out of it.’”

Related News:

What impact did El Nino have on the weather in 2023?

Winter Cow Syndrome: What You Need to Know

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:45:37 GMT

“Winter cow syndrome” is a term used to describe individual cows or groups of cows that experience a significant decline in body weight and condition over the winter – sometimes becoming extremely thin, even to the point of death. The cause is usually due to a combination of factors including: physical factors of the cow(s), feed quantity and characteristics, and weather.

Cows greater than 10 years of age tend to be at higher risk for “winter cow syndrome” because some cows in this age group will have “broken mouths” or no teeth. While these cows may be able to maintain body weight when grazing growing forage, they are at risk of losing weight on dormant forage or hay.

In addition, heifers that are still growing have greater energy needs than mature cows and are also at risk for “winter cow syndrome.” Cows with other disease problems such as pneumonia, liver disease or severe parasitism (lice or intestinal worms) increase their risk for “winter cow syndrome.”

Feed quality is an important factor contributing to “winter cow syndrome.” Many extremely thin cows have a rumen full of poorly-digestible forage. Mature dormant forage or hay harvested when the plant was mature tends to have high lignin content, low protein, and low available calories.

Because high-lignin/low-protein forages have a very slow passage rate through the digestive tract, cows eating these types of forages are able to consume only about one-half to two-thirds the number of pounds of forage per day compared cows eating higher-quality forage. This combination of low intake and low available energy per pound of feed can easily result in cows losing weight very rapidly even when eating all they can consume.

In addition, mature forages are often borderline to deficient in phosphorus, occasionally deficient in calcium, and also low in vitamin A. Calcium content of many types of grass decreases somewhat as forage matures and becomes dormant but usually maintains levels that supply dietary needs throughout the year. However, by mid-winter phosphorus levels in forage can decrease greatly, particularly for some types of forage. The content of both calcium and phosphorus in forage is not the only important variable – intake also plays a critical role. When forage is dormant or of poor quality and intake is decreased, phosphorus and calcium intake can drop below minimum levels even when cows are grazing what appears to be adequate forage according to laboratory analysis.

Vitamin A is the vitamin most likely to be deficient in cattle diets and although carotene (which is converted to vitamin A) is plentiful in green, growing forage; large losses take place in the curing and storage of roughages. Particularly, hay cut in the seed stage and exposed to rain or to extended periods of sunshine prior to baling has lost most of the carotene content. While it is true that while grazing green forages, cattle can store vitamin A in the liver for 2 to 4 months, cows consuming dormant forage or poor-quality hay for several months can deplete these reserves.

Cows are able to withstand cold winter temperatures as long as they have a dry winter haircoat and adequate body fat. Cows in adequate body condition with a dry haircoat will start to require additional energy to maintain their body temperature when the wind-chill drops below freezing (32 °F) until the cows adapt to the lower temperature – in general, about 1% more energy for each 1 °F below freezing. For example, if the wind-chill averages 20 °F over several days, cows with a dry winter haircoat will require 12% more energy than cows exposed to temperatures above freezing.

The greatest weather stress occurs if hair becomes wet or mud-caked – in which case, the critical temperature rises to about 59 °F and cows require 1 to 2% more energy for each decree of wind-chill below 59 °F. In this situation, an average wind-chill of 20 °F results in cows needing about 40 to 80% more energy just to maintain their current weight. When intake cannot meet this requirement, body fat will be mobilized to supply the deficient energy.

Prolonged periods of exposure to low wind-chill temperatures (especially if the haircoat is not dry) coupled with poor quality forage where intake physically cannot be increased, results in rapid weight loss. If cows are thin to start with, the combination of poor quality forage and low environmental temperatures will lead to extremely thin cows that may be low in phosphorous and vitamin A (and potentially other nutrients) and these cows are often unable to rise (i.e. downer cow).

The likelihood that a downer cow due to “winter cow syndrome” can return to health and productivity is low to very low depending on the severity of the weight loss, the current level of environmental stress, and the availability of high quality forages and supplements.

The best strategy to prevent “winter cow syndrome” is twofold. First, “mouth” and body condition score the cows in the fall and cull any gummer and broken-mouth cows and separate thin cows and feed them so that they gain weight and are in adequate condition by the start of colder weather. Second, have a good forage management and winter supplementation plan that results in cows that maintain adequate body condition throughout the year.

On native range, dormant winter forage will likely need protein supplementation to ensure adequate intake and digestibility of mature plants; in addition, energy may need to be supplemented during periods of cold stress. The amount and type of winter supplementation of hay will depend on the quality of the hay being fed.

