Farmer Focus writers share their snow stories

Farmers are continuing to battle against the freezing temperatures and heavy snow.

Livestock producers are particularly hard hit – some farmers are struggling to get their milk collected and looking after stock has become a labour-intensive struggle. Farmers Weekly asked a number of our Farmer Focus contributors for updates on their situation:

Robert Neill from the Jedburgh in the Scottish borders said just feeding stock at the moment was a full-time job.

“With temperatures plummeting to minus 14, today has been spent trying to defrost water troughs,” he said.

“Even bedding cattle has become a time consuming job when the netwrap is frozen or covered in snow. 

“We had to bring in extra feeding trailers for the sheep because they were all so desperate to get to the silage they were jumping on each other. Even the hens had to be dug out of their hen house yesterday morning.”

Jolyon Higgs from mid-Wales said they were working hard just to stand still.

“The Land Rover was very difficult to start this morning and when it did start it was frozen to the ground.

“We went out in the quad bike to feed sheep, hit a snow drift and had to leave the trailer where it was. We were lucky to get the bike back to the yard.”

Clyde Jones from Hampshire said he has cows and heifers that are out wintered on forage crops that require a fresh break every day.

“But the ground is so hard there is no chance of getting electric fence stakes in, so we are sticking the stakes in the fodder beet bulb itself.”

Mr Jones said the parlour and teat spray lines had also frozen so he had been forced to milk just once a day on Tuesday (5 January).

In the Exeter area Andrew Freemantle said his pigs were coping with the low temperatures but their growth would be slow as more energy was being required for maintenance.

“We are also running out of our own straw and will have to buy some in soon,” he added.

Tom Rawson from Dewsbury in Yorkshire said the good news was that he had 27 tonnes of cow cake arriving today and the milk tanker was expected tomorrow.

But he added: “I have just been to my local builders merchants for some more rock salt – in the last ten days it has gone from £70/t to £200/t, plus it no longer looks anything like the previous material.”

Adrian Harrison from Leyburn, in the Yorkshire Dales said the farm had been submerged in snow and ice and has been since 17 December.

“Talk about hard work, nearly every day we have had a fresh problem to face, whether if be more snow to move and deal with or frozen up water supplies to getting in supplies of animal feed and straw.”

The situation for arable farmers does appear to be a little easier. Andrew Charlton from West Norfolk said the situation was not too bad there and he’d even managed to load a lorry with feed wheat on Wednesday (6 Jan) that had been delivered to Diss without a problem.

“From an organic perspective this weather could be good news in giving a bit of extra control – through harder frosts – of volunteer potatoes and overwintering pests.”

David Shepherdson from Seamer, near Scarborough added that he wondered if the prolonged spell of wintry weather could push up grain prices.

“We’ve now been under snow for the best part of a month and to get through much more of this weather will necessitate livestock units buying in extra feed, which should, in turn, lift prices.”

How is the weather affecting you? Share your experiences on the forums and view pictures submitted to the snow gallery. You can also add pictures of your own.