Winter storm

[Ky hills]

Looks like we're going to get a rough one here tomorrow through Monday then cold after that.
Weather maps predicting 4-8 inches of snow with sleet and freezing rain on top of that.
Has it hit like they predicted other places yet?
We been trying to prepare as much as can. Put out the equivalent of 4-5 days worth of hay out this afternoon. Covered up the hydrant and faucets. Put anti gel in the tractor diesel.
Hoping the electric doesn't go out, got some propane in case it does.
Hoping for the best and y'all be safe.
This a a picture of the prediction on one of the Lexington tv stations. It's an accurate portrayal of Lexington, the word is bigger than its county so it spreads into others. We are located just a little below the red interstate line below the o and n, in the dark blue area to left of and about center if the red box that lists the snow and ice amount.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Looks like a normal monday to me. Ha

 

[kenny thomas]

How it is here most times

 

[Logan52]

No snow at 8:30 when my wife and I went out to feed the cows and bring in some firewood from the other place. By 9:30 it was really coming down and we had a slick ride in the truck on a narrow county road. By noon we had a solid five inches and it began to mix with a little sleet and freezing rain. The state road is solid covered and slick.
Everything is fed and we have firewood on the porch and a pot of beans on the woodstove. Church was called off today.
I guess it is football on TV unless the power goes out.

 

[4hfarms]

What do city people do when the power goes out?

....been a long time, I forgot.

 

[greybeard]

They do the same as country people do. They have sex.. surely it hasn't been that long ....

 

[Travlr]

What do city people do when the power goes out?

....been a long time, I forgot.

A couple of days ago the power was out in the town 20 miles south of us. We went in for a you-bake-it pizza and people were standing in the lobby waiting for the power to come on so they could use their credit cards. I asked the guy behind the counter if I could just pay cash and get the pizza... and you keep the change? Everybody's eyes go wide and they all said, "Oh, I could pay cash too." So the guy says, "I'll have to make a call to see if that's okay." (facepalm) So it tuned out it was okay with whomever he called and everybody got their pizza and by the time the power came on we'd all left. And the guys working all got good tips.

 

[chaded]

We have been getting it this afternoon and evening. Level 2 already and they are shutting everything down for tomorrow.

 

[sassafras manor]

For us in south central Illinois it was hysteria following the forecast of 10-15" and we got maybe 5". Expect 1/3 to 1/2 of what they are calling for in your area and it'll be more accurate

 

[Ky hills]

For us in south central Illinois it was hysteria following the forecast of 10-15" and we got maybe 5". Expect 1/3 to 1/2 of what they are calling for in your area and it'll be more accurate

I like that assessment, and hope it holds up for us too,So far we have probably 5-6 inches of snow, I checked 5 inches at 3:30 and its been sleeting for a while.
Yeah, the weather folks like amp up their reports. We call one the tv forecasters a weather alarmist. They have new terms like bomb cyclones, arctic blasts etc.
it caught them off guard one time back in the 90's. They were calling for a light dusting by the next morning, and we had a record 18 inches. We refer to it as the time we got an 18 inch dusting.

 

[4hfarms]

A lot of rain and just above freezing. Should hopefully be frozen by morning.

 

[kenny thomas]

View from a snow plow truck. It was snow covered earlier but it warmed up and started raining. We plowed the highway and salted it and no problem now.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Must not be snowing too hard you can see the plow in front of the hood. Lol

 

[sstterry]

View from a snow plow truck. It was snow covered earlier but it warmed up and started raining. We plowed the highway and salted it and no problem now.View attachment 52830

Are you working for the County now? Is there any truck you don't drive?

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Looks like we're going to get a rough one here tomorrow through Monday then cold after that.
Weather maps predicting 4-8 inches of snow with sleet and freezing rain on top of that.
Has it hit like they predicted other places yet?
We been trying to prepare as much as can. Put out the equivalent of 4-5 days worth of hay out this afternoon. Covered up the hydrant and faucets. Put anti gel in the tractor diesel.
Hoping the electric doesn't go out, got some propane in case it does.
Hoping for the best and y'all be safe.
This a a picture of the prediction on one of the Lexington tv stations. It's an accurate portrayal of Lexington, the word is bigger than its county so it spreads into others. We are located just a little below the red interstate line below the o and n, in the dark blue area to left of and about center if the red box that lists the snow and ice amount.
View attachment 52816