Cows consuming high-quality hay may require no additional supplementation. However, if the hay has adequate protein, an emphasis on energy supplementation may be required during periods of environmental stress. If low-protein hay is being fed, protein may need to be supplemented as well.

For herds that calve starting in late winter or early spring, late winter coincides with the last 50 days of gestation and the early post-calving period. Cows in late gestation require about 1.8 pounds of protein per day and about 11.3 mega-calories of energy (if not cold-stressed). Once cows start lactating, their protein and energy requirement increases dramatically. Early lactation cows will require about 2.5 pounds of protein per day and about 16.4 mega-calories of energy.

Cows can be supplemented with a variety of feeds with the best feed for a particular situation depending on cost, availability, and ease of handling. Good quality grass or legume hay, by-product feeds such as wheat mids, corn gluten feed, distillers grains or soy hulls, commodities such as corn or whole soybeans, and commercial cubes or tubs are all potential winter supplements. Regardless of the source, the total diet of forage and supplement should supply adequate energy, protein, salt, phosphorus, and calcium.

In addition to a good forage management and supplementation plan, it is wise to have contingency plans for thin cows as well as for extreme weather events. If you identify some cows that have lost body condition during the winter, they should be separated from the herd and fed a higher energy diet. In addition, extra feed should be available for periods of extended cold temperatures to avoid excessive weight loss.

Beyond Windbreaks: Proactive Winter Management Tips

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:00:35 GMT

Question of the Week: What do you need to wrap up before winter shows up in full force?

Lately, we’ve talked about prepping water tanks and fences for winter. What else is on your list?

Take the time to write it down and then re-write it down in order of most importance. Enjoy what little bit is left of the late fall months.

Beyond Windbreaks: Proactive Winter Management Tips

Buddy Rowlett joins the show from Richmond, Kansas where he raises cattle and works for Gallagher Animal Management. Rowlett shared tips and strategies for working around the challenges winter throws at cattle producers when it comes to winter fencing. This short podcast episode of Casual Cattle Conversations covers the basics of managing added snow pressure with fence design, working with frozen ground and offers a creative solution for electric fences during winter storms.

Snow Pressure & Fence Design
Snow pressure puts extra weight on tapes, wires, posts and corner braces. Your fence design plays a large role in helping your fence get through winter in the best shape possible. Accommodating for snow pressure begins with your corner braces. Rowlett shares that your brace rail should be 2.5 times as long as your fence is tall to reduce the angle of the rail and pressure being placed on the corner post. He also mentions that loosening wires in the winter removes some of the pressure from snow drifts on fence lines and reduces the chance of wires breaking. Temporary electric fences for those who graze residues and stockpile graze will also need extra attention.

“The snow and ice load will create added pressures and weight on temporary fences that aren’t experienced during the summer with these fences. You’ll want to add extra posts to accommodate for this,” said Rowlett.

Working with the Frozen Ground
The best solution to avoid working with frozen ground is to prepare and build before it freezes. “In the summertime, the ground gets hard if it is dry but not nearly as hard as when a freeze sets in. Get your posts set ahead of time,” said Rowlett.

Create a plan for where and when you will need fences, ground rods and energizers to avoid this challenge. Know when you will be grazing which stockpiled forages or crop residues and push these posts in during the fall. If you are using a permanent fence with an electric offset, you don’t have to worry about this challenge as long as your grounding system is already in place.

Creative Winter Fencing Strategies
There is usually more than one way to solve a problem Rowlett shares two strategies to help cattle producers get through harsh winters.

“When we know there is a storm coming in, we will use bales to create a windbreak and put an electric fence around them. We set the electric fence so that calves can get underneath and bed down beside the bales but it keeps the cows from eating the windbreak,” said Rowlett.

Another strategy shared by Rowlett is to loosen any high-tensile wires to help reduce the load on the fence from snowbanks.

Other Winter Fencing Considerations
Having hard ground and snow pressure are not the only challenges that need to be overcome during the winter. Rowlett shares that often times temporary posts and tapes are white. This blends in with the snow and makes it difficult for cattle to see the fence. He encourages cattle producers to use green and orange supplies when possible.

“Another thing to think about is that dry, powdery snow is more of an insulator than a conductor. Cattle might be standing a few inches of this type of snow and not be getting any shock from the fence. In these instances, we may need to investigate a two-wire system of a hot ground where we are carrying that ground with us,” said Rowlett.

And finally, if you are using a solar-powered energizer, be sure to clean snow off of the panel, so that it can continue to charge.

May the odds be in your favor this winter!

"It's Not Hollywood At All": How Veeder Ranch Battled Historic Blizzards, Found Hope in the Middle of the Storm

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 05:19:30 GMT

Once you reach the far western portion of North Dakota, the rugged ways of ranching on the cusp of the Badlands can be challenging, no matter the time of year.

