Be Ready for the Cold
We’re getting deeper into the cold weather, meaning proper winter preparation for you and your farm is becoming increasingly important by the day. We recently talked about proper winter storage of your combine, but today we want to look at the slightly bigger picture and share some of our overall recommendations for preparing your entire farm for the winter. Let’s take a look at what the Koenig Equipment experts have to say:
Have an Emergency Plan
Being caught unprepared in the cold is not only frustrating but also potentially very dangerous. If a winter storms rolls through and leaves you and your family stuck in your home, you need to be ready to deal with that scenario. Discussing these types of scenarios with your family every year can be very helpful as it allows you to be ready if something does occur. Additionally, it is recommended to have an emergency supply kit with items such as clean water, food, a battery-powered radio, and a first aid kit. If you have a generator (another of our recommendations!) this should be tested to ensure it is functioning properly before an incident occurs.
Winterize your Vehicle
Similar to how we talked about certain steps that need to be taken to prepare your combine for winter, the same can be said for your daily vehicles. Checking the various systems such as battery, wipers, lights, brakes, tires, and fluid levels could all make the difference when you’re out on the road in the winter weather. Be aware of road conditions, especially if the possibility of ice is present. Driving during winter storm warnings or blizzard conditions can be extremely hazardous so exercise extreme caution.
Prepare your Animals
If you have animals on your farm you also need to make sure they’re content and safe for the winter. Make sure you have enough feed on hand. Keep sufficient bedding (and maybe a little extra) to ensure the animals are warm and comfortable. Confirm their water access is functional for the coming cold months. Also try to keep your animals as healthy as possible headed into the winter. The cold/wet conditions can already be difficult to deal with, so adding in sickness on top of that can put a lot of stress on animals.
Prepare your Property
Once the heavy snow sets in, it’s difficult to address some aspects of your property so it’s better to do it sooner than later. Any debris in high traffic areas that could be obscured by snow should be thrown away or moved to a safer location. Snow plow stakes should be placed on the perimeter of any driveways and parking areas to ensure a plow does not damage structure or land.
Prepare your Shelter
As you’ll be spending a lot of your time indoors in the cold months, it’s important to make sure that your home is ready for this time of year. Cleaning your gutters and repairing any leaks in the roof are both important aspects of this house prep, along with removing tree branches that may cause damage to the building. You should also be sure to store any hoses you have until the spring. These same practices can applied to any facilities that you keep your animals in.
These are just some of the tips we recommend when it comes to preparing your farm for winter. For more tips like this, contact the experts at Koenig Equipment today!