About the 4-5 days of hay.... I like the idea as you may not be able to put additional out, but you need to consider how you might get out to the hay bales, and maybe you might want to cover at least a few with tarps. Reason being, the cows can deal with 6-8 inches of snow, maybe even 12 (we might get that where I am) BUT the cows WILL HAVE a DIFFICULT time with a half inch of ICE. With your pre-placed bales, your preparation might just be all-for-naught if the cows can't eat what you put out for them. I hope they will be able to though. (hence tarp a few if you can)

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I like that assessment, and hope it holds up for us too,So far we have probably 5-6 inches of snow, I checked 5 inches at 3:30 and its been sleeting for a while.
Yeah, the weather folks like amp up their reports. We call one the tv forecasters a weather alarmist. They have new terms like bomb cyclones, arctic blasts etc.
it caught them off guard one time back in the 90's. They were calling for a light dusting by the next morning, and we had a record 18 inches. We refer to it as the time we got an 18 inch dusting.

The storm is drifting south. We were forecast for 5" of snow and 0.3" of ice. now the ice is forecast for 0.1", BUT, now 6-12" of snow!

 

[Ky hills]

About the 4-5 days of hay.... I like the idea as you may not be able to put additional out, but you need to consider how you might get out to the hay bales, and maybe you might want to cover at least a few with tarps. Reason being, the cows can deal with 6-8 inches of snow, maybe even 12 (we might get that where I am) BUT the cows WILL HAVE a DIFFICULT time with a half inch of ICE. With your pre-placed bales, your preparation might just be all-for-naught if the cows can't eat what you put out for them. I hope they will be able to though. (hence tarp a few if you can)

That's definitely a consideration, I typically unroll hay, but thought that would be a problem for sure with ice.
I put that much out hoping to make it through the worst of it, but the snow and ice ain't going anywhere for a while, so I know I'll have to go put out more before it's gone. I've got two rolls in the tractor in a barn to do for the first day I put out hay again.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry @Mark Reynolds ... you really need to have some practical cow experience so you don't show how impractical your comment is... about tarps on the hay... are you suggesting tarps out where it is already put out for the cows??? REALLY.....Or tarp some that someone will being going out to get to take out? You take the tractor spear, or the arms on the bale bed and bang into the hay roll a couple times, and then the ice will mostly come off when you go out through the field and it jounces a little... and you can take and "drop it" on the ground once or twice to get more ice broken off...
Or unroll just an outside layer and then set the rest in the ring with no ice on it...

You have obviously never seen cows shoving and pushing on the bales of hay either. The bull will shove his shoulder against them... unless they are in rings.... and a couple of strong shoves/bumps, and the hay is easy to get to. If they were to be tarped out in the field, the cows would have a "hey day" and someone could get tangled up in it... unless it is a "roof" over the hay ring, then that is a different story.
I do not believe in being neglectful or anything else... but these are cows that KNOW HOW TO BE COWS. Unless we go into a MINUS temps situation after a blizzard, the cows will get to the hay and get it opened up to eat.
Yeah, it is a pain to sometimes get it out of the rows... but by the time it is out of the row, lifted up on the back of the truck with the bale arms, or on forks or a spear, going out through the field, the ice is not a problem... finding the road out there, or missing the holes under the snow so you don't jar your teeth out of your head is a bigger problem.
Not fun to cut off the strings or net wrap... but by the time you do that, you have broken up the ice anyway.

 

[redcowsrule33]

I've had bales that froze to the point the cows couldn't make a dent. A handsaw and crow bar works well to peel that frozen cap off.

 

[farmerjan]

Okay, I will concede that there are times that the ice might be impenetrable... I have never had to deal with it that bad in Conn or here in Va... Ice can be a b#@%h to get in and out of the row to get the hay, and in and out of the field to get it put out without getting hung up or stuck or sliding somewhere you don't want to be.
We have taken a chainsaw to a bale or two many years ago... to make a few cuts to get it to peel off.. but that was up north.
We are supposed to get this for the next 24 hours at most. Yes, nights in the single digits, but the sun is supposed to come out during the day and it will warm it enough to make it so the cows can get into the hay... Since it has been snowing before it changes over, it will not be the problem to break up the ice as it would be if it was straight ice first ....
We fed out extra today too....

Started spitting snow about dark... have about 3-4 inches out there now and it is very fine coming down. 25* out there...