“No calf out there is older than 2 weeks old,” says Chad Scofield, a rancher in Watford City, N. D. “Most of them have been born in the last six to seven days.”

This year, calving in the middle of a blizzard came with a battle that was unlike anything many North Dakota ranchers had ever seen.

“We were told it was coming,” says Gene Veeder, who owns Veeder Ranch and ranches along with his son-in-law Chad. “I guess the magnitude of it just kind of was a slap in the face.”

Veeder Ranch is a family operation that’s relied on this land for more than a century.

“Having that long, hard blizzard for a couple of days, and then another one, I don’t remember that ever happening like that in April,” says Veeder.

The family portion of the ranch is still intact, as Chad is married to Gene’s daughter, Jessie. They all live on the family ranch, raising the next generation.

“We didn’t know when I was growing up here in the 90s whether it was going to be a possibility for me to raise a family out here, honestly,” says Jessie Veeder Scofield. “It was a totally different economic time.”

Jessie’s husband, Chad, has worked on the ranch for several years, but has only been full time for a few years. Now that their family is fully immersed in the ranch life, Jessie is grateful.

“Every day we come to the work we’re doing in the family, that we have here, from a place of gratitude,” she adds.

McKenzie County, N. D., is unique with the median age in the community hovering around 35.

“It is because of the economy, because there are jobs here and the oil activity, especially, brought that to McKenzie County. It brought a lot of fourth and fifth generations back to the family ranches, and that’s been incredible,” she says.

Battling the Blizzard

Carrying on those traditions here, is what Jessie strives to do, even when Mother Nature pushes livelihoods to the limits.

An area stricken with dire drought conditions, the blizzard warnings stirred up emotions the week before Easter.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch (@jessieveeder)

“It’s like gratefulness and fear all sort of balled into one,” says Jessie. “I think everyone in McKenzie County and in western North Dakota was feeling that, because we haven’t seen snow like this for years.”

Both hope and fear entered the picture as the forecasts became closer and closer to reality. Then, just before Easter Sunday, the Veeders saw a blizzard of a lifetime.

“I think it lasted three full days, and it was bad. Like right here where we’re standing, we would have been standing in about 3 feet of snow,” says Chad.

Record-Breaking Snow

As snow piled up, even trying to wade through the snow to get to their tractors was a feat. Typically, the Veeders would enter their pastures on horseback, but the conditions were too extreme this time.

“Just walking from the house to the barn here on the first storm, where we’re standing right now, I had snow to my waist. I was almost panicky because I had to get to this building to get to the tractor to get out,” says Veeder.

“The snow was so deep coming across this road, that I was pushing it with the front of the tractor, not even the bucket, just the actual front of the tractor was pushing it,” Chad adds.

With blinding conditions and snow that was measured in feet, not inches, the first storm was bad enough. Then, just days later, another storm hit, this time as the Veeders were at the height of calving.

“That was hard for us, because we knew that we were going to have calves out there. We did the best we could to give them shelter and get bedding down for them, but if they were born in the night during the weather, we just couldn’t save them,” says Veeder.

Already exhausted from the first storm, the Veeders did everything they could to prepare for the second.

“What we did is we put them in our lowest, most protected areas and had lots of hay and stuff for them to lay on and got them out of the wind,” says Veeder.

Losses from the Storm

Even though the Veeders did everything they could to help protect their livestock, the blinding conditions were followed by ice, as the back-to-back blizzards were intense. The Veeders only had about 20 minutes after a calf was born to save it.

“They were just wet and cold and couldn’t get dry,” says Chad. “And the cows were all confused about who was the mom for each calf, and it was just kind of pandemonium.”

“My brother was here, too, so Chad, my brother and I were in the two tractors out there, and we had multiple calves in the tractor trying to get them warmed up,” says Gene.

Gene’s brother came back from Texas just to help during the storms, and even with extra help, it was a battle to save the calves.

“We were out in the tractors, looking for calves,” explains Chad. “I think we picked up four or five of them. And then a couple of them were able to get back with their moms, and now we are left with three bottle calves still.”

With the brutal conditions, some of the newborn calves didn’t survive the storm.

“We’re still probably going to be calculating the losses,” says Jessie. “It was certainly more than we wanted to lose, but gosh, we could have lost more.”

Ranchers across North Dakota found calves that were lost in snowbanks after the snow melted from the storm, and the losses are hard for even this seasoned rancher to weather.

