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Still plowing snow in the great white north!

G

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2005
Messages
998
Location
Central Alberta, Canada
All you folks that have grass and flowers showing - just a reminder of how the other half lives. I borrowed a 4wd with 14 foot blade from my neighbouring Hutterite colony this afternoon to try and move some drifts. We've warmed up to +6C today but these drifts will take a while to move at that rate.
jdplow.jpg

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Start by clearing the gates out.
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plowing out a lane where I need to move cows down into a new field next week - pretty tough going!The blade is 5 feet high!
drift2.jpg

Sugar type snow that is hard packed - toughest stuff I've ever had to plow.
I got this lane open after an hour but had to leave another 1/2 mile stretch that was just too deep/hard. I'll need to keep driving the long road round to feed my cows :(
Roll on spring! :D
 
You have company GF. I've spent the last 3 days with a similar unit and a bobcat making access to shelters and gates to get ready to calve. Pasture calving starting at the end of the month usually works down here but just in case some man made bare areas seem to be indicated. Our snow is pretty much the same as yours looks. East and south of here it is all gone. Guess were just living right.
 
You are keen Per, we only start heifers on April 1st - cows are 3 weeks later. The latest we have been reasonably clear of winter snow cover was April 10th but I like to build in a little safety window.
Was up at Clyde yesterday and there is visibly less snow around HWY 2 between Ponoka and Edmonton. Lots of bare patches, gophers and even dirt blown of plowed fields. North of Edmonton has better cover.
 
Grassfarmer said:
You are keen Per, we only start heifers on April 1st - cows are 3 weeks later. The latest we have been reasonably clear of winter snow cover was April 10th but I like to build in a little safety window.
Was up at Clyde yesterday and there is visibly less snow around HWY 2 between Ponoka and Edmonton. Lots of bare patches, gophers and even dirt blown of plowed fields. North of Edmonton has better cover.
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I have a grain farm habit as well. Hfs for 30 days at the same time as cows for 45. First cycle is a little hectic. Then move on to the fields. Kinda tired by the time the crop is in. There might be a better word than keen. :wink:
 
Oh dear, I hope spring comes your way soon :-) . I'd trade you a little snow though, it's dry here, and they're forecasting another drought... I never knew we were out of the old one :roll: .
 
We call it Sierra Cement,and i'm still moving it,and it has'nt snow in a week,but if you leave the sticks where i live and head 10 miles away to the valley,no snow there?.After all my spring talk yesterday more heavy clouds are moving in.Bet it 's good to have Hutterites with good snow plowing equipment. :wink:
 
Just think all the free nitrogen. We have to buy it here.
Good excuse to have a big four wheel drive tractor with cab.
This summer you will be sending photos of your fat calves.

One fellow up the road from here burned his fields friday.
Only 50 degrees today. But to be 70 tomorrow. And we are still feeding the cows.
 
garn said:
Good grief, that's alot of snow! How worried are you guys about spring flooding when all of that melts?
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In our area, we endured severe drought in '06 and '07. Last year, we had some wet weather in May and June that kept '08 from becoming a drought year as well. All the snow this year is need to make up for everything we lost in our two drought years though.

There will be some localized flooding, largely in floodplain fields. Most operations and calving grounds are located on the tops of hills, so flooding shouldn't hamper the cows. Might wash out a few culverts...

Southeastern Manitoba is going to have a hard time with flooding this year.
 
No matter how much snow we get here, flooding isn't usually an issue unless there is a huge rain event. The creeks will surely rise though. A culvert or two plugged up could make some good pics! Can't speak for GF as he is in a different time zone weather wise. Pretty impressive snow pack there, ours is shrinking fast with this Chinook.
 
No, I'm not too worried about flooding. We are on reasonably flat land with a river going through the middle. Our soil is very sandy too so it soaks up water like a sponge once the frost gets out. We get about one big flood in 10 years the neighbors say. 2007 was the last flood event but that wasn't so much melting snow as a heavy rainfall event in early May (4.5 inches inside 24 hours!) on top of already saturated soils. I had to evacuate a couple of my banked calving pastures in a hurry!
Chinooks?? what are they Per? I hear they get up as far as Innisfail - we are an hour north of that.
 

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