Ag Myths of the Season

Mother Nature has treated us well but we all know that a real Idaho winter is just waiting around the corner to bring an end to these mild temperatures we have been enjoying.  Farmers and ranchers will be the first to admit that we need the moisture of a good winter but they might also be the first to admit that they absolutely don’t want the cold.

Seeing them out in the cold day after day, we might assume that winter on the ranch is easy, no big deal for those farmers and ranchers.  Unfortunately, those happy assumptions are false.  Today I’m here to break through a few of those blissfully wrong assumptions we might have about those hard working people in the agriculture industry.  Some you might already know but there might be something new for you to learn about farming and ranching in the winter.

Myth #1: Farmers and ranchers get a break in the winter

Fact: Things certainly slow down in the winter, that’s true.  But winter can actually be the most demanding season with a workload of daily feeding, breaking ice, calving prep, equipment repairs, and emergency weather response.  

Myth #2: Livestock “don’t mind” the cold

Fact: Winter can be hard on livestock even if they still look content on the frozen range.  Animals need more calories, shelter, and constant monitoring in freezing temps.  Naturally their bodies prepare and adjust to the demands of winter but there are limits to what that hide and back fat can endure.  It’s up to farmers and ranchers to keep them safe and healthy, making their own adjustments to feed, bedding, and shelter to help them weather the winter.

Myth #3: There’s nothing to do when fields are frozen

Fact: Even farmers who only tend crops in the field don’t have the winter months off.  Winter is full of behind-the-scenes work like equipment maintenance, planning next year’s crops, budgeting, record keeping, and fencing projects.  This is the time they work on certifications for pesticide use or spraying application.

Myth #4: Tractors sit idle all winter long

Fact: This idea couldn’t be further from the truth.  In fact, on some operations, tractors are used more in the winter months than even in the haying season.  The daily winter chores require a lot of tractor hours for feeding livestock, pushing snow, and handling any sort of emergency that is likely to pop up.

Myth #5: Winter ag is calm and peaceful

Fact: It certainly can be a beautifully peaceful time.  But at the same time, winter is unpredictable — blizzards, frozen pipes, mud season, and late-night problem solving are part of the job.  Combine that with unpredictability of calving, breakdowns, and cattle in general, it can actually be the most hectic and draining time of the year.

Myth #6: You can just “stay inside” if it’s too cold

Fact: Livestock still need care, regardless of wind chill, drifting snow, or subzero temps.  In fact, the days that are too cold are the days farmers and ranchers suit up for a long hard day making sure the animals are comfortable and tucked in before they are.  Both as good stewards of their herds and in an attempt to keep their livelihood intact, producers can’t ever take a day off because it’s too cold.  

Myth #7: Snow gives animals all the water they need

Fact: Snow isn’t a reliable water source. Eating enough snow to meet daily water intakes is too draining for cattle.  The energy needed to first take in so much snow and then to melt the snow while keeping their bodies warm is too much.  Effectively eating snow is actually a learned skill for cattle.  Hard crusty snow is even more challenging for cattle to consume. Livestock need constant access to unfrozen, clean water, which means daily checks, heaters, and breaking ice for ranchers.

Myth #8: Frozen ground makes chores easier

Fact: About the only upside of frozen ground is hard ground.  But with it comes, obviously, comes ice and ice is never nice.  Ice creates dangerous, slippery conditions, not only for farmers and ranchers but also for livestock making their way across those frozen patches.  Cattle hooves don’t have any grip to them so one wrong step on the hazardous terrain could easily lead to a downed cow that will never walk again.  

Myth #9: Winter driving on the ranch is no big deal

Fact: Country living on lesser maintained rural roads isn’t for the faint of heart.  And not all situations can be answered with a trusty tractor. Icy roads, deep drifts, and whiteout conditions driving a semiload of straw or a trailer full of cattle, even a short distance, can be white-knuckle, seat-pinching stressful and risky.

Myth #10: Ranchers are used to the cold, so it doesn’t bother them

Fact: Dropping warm gloves to go elbow deep in a freezing trough, shirking a coat to give the assist to a struggling cow in labor, laying in the snow to fix down equipment- these are things I have seen farmers and ranchers do on the coldest of winter days.  And I can tell you they didn’t like it.  They just had to do it.  You never really get used to frozen fingers, numb toes, and stinging wind — you just learn to push through.

Most people imagine winter as a slow season in agriculture — a time when fields rest and farmers finally take a break. The truth? Winter is one of the hardest-working seasons on the ranch. While snow blankets the pastures and frost settles in, daily chores don’t stop. In fact, they often double. It’s a season of frozen fingers, early mornings, and a kind of quiet grit most people never see.