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“It doesn’t have anything to do with dollars,” says Veeder. “I get a lump in my throat telling you about it. These cows that you raise, you kind of get a bond with them. And then you see them go through all that, and their (calf) just dies in a snowbank in 15 minutes.”

Sacrifices to Save Lives

Veeder Ranch lost around 10 calves, but it’s the lives they saved that the family celebrates.

“We had every family member in our entryway with a heated floor, and we were scrubbing those calves down, getting them dried off and getting them fed and trying to pick them up,” says Jessie.

Jessie’s two girls, along with her sister and her two kids, did everything they could to save each precious life on the ranch.

“One bottle calf, the girls named her Strawberry, and now she’s in the barn doing really well. So you feel kind of victorious with all of those little victories that you get in the process of being kind of desperate,” says Jessie.”

While ranchers will continue to battle the thoughts of what else they could have done to save their livestock, there are many calves that lived because of the sacrifices the Veeders and other ranchers made during the April blizzards. And signs of life are spread all across area ranches, in more ways than one.

“You have to just be in the moment, do what you can and be able to look past it into a more positive situation and know that it’s coming and believe that it’s coming,” says Jessie.

Relief in the Form of Moisture

Better days are exactly what’s ahead. An area that had faced a harsh drought for two consecutive years, saw moisture that was not just needed but crucial this year.

“We were in such incredible drought,” says Gene. “We were getting our business taken from us with a drought. We’re talking about this blizzard, but I felt worse about the drought than I do this blizzard, honestly, I do. It was a hopeless feeling.”

While the blizzard robbed them of some new life, it also brought blessings in the form of moisture.

“It means not having to sell the cattle for us,” says Jessie. “(Having moisture) to grow the grass that didn’t grow back in the fall means we’ll be able to keep our herd. It’s huge.”

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The moisture from the blizzard was extreme, but it saved their herd. Some of the animals they were already forced to sell due to dire drought conditions. Relief is just one of many emotions running rampant as the weeks of brutal weather have made ranchers here tired, both physically and mentally.

“I worked hard enough that my body feels like 90 years old,” says Veeder with a smile. “But never once do I complain because my dad worked way harder. And my grandpa worked way harder.”

Heavy Dose of Grit and Grace

For ranchers across the Plains, weathering the extremes is simply what you do.

“Both my grandparents homesteaded in this area. I don’t know how they did it. I can’t imagine so,” says Veeder. “The Yellowstone thing, there’s not enough dollars in livestock today to live that kind of lifestyle. You have to love it. You have to love getting up every morning looking at your cattle and having my grandkids come in and appreciate it and my kids appreciate these. It’s not Hollywood at all.”

Ranching may not be glamorous like pictured in popular movies or television series, but it creates lessons that last a lifetime, and it requires a heavy dose of grit and grace.

“We had a lot to be grateful for in this situation,” says Jessie. “We have family around us, we have a lot of help, we had the right equipment, we had the moisture. For me grit is just being able to see past it, you know, see past the hard time and into the next step. And the next step is going to be better, we’re going to do this, we’re going to have a plan.”

North Dakota Rancher Braces For Crippling Blizzard That Could Be Catastrophic During Calving Season

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 18:34:38 GMT

Farming and ranching in North Dakota the past two years has been immersed in challenges. With the latest forecast, farmers are weathering yet another challenge as they prepare for a blizzard that could bring 50 mph winds and up to 30" of snow.

Central North Dakota seems to be the bullseye for the blizzard, with forecasts showing that area could see more than two feet of snow, along with winds that could cause white-out conditions.

Farmers and livestock producers are desperate for the moisture, but the snow and the wind will be a battle for livestock this week. Just ahead of the storm, Austin Langley was busy putting out extra hay bales for his cattle. A week ago, he was thinking about planting wheat and barley. But as the forecast changed, Langley had to pivot quickly.

“We have a little under 1,000 mama cows that are calving,” says Langley, who farms with his dad and uncle. “The snow is going to be a challenge along with the fact they said something like 50 mph winds. You can haul the newborns in as fast as you can, but what has my stomach turning into knots is the whole next week with temps below 30 and in the low teens for this coming weekend, too.”

The storm is expected to hit Tuesday and continue to rage across the upper Midwest through Thursday. Mid-April is later than many ranchers calve, but the Langleys started aiming for mid-April, since it’s typically milder and less of a chance for major snowstorms.

This week’s forecast is the worst case, with Langley worried about the newborn calves surviving the snow and cold. He’s also concerned about how he will navigate the white-out conditions to reach the calves in time.

“After these calves get 2’ of snow dumped on them and then it stays cold, it’s hard,” says Langley. “It’s going to be hard to keep them healthy. It’s going to be hard to keep things alive.”

