Someone told me that farmers would rather have snow all winter instead of an open winter.
Why would that be?
If you are a dairy farmer snow can be both an inconvenience and a benefit. Dairy farms have
vehicle and farm equipment entering and leaving the farmstead every day of the year. Snow
removal from driveways, parking areas and farm roadways can be very time consuming and is
an added expense for the business. Milk trucks, feed trucks, farm supply delivery trucks,
livestock haulers and veterinarians all need easy access to the farm all year long.
A benefit to snow throughout the winter is that it can be a good thing for some of the crops
that farmers grow. Snow can be a great insulator for many of the crops and protect them from
extremely cold temperatures. A lack of snowfall throughout the winter is not good for winter
cereal grains (wheat, rye, triticale, spelt). The colder the temperatures without snow cover, the
bigger the threat to the crop. Alfalfa, too, can benefit from a blanket of snow to provide
insulation to the crown, located on top of the taproot, from cold temperatures. If the alfalfa
crown is damaged the plant may die or not form as many shoots or buds in the spring. Winter
damaged alfalfa that does survive will have reduced hay crop yield.
The two biggest concerns for alfalfa and winter cereal grain growers during the winter months
are a January with a lack of snow cover accompanied by extremely cold temperatures or a midwinter thaw in February followed by intense cold temperatures.
By Mike Hunter, Regional Field Crops Specialist, Cornell University
January 14, 2017