Turn the lockdown to your advantage as you settle into winter farm routines

There is some comfort in the routine of farm work this time of year, the workload is fairly predictable, with the same tasks needing doing each day. Picture: iStock

It seems like we’ve taken a big step backwards this week with lockdown having come into effect last night.

This time of year can be difficult for the best of us, with darkening days and generally worsening weather conditions.

However, now is our time to take our cue from nature and the environment around us.

Many of nature’s creatures and plants go into dormancy for the winter, and I am taking a somewhat similar approach to this current lockdown period, and to the end of the year.

Of course, none of us wilfully wishes that our freedoms are restricted but, for the greater good, we must sacrifice this time, in order that we can enjoy better times ahead.

On the farm, cows have been rehoused this week, and the transition to the winter regime has happened, even though I like all other farmers wish we could just get a few more weeks out of the grazing season.

I will take solace from the steady and recurring humdrum routine of farming for the next six weeks.

The day to day workload on the farm will increase somewhat, with cubicles needing cleaning and bedding, and silage to be fed out.

But, for the main part, the workload is relatively light.

There may be some opportunity for day grazing but, all in all, there is only about 15 grazings ahead before total pasture close-up.

There is some comfort in the routine of farm work this time of year, the workload is fairly predictable, with the same tasks needing doing each day.

Milking the cows is a quick affair, as yields pull back quickly.

I will take some time to plan for the year ahead.

I know already there is some land which will need reseeding, and I will plan out where other crops will grow.

I use this quieter time of year to make small but incremental improvements to the farmyard.

A big effort was made earlier this year to get the yard back in shape and, following the annual plastic recycling event, a trip to the scrap yard, and one skip of rubbish disposed of, the “feng shui” is now good, something I hope to maintain into next spring.

For many of us, the hard work of the year has passed, fodder is stored, grain is harvested, straw and hay are saved.

Us farmers, more than most people, can look forward to the excitement that spring brings, whether that’s newborn calves landing safely, or cattle bounding out of the trailer into fresh grass.

The heat of the summer sun will again be on our faces, and the hum of silage harvesters, mowers and combines will return to the fields.

In the meantime, we should take this opportunity to rest mentally and physically and be kind to ourselves.

There has been a lot of external pressure this year, whether that’s from Covid or the risk of Brexit, a challenging harvest, and the increasing workload that is farming, and it’s important to get away from that too.

Take time out to walk your farm boundary.

From one end of the year to the other, we might not actually step foot in some of our fields, all work being done from the cab.

Gather and plant some tree seeds.

Watch some comedy, and make yourself laugh. Put yourself in a happy place.

If you are under financial pressure, remember that help seldom comes uninvited, go look for help and you will find it.

Ring around and check in with neighbours and friends.

Some farmers take farm husbandry a bit too seriously, and can become married to their job, working for the farm rather than the farm working for them.

Sometimes it is hard to see the wood from the trees.

Forced time off can give us a bit of perspective and some valuable thinking time if used positively.