Monday morning update:

⚠ Blizzard Warning in effect for western and much of central ND

❄ Snowfall amounts could exceed 24" in some places, with wind gusts up to 50 mph

🤔 Uncertainty in the far south central and JRV due to more rain possibly decreasing snow totals #ndwx pic.twitter.com/AZ95CknLSC
— NWS Bismarck (@NWSBismarck) April 11, 2022

More than half of North Dakota is still facing drought. Thankfully, Langley is in an area that has seen some moisture. While still faced with a deficit, he knows he needs moisture, but a blizzard could do lasting damage on their herd this time of year.

“We’re focused on the cows right now,” says Langley ahead of the winter storm. “We’re getting some of the calves that are a little bit older into some of the secondary spring pastures that have some good ravine coverage with brush, because we’re going to have our hands full with the newborns. So that’s kind of the plan right now making sure we can keep water to keep water and feed to the cows. Hopefully things will be turn out OK.”

The last time the area saw a mammoth winter storm this late was 1997. Langley says the most recent forecasts are drawing vivid memories of that year for some, along with advice.

“I was visiting with some with an older rancher, and he said, ‘Don’t kill yourself for the one calf. You have to triage. Your family and the rest of the herd are going to need you after this. So be careful out there,” says Langley.

In 1997, ranchers remember using snowmobiles to get to their animals. With the blizzard conditions, tractors weren’t even enough to get the job done. The power also went out for several days.

Typically, Langley would be in the field later this month planting barley and wheat. He says now it will be well into May before they can plant, and there’s some questioning just how much beneficial moisture will blanket the soils, considering the storm could bring such strong winds.

“With 1’ or 2’ of snow at 50 mph winds, where’s that going to end up? Is it going to end up in the ditches and in the valleys? So how beneficial is it really going to be,” he says.

Since grain farmers are on hold doing any field work this week, two of Langley’s friends, who also farm, are going to help them with the cattle this week. That’s as the agriculture community continues to come together and assist when needed most.

Hay Day: Wyoming Rancher Grooms Olympic Downhill

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:48:58 GMT

PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) — The rancher from western Wyoming wears tan overalls pulled over a U.S. ski team jacket, and is every bit as versed in the nuances of hay farming as the subtleties of snow grooming.

He doesn’t even ski for pleasure much anymore due to aching hips, yet the Olympic fates of Lindsey Vonn, Aksel Lund Svindal and many of the best speed skiers are directly tied to the handiwork of Tom Johnston , a no-nonsense cowboy who spends his days toiling among hay bales on nearly 1,800 acres of leased fields near his home in Boulder, Wyoming (population: 170ish).

Johnston also just happens to be one of the world’s foremost experts on shaping a race course , most notably the downhill and super-G tracks that Vonn, Svindal and the rest will zoom down in February in South Korea.

Every tooth-rattling bump and knee-buckling jump on the Pyeongchang course will have been exhaustively groomed by Johnston and his crew, whose goal, in ski parlance, is to create “hero snow” — the grippy surface on which these world-class speedsters can confidently push the envelope.

“A very nice track,” is what the 55-year-old Johnston is promising for a course that was designed by Bernhard Russi , the Swiss downhiller who won Olympic gold in 1972. Johnston has made seven journeys from his home to South Korea over the past two years to inspect and shape the Olympic terrain. “I really enjoy it.”

Johnston has six weather websites loaded onto his phone — including one from South Korea to keep current on conditions — and views them so often that his wife Cassy recently had to increase their phone’s data plan.

He likes to give off a gruff first impression — “I really don’t have time for all these interviews,” he lamented — but, during a leisurely tour of the properties he oversees, it’s clear he’s something far removed from acerbic.

He’s proud of every parcel of this land.

Here lies some of the most sought-after alfalfa in the county. On the other side of a dirt road bordered by badger holes, he shows off his laser-leveled land that produces various classes of hay. They’re meticulously planned out so water doesn’t gather and ruin the consistency of the crop. Across the two-lane highway, reside his roughly 125 head of Red Angus cattle.

On the horizon, the mountain range.

His life used to be a cycle: haying in the summer and, when it turned colder, heading up to Jackson Hole mountain resort so he could coach and direct events the ski club produced. Johnston’s family would follow him there — until the three kids reached school age. He eventually just pulled along a camper or stayed at a cheap place for a few nights before making the 80-mileish drive home.

Back then, Johnston was sometimes spotted wearing a jacket with these words embroidered on the back: “I’d Rather Be Haying.” He honed his craft at Jackson Hole — becoming a course-shaping artist who would water the slopes in extremely cold temperatures to create an icy surface that would hold up from the first racer all the way to the last.

