Staying Busy on Your Farm in the Winter

Spring and fall may be ideal time for growing crops, but there is still plenty to be done on your farm during winter. The colder weather months are a great opportunity to engage in upkeep tasks that can be challenging to tackle during other months. Below we cover some key projects you can take on during the winter. If you want more advice or want to check out farming equipment for sale, visit FMI Equipment. Our dealership is located in Spokane Valley, Washington. We also proudly serve those in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Use Greenhouse Growing

Some crops can be grown during the winter. You'll first need a greenhouse, which can be a basic canvas shelter or a high-end glass-windowed building. Then you'll need to pick your crops. You'll either want cover crops (such as winter rye, hardy grasses, and buckwheat) or want to invest in row covers. You'll also want crops that can handle the cold, such as cabbages and carrots.

Inspect Your Farm Equipment

Your trusty agriculture equipment has gotten plenty of use in the past few months. Once they aren't needed in the fields, you have plenty of time to give them a thorough inspection. Here you are looking for any wear or damage. It's better to catch problems early than right before it's time to put your farm equipment to use in the spring. If you do uncover an issue, you can bring your farming equipment to our service department to get it repaired in no time.

Update Your Records

There's plenty of bookkeeping tasks that crop up over the year. It can be difficult finding the time to get organized and caught up when you are also managing crops. But the winter months offer a lull that is well-suited for updating your records. You have much more time which can be used to address accounting concerns, make records, review the data you've collected, take note of your harvest yield, and so on.

Inspect Your Shelters

Your shelters serve to protect your agriculture equipment and/or animals from the weather. Make sure all your shelters are up to the task. Make sure your barn is insulated against the rain and wind so that any animals inside can stay warm and any farm equipment can stay protected from damaging weather effects. If your barn has suffered from high winds causing damage, you'll need to engage in roof repairs. You may want to invest in devices that can keep water for your animals from freezing. This could be circulators, heaters, or an insulated tank.

Cull Animals

If you have livestock to tend to, you can consider culling extra animals. This can be a great way to earn some extra money and reduce upkeep costs. Think realistically about the number of animals you can successfully maintain. If you are currently over that number, think about which animals you will want to cull and decide whether you want to have them butchered or sold. This can help you provide better care to your remaining animals, so it's an important decision to contemplate each year.

We hope you found this article helpful. If you are looking to buy agricultural equipment, head over to FMI equipment for a wide selection. If you aren't sure which ag equipment best suits your needs, our expert staff is ready to help. Tell us your project needs and budget and we can suggest the best farm equipment to help. You'll find us in Spokane Valley, Washington, and we also serve those in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We can help you with whatever you need, so stop by today!