When I was in grade school there were very few things I enjoyed as much as a good snow day. When school was called off, I got to play outside in the snow making snowmen and having snowball fights. It’s funny how things change over the years.
Then, when I was old enough to be useful help, Dad saw a snow day as a chance for extra chore help. This made the day not nearly as much fun, but it still beat the alternative of being in school. Snow days were tolerable and even enjoyable.
Fast forward to the present, snow days are not nearly as much fun. In fact, I really don’t like them. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the moisture they bring. I just wish there was some way to get moisture without mud.
Snow and the cold associated with it just add another layer of difficulty to everyday chores and come with added stress and worry when it comes to the livestock I care for. I do have to stop and appreciate the beauty of the snow, but that appreciation is short lived when it comes to feeding and bedding livestock.
We know that in agriculture there is no such thing as a snow day. I always get amused when the local news advises everyone to stay inside, rest and relax when the weather turns bad. There is no rest and relaxation for those of us who own livestock.
Am I complaining about this, well, maybe a little, if I am going to be honest. Would I trade taking care of my animals, even in the worst of conditions, for another job? I wouldn’t trade this way of life for any other, no matter how demanding or uncomfortable it may be.
Our livestock come first, and winter weather means long days before the storm, preparing for it. Longer days during the storm as we make sure all the animals are cared for as well as we can and more long days after the storm making sure that we are ready for the next round of inclement weather.
Even when we are inside, warm and dry, our thoughts are with our livestock. I think I have spent more nights pacing the floors, hoping and praying everything is OK than I want to admit. We dedicate our lives to the care of our animals, and we should be proud of that.
We take care of what is entrusted to us without giving it a second thought, coming inside just long enough to warm up, change into dry clothes before charging back into the cold, ice and snow. All of this to ensure that our consumers can be assured they will be able to have their bowl of chili or lamb stew.
Caring for livestock may not be as cool as flying as fast as a speeding bullet or driving the Bat Mobile, but make no mistake, it is our superpower.
—Glenn Brunkow is Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher.