In 1998, the U.S. ski team contracted with the local organizing committee for nationals. As director of Alpine events with the ski club, it was his show.

Johnston’s twists and turns were a hit, along with his organizational skills. Soon after, he became a technical adviser for the U.S. team. He credits Tim “Swampy” LaMarche, his predecessor and another course guru, for teaching him the ins and outs of the profession.

It’s all been trial by error, too.

Johnston was chief for the women’s speed events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and ran the show for the women’s side at the 2014 Sochi Games. He’s known for his aggressive and durable snow, which is precisely the way racers like it. His preference is making it with a snow gun instead of letting Mother Nature do the work.

“Manmade can be super-fine particles so it’s really dense,” explained Johnston, who left for South Korea on Christmas Day. “The natural snow can be dry, fluffy — a real pain.”

He prepared the World Cup course for the women in Killington, Vermont, last month and lent a hand at the World Cup stop in Beaver Creek, Colorado, which is one of the racers’ favorite venues on the circuit.

“The course crew in Beaver Creek is probably the best in the world,” Svindal said. “We always have perfect conditions.”

In South Korea, Johnston’s main tasks include: Build and maintain the snow surface, including the macro features such as jumps and rolls, manage the snowcat operators and installation of safety features. His aim is to help Russi’s downhill design spring to life.

The men’s and women’s downhill tracks vary only slightly, with the men starting at a higher spot and diverging at one point through a narrow gully before merging again. Along the way, there will be four major jumps, which have been modified since a test event held at the site nearly two years ago. The changes should provide smoother, safer landings for the skiers who will be traveling around 80 mph (128.7 kph).

“We have changed the landing zone of the jumps,” Russi said. "(It) means that the jumps will go longer this time. For sure, I will like it. But I will be nervous as well.”

On his farm two months ago, Johnston was worrying more about his hay crop than the ski slope after a quick visit to South Korea for course inspection. There was a snow storm about to blow through and he still had to stack 200 tons of hay. His wife — who works as a dental hygienist and helps in the fields in the afternoon — was driving a truck to haul the bales, while two more workers pitched in. They were up until 1:30 a.m. to accomplish the feat. It snowed three hours later.

Tom and Cassy met at the Green Mountain Valley ski school in Vermont as teenagers and got married in 1986. She occasionally travels with him to races, where he’s been known to ride with the snowcat operators at night as they groom the course or sleep with a radio next to his pillow so he can hear the chatter of those working on his hill.

Quality speed courses and hay are his pride and joy, and they have more in common than you might think. Both take attention to detail. Both depend on Mother Nature. Neither can ever be perfect.

Not that he’ll ever stop trying.

“I get really fussy with every element,” said Johnston, a former racer at Montana State and Whitman College in Washington, where he earned his degree in English literature. “The guys that hay for me, my wife, it drives them crazy. I’ve never put up a good hay bale, because there’s always this wrong with it or that wrong with it. Same with a course.

“But give me good weather and it will be a good course,” he said.

Copyright 2017, The Associated Press

Windbreaks for Protection and Snow Diversion

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:22:21 GMT

Shelter for livestock during the winter months can influence the success of calving and a livestock operation. Protection from the wind and snow is not always readily available from natural topography or living windbreaks such as tree lines or shrub rows. The presence of wind increases heat loss in livestock during the winter and can penetrate the hair coat allowing cold air to reach the skin, accelerating the loss of heat. Constructing windbreaks increases protection for livestock. Installing a windbreak needs to come with the end goal in mind. The windbreak will only be as good as it is designed and using the wrong design can cause more harm than good. Some windbreaks are used primarily as snowfences to collect snow directly on the downwind side. These fences are typically used to prevent snow from drifting in dry lots and driveways further downwind or can be used to collect snow for ponds. Knowing the purpose of the windbreak is vital to its success.

Livestock performance and survival is affected by wind and temperature. When temperatures drop below 18 degrees Fahrenheit, cattle begin to experience cold stress – even with their heavy winter hair coat – and feed intake will need to increase to maintain a suitable body temperature. Calving success can increase by 2% behind a windbreak according to Kansas producers. Below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, energy requirements increase 13% for every 10 degree drop in windchill according to Purdue University. In Montana feedlots during severe winters, cattle behind windbreaks gained 10.6 lbs. more than cattle that did not have windbreaks.

The different combinations of constructed windbreaks include permanent and temporary as well as porous and non-porous. Research by the USDA Forest Service at the Rocky Mountain Research Station examined non-porous or solid windbreaks. Research by the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, and Manitoba Agriculture focused on porous windbreaks. Ultimately, the turbulence of the wind behind the windbreak determines the size of the protected area and the degree and placement of snow accumulation.

