Thankful for a good, old-fashioned Indiana winter

On the farm, when it is 94 degrees and the humidity is so thick it feels like walking through warmed up honey, we dream of the winter months. When the weed, insect and parasite pressure is so tough because we had mild temperatures the previous winter we talk about how badly we need a true winter with freezing temperatures to help kill off some weed seeds and the parasitic eggs and larvae.

So now here we are in what feels like round twenty-four of single digit temperatures along with daily additions of snow with some occasional ice and what are we saying now? Are we wishing for those hot days of summer again? Nope. While it may make for some challenging days, we grin and bear it and repeat our mantra, “We need this. We need this.” 

All of us believe it will help us out in the days to come for healthier animals and make it easier to grow delicious produce for our community in the growing season. Although, I will admit that I do think this may be taking it too far in the other direction. Sure, we need the ground to freeze and stay that way for a while, but it can do that at 20 degrees, right? And I do not believe we need all that gusty wind whipping around, that is for sure! 

This used to be a normal winter for Indiana but now it seems that maybe every 4-5 years we get a “proper” winter. And although it does add a little more work to the regular everyday tasks of taking care of the animals and losing some mobility with the extra layers of clothes, it is good for the farm, overall. It doesn’t, however, make you stop worrying about the health of the animals so even though there is extra work involved, you know that it is worth it to be sure the animals are as comfortable as you can make them.

Whether it is adding wood to the wood stove that heats the barn at regular intervals so the older alpacas don’t get too cold or it’s getting those extra feed bags and straw to the chickens even though you have to walk extra slowly on the icy ground. It is being sure those water buckets get cleaned even if the scrub brush (and your hands) freeze immediately and it’s getting the alpaca jackets on the ones that need just a little more warmth than their fiber can provide.

It is what we all do to help those we care about. And one thing is for certain, we did get our “proper” winter so hopefully we will reap some of the benefits from that when spring and summer roll around again this year.