By Nathan G. Briggs, M.S.
Field work slows down in the winter. Learn what can be done during the winter months to be better prepared and less stressed during busy, growing season.
Grass is wilting for the year and field work has come to an end. Daily activities on a beef operation are slowing down. Utilize the cold off-season to catch up on repairs, maintenance, and renovations. The following are some reminders of areas that might need attention.
Catch up on any postponed repairs or maintenance.
Throughout the growing season machinery and cattle equipment break. Equipment hardly ever needs repaired when time is available for proper fixes, so temporary repair is done quickly to continue working in the fields. This time of the year is a good time to pull that piece of equipment out of storage to properly make the repairs needed. Be ready for the next busy season. If gates or fencing has been damaged, this off-season would be a good time to replace the damaged fence or gate. Springtime will consist of racing between storms to get feedstuffs sowed or harvested. Make sure your operation is ready for you to be in the field.
Maintain regularly used equipment.
An important way to reduce wear and tear or depreciation of equipment is to maintain equipment regularly. How frequently maintenance is needed varies from operation to operation based on how much the equipment is used on the operation. An example of regularly used machinery would be a TMR mixer or grinder. Over the winter months, take a moment to look over the equipment in addition to regular greasing. If preemptive repair needs to be done, then try to get the repair done before a future breakdown.
Preemptive Repair.
If equipment is taken to a dealer to get looked over before the season, now would be a good time to get scheduled in their calendar to ensure the equipment is back when it's needed. If maintenance is done in-house, look over equipment in case a bearing or other major part needs replaced before the next season. Preemptive repair allows for fixes to be completed when time allows and can increase the longevity of the machinery or equipment.
Check/change fluids in tractors.
Tractors make planting, spreading, and harvest season possible. Some tractors are used less during the off-season, so take the time to look over the equipment or schedule a date at the dealer for regular maintenance. Complete maintenance while time permits, so regular fluid changing is not forgotten or procrastinated.
Make sure equipment is stored properly.
If a pesticide sprayer or an inoculant applicator was used, make sure that equipment is properly winterized to prevent over-wintering damage due to freezing. Also, make sure equipment is stored under a roof to ensure its longevity. If a lack of building space is an issue, prioritize equipment that depreciates the most and is used the most to be stored inside of buildings.
Check barns, pens, gates, feed troughs, waterers for proper function.
Review livestock facilities for needed maintenance. Buildings can get expensive quickly, so do regular maintenance to make ensure building longevity. Make any necessary changes that will allow for easier feeding or moving of cattle. These changes could be as easy as adjusting/lubricating gates to move easier. Make sure waterers are not leaking. Leaky waterers waste money and energy and can produce a slick, dangerous environment for cattle. By putting time in now, you can save time in the future.
Make operational goals.
Lastly, future planning is extremely important for sustainable operations. Take the winter off-season to put time into developing goals for your operations. Think of changes that would allow the business to grow and sustain. Use the five SMART criteria when developing goals. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. An example goal would be to sell 100 head of fat cattle in the upcoming year. The goal is specific about selling fat cattle and measured by the number of head sold. Under the assumptions that the producer has the amount of space for 100 head of cattle in one rotation (or 50 head through two rotations) and the facilities are already set up for beef cattle, then the goal is attainable and relevant. Lastly, the goal timeline is throughout the upcoming year. Some goals can be more specific to time. For instance, a goal could be to catch up on all machinery repair by the end of February. To make this goal more specific, identify all outstanding repairs. Good long-term goals can contain multiple short-term goals that are needed to achieve the long-term goal.
In conclusion, utilize the time from the off-season to prepare for the upcoming growing season. Trying to stay ahead of repairs can help alleviate some stress during the growing season. Ultimately, not all repairs can be forecasted, so there will be bumps along the road. Improved cattle feeding and moving efficiency can help alleviate more time to be allocated to the growing season. Prepare for the future by making some goals for the direction you want your business to move towards. Businesses that are sustainable are looking forward to a few steps to be prepared for production issues, growth, and/or diversification.
Source : psu.edu