A solid (non-porous) windbreak constructed in a “V” configuration will create protection from snow and minimize snow in the crux of the “V”. The sides of the “V” should form a 90-degree angle and the point should be built facing into the prevailing winter winds. This will cause snow to be diverted around the ends of the barrier and form drifts away from the sheltered area. The area of shelter will be downwind about 5 times the height of the barrier. “Shelter” in this design is considered reducing wind speed by 60% with minimal snow accumulation. The shelter width, measured as the distance between the open ends of the windbreak’s sides, should not exceed 15 times the height of the barrier. For example, a barrier 8 feet tall can have sides no longer than 85 feet because the distance between the ends of the sides with that configuration is 120 feet wide. If the sides are longer, snow will begin to drift over the barrier and into the sheltered area. This same design can be used for a temporary or annual windbreak by stacking large round hay bales. Be sure to stack bales tightly to allow no gaps. Stacks two bales high, the bottom vertical and the top horizontal, worked well in ranch tests. A temporary “V” shelter can also be constructed using two 8 ft long panels with a tarp or canvas secured to the panel. This requires some anchor system, but can be a quick one-man solution when weather gets bad.

Porous windbreaks can be constructed in a line and can be permanent or temporary. Effectiveness of this type of windbreak is determined by porosity (open area as % of total), which affects the amount of wind reduction and the area of wind reduction. Porosity at 25-33% will optimize protection from wind and snowdrifts. Years of research have determined the protected area to be 8 to 10 times the height of the windbreak. Therefore, a 10-foot tall fence (with 25-33% porosity) will provide 80 to 100 feet of protection behind it. If using vertical boards to build a windbreak, 6-inch boards with 2-inch spacings will create 25% porosity. For temporary construction, the base must be as wide as the windbreak is tall to avoid toppling. Some temporary windbreaks have been constructed with axles and hitches for portability. Using a steel frame and vertical boards is a sturdy, low-cost option when constructing these windbreaks.

Temporary or portable windbreaks can have tradeoffs. Some advantages include the ability to move calving pastures, reducing hay loss fed in bunks or on the ground, shelter for cattle grazing crop residue fields, manure concentration in a nutrient poor portion of the field, and avoiding feed residue buildup. Some disadvantages of portable windbreaks include moving the windbreaks, often costing more than permanent windbreaks, toppling in extreme winds, and freezing of the base to the ground.

Conclusion

Installing a windbreak needs to come with the end goal in mind. Permanent or temporary, porous or non-porous, the design needs to fit the needs of an operation. In cold and windy situations, protection for livestock will reduce cold stress and aid in calving success and energy requirements. Windbreak designs have their advantages and disadvantages. Evaluate the tradeoffs and put time into the design.

For more information on this topic see the UNL publication EC1766 “ Windbreaks for Livestock Operations ”

Using Weather Forecasts for Newborn Calf Health

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:36 GMT

Calving season has begun, in a winter season that has had some extreme temperature swings. January 2018 had air temperatures as low as -30° F and as high as +50° F. In February and March, drastic temperature changes can continue to be a concern when caring for newborn livestock.

Useful Tools

The Cold Advisory for Newborn Livestock (CANL) forecast at the Aberdeen National Weather Service website can be a useful tool when preparing for new newborn calves, in particular in the first 24 hours. It was created with input from Northern U.S. ranchers, experts in animal science, and those who study biological responses to extreme weather conditions. The CANL forecast takes into account five factors: wind chill; rain or wet snow; high humidity; combinations of wind chill and precipitation; and sunshine vs. cloudy days. As a result, it is a science-based method to combine several weather factors together to determine the hazardous weather risk to your newborn calves.

Risk Scale
A six-category scale ( Figure 1 ) was developed to identify the risk of hazardous conditions for newborn livestock, ranging from None (green color) to Extreme (red color). The categories are described as:

NONE: Wind chill above 41° F
SLIGHT: Wind chill less than 41° F for 2 or more hours
MILD: Wind chill less than 32° F for 2 or more hours
MODERATE: Wind chill less than 0° F for 2 or more hours or Wind Chill less than 32 ° F and .02" precipitation
SEVERE: Wind Chill of -9° F or colder for two or more hours, or wind chill of less than 32° F and .05" of precipitation
EXTREME: Wind chill of -18° F or colder for two or more hours, or wind chill less than 32° F and .1" of precipitation

Figure 1 . Six-category scale to identify the risk of hazardous conditions for newborn livestock.

