February 4, 2010

Cold and snow challenge state’s farmers

RADFORD—Nick McNeil has been watching the forecast closely as meteorologists call for even more snow in southwest Virginia this weekend. “They say we could see as much as 20 inches,” he said. “I have got to prepare for it no matter what.”

McNeil is a cow-calf producer who keeps an average of 140 head of cattle on his Montgomery County farm. When bad weather hits, his first concern is for the health and safety of his herd.

“I have been putting out extra hay for the cows each day,” he said. “I won’t unroll the bales until it stops snowing. That way it won’t get wet and ruin. I will spread it out after the snow stops, and that helps to not only feed them but give them a dry place to rest and keep warm.”

The biggest concern for livestock producers when temperatures drop into the teens overnight is keeping water from freezing over. “I check that a couple times a day,” McNeil said. “Watering the animals is as important in winter as it is in July and August.”

Like humans, cattle will seek shelter when snow begins to fall. “Most of the time our cows will take the calves up to the pines to find shelter away from the snow,” McNeil said. His cows had most of their calves in the fall, and the cold and snowy weather has hindered their weight gain. “While they are healthy calves, their weight gain isn’t as progressive as it could be in more optimum conditions.”

January was a challenging time for farmers across Virginia. And the unusually high amount of precipitation has made crop producers’ field activities much more difficult.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that frozen soil has allowed grain producers to complete the 2009 corn and soybean harvest, but conditions are not good for soil preparation for spring crops. Small grain development is behind, and weak wheat stands are prevalent due to excess water in fields.

Contact McNeil at 540-392-5113 or Sherri McKinney, VFBF video producer, at 804-290-1148.