Forecast Map
These risk categories are displayed on a map of Northeastern South Dakota, and they are updated at least once-per-day. An example of the CANL forecast map looks like the map below ( Figure 2 ). This map for February 13, 2018, shows Mild risk in green, Moderate in yellow over most of the Region, and an area of Severe risk in orange in the North Central counties. A visit to the CANL website will also display the 30-hour forecasts for wind chill, total precipitation and sky cover (cloudy vs. clear). The CANL and related maps are only available for Regions in Montana, North Dakota and Northeastern South Dakota.

Figure 2 . Example of the CANL forecast map hazard areas in SD.

Rancher: “We Are Just Praying for the Best” With Blizzard

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:46 GMT

The bomb cyclone storm continues to move East. This is as cattle ranchers work around the clock to shelter their cattle from the dangerous ice, wind and snow. Ranchers are checking cattle in the middle of the night, as more than a foot of snow pelts of the Western Corn Belt.

Some cow-calf producers are not quite seeing the brunt of the storm yet. They lost power due to freezing rain, high winds, snapped power lines and thunder snow.

“It’s snowing pretty hard,” said Troy Hadrick, a rancher from Faulkton, South Dakota. “[It’s] quite the challenge to get around today. Going to check cows has been pretty tough. We are just praying for the best.”

The spring blizzard couldn’t come at a worse time, as many are in the middle of calving season. For some producers, this is the second blizzard they’ve seen in less than a month.

Calving in the Cold

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 01:57:52 GMT

By: Chris Shelley, Coloradoa State University Extension, Livestock Extension Agent

For many cattle producers, spring calving season has arrived. Those who select early spring calving often do so in order to match forage availability with animal nutrient requirements. Cow and heifer requirements are highest at 45-60 days after calving, which is generally when forage quality and availability is also high. Timing calving so that these two factors coincide can help reduce the amount of stored feed a producer may need.

Much of the nation is home to cold and unpredictable weather during the spring. Temperatures during late February and early March are slowly on the rise, but inclement weather is always a possibility. Cold temperatures and precipitation during calving can be a challenge. Efficiency is maximized at temperatures where cattle do not have to burn a lot of energy to heat themselves up nor expend lots of energy to cool themselves down. When cattle need to compensate for cold weather they often require more food.

Calves undergo several major body changes following birth. One of the more important changes for calves is that they must begin to start generating their own heat. Prior to birth, the uterine environment provided everything for the calf, including heat. As evidenced by successful cattle operations around the world, new calves can survive a great deal of cold weather, but several things need to happen to ensure the calf is ready to combat the cold.

A wet calf is a cold calf. Calves are born covered in fluid which will decrease the calf’s temperature as it evaporates. Ideally, a good mother will lick the calf and remove most of this fluid. Licking the calf is also important in stimulating blood flow and getting the calf to stand up. Be mindful that not all heifers are diligent in “mothering up”. A wet calf uses more energy for heat production than it does for standing and finding the teat. Thermogenesis, heat production, requires metabolic fuel. Calves need colostrum - the sooner the better. Milk replacer can provide some energy for a couple of hours, but colostrum is best.

How can you tell if your calf is suffering from cold stress? One of the best tools is a digital thermometer. A thermometer, used rectally, can give a quick and accurate internal temperature to assess calf condition. Calf temperatures should be between 101º F to 103º F. Calves with cold stress will start dropping below 101º F, and they should be warmed immediately. Cold calves may not shiver. Caution - remember to wash the thermometer between use. This will help to prevent scours and disease transmission. Pay special attention to calves that have had a hard delivery. Calves that have suffered a difficult delivery have a higher risk of neonatal death, decreased colostral intake, and trauma.

What do I do if a calf has cold stress? There are several methods for warming a calf. Methods include using warm water bottles, warm water baths, heating pads, heating crates, calf jackets, or the cab of atruck. If a warm bath is used, be sure to dry off the calf afterwards. Some producers will warm the face, mouth, and neck areas first. The neck and throat area of the animal carries the jugular veins and carotid arteries fairly close to the surface of the skin. By warming these areas, it may be possible to increase core temperature faster. Figure out which method works best for your operation, and be mindful of sanitation and the spread of disease. Cold weather accompanied with precipitation can really devastate your calf crop. Wind breaks and areas protected from precipitation become very important in reducing the exposure of your herd.

Examine your calving area with the following ideas in mind:
• Find out which way the wind generally blows during your calving season and construct wind
breaks accordingly ( see this link for more on windbreaks ).
• If snow or ice is covering the ground, it can cool down calves very quickly. Bedding, such as
straw or old hay, can be excellent insulators from the cold.
• It can be helpful to separate heifers from older cows as heifers generally have a higher incidence of calving difficulty and may require more calf care.