Cassie LeMaster 0:02

Welcome back to the Extension Connection Podcast. I'm your host, Cassie LeMaster. We're deep into the season where quick chores don't exist between frozen hydrants, breaking ice and hauling hay through the mud winter can feel like a full-time job on top of your full-time job, but it doesn't have to be a slog. Today I'm talking about winter chore efficiency. We'll cover how to shave time off your routine and keep your horses and livestock thriving without burning yourself out. Let's start with the biggest time sink water. If you're still out there with a sledgehammer every morning breaking up water tanks, then this is for you. Tank heaters can keep things thawed, but do use a substantial amount of electricity Heated buckets can be an option, but can also be a fire risk if the bucket is left empty for too long. If you're using these products, always be sure animals cannot get to the cords when they're used. So if you're like me and the electricity part makes you a little weary, there are also several non electrified options that will keep you frost free this winter. The priciest option, but lowest maintenance would be a permanently installed insulated automatic water tank, like a ball tank, which feed water from the ground so it doesn't freeze. We have several of these on our own farm. These types of water tanks are most often used for cattle, but I have seen horses use them too. The ball floats in the opening of the tank, and the animals push the ball down and sideways to access the water. Bonus that these types of tanks keep water cleaner and cooler in the summer as well. Animals tend to drink more in both seasons because water is kept warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. There are many different automatic water options. Some heated and some not. But another option I've looked into recently for my own horses are drinking posts. These also feed water from the ground and then drain themselves after the horse has finished drinking, so they remain ice free and have many of the same benefits of the ball tank without having a tank that still needs to be cleaned periodically. The drawback is that fewer animals can be watered with a system like this. And there's usually a short training period to teach the animals how to access the water. Some automatic float valves that attach to a large tank also have a frost-free option that allows it to trickle constantly. If you don't have enough animals drinking from the tank, it can overflow. Some farm managers have drilled a hole in the top of the tank. Attach a drainage hose where they can divert the water overflow to another area where it doesn't create a mud problem for their animals. There's also another product I've learned about called a freeze Miser that you attach to your hose and it lets the hose trickle. When the temperature reaches 37 degrees or lower. This can be added with a Y hose attachment to the top of a float valve. This still may cause some overflow. But likely not as much since it only activates when the temperature reaches 37 degrees. If you can't afford electric tank heaters or automatic waters everywhere, there are some DIY options that can help slow the freeze. Look into making insulated trough donuts with old tires you have laying around, or do it yourself insulated boxes around your tanks. Even wrapping the base of a tank in the reflective insulated bubble wrap can help retain some heat. Now to talk about hose management, the golden rule at our farm is never leave a hose connected to the hydrant. If you know temperatures are going to be below freezing, really, we get in the habit of disconnecting after every use so we don't forget. Drain it completely and either keep it in your heated tack room or stretch it out in a sunny spot in the yard. A five minute walk to grab and reattach a hose beats 40 minutes of defrosting a frozen one every time. Now, next up is nutrition. In winter, hay isn't just food, it's fuel for your animals' internal heaters. A somewhat new strategy for feeding hay to livestock is called bale grazing. Bale grazing is a winter feeding method where one to three months of hay is set out evenly across a pasture, typically in late fall or early winter when the ground conditions are suitable before things get overly wet and fed in a planned controlled manner. Similar to rotational grazing. Temporary electric fencing is moved every one to seven days to give the livestock access to a new set of bales. A major advantage of bale grazing is that a tractor is not needed for the majority of the winter to feed the hay. Creating far less mud from equipment traffic. Bale grazing requires a paradigm shift for cattle farmers. Instead of moving hay to the cattle all winter, you will be moving the cattle to the hay. Planned and executed well, bale grazing will enhance pasture fertility, significantly reduce labor and tractor use, and improve cattle health. There are farms where bale grazing turned poor growing pastures into high production pastures in just a few years where no tractor was needed for over a hundred days of hay feeding. And where cattle stayed mud free All winter long. Planning is generally the main challenge for bale grazing. Unlike traditional hay feeding, you won't be able to just set out one or two bales at a time as needed. You will need to determine in advance how much hay is needed for the winter, the pastures you want the hay placed on, and the bale densities you want to feed on the pasture. Cattle also need to be trained to temporary electric fencing. This is not difficult or time consuming, but should be done well advance of the bale grazing. Most people assume that hay left out on the pasture for one to three months during the winter will deteriorate significantly. However, this has turned out not to be the case, at least in our, area of the upper south. Some hay might have 20% rot or more if left out for three to four months during the summer. but hay rot requires two conditions, moisture and warm temperatures, and we don't have the warm temperatures during the winter to speed up that rot. O.. Another option that reduces feeding time in the winter are fence line hay feeders that allow you to place a bale. So without ever entering the pasture, this saves time and wear on the pasture as well. For examples of this checkout, Eden Shale Farm, online or on Facebook. It's a demonstration farm owned by the University of Kentucky that does quite a bit with farm chore efficiency. Then some hay feeding tips for horse owners. For using large scale slow feeders or nets that reduce your waste and keep horses occupied for longer, meaning maybe fewer boredom repairs on your barn or fences. Of course, stockpiling fescue for winter grazing is an easy way to provide winter forage as well. And if you find yourself cussing while you're filling all those hay bags this winter, add that to your to-do list for next year. I do want to add to this segment, since most of it has talked about tips for round bale feeding. If you are feeding uncovered round bales to horses, be sure to talk to your veterinarian about botulism risk and vaccination. Now, we can't talk about feeding efficiency without also talking about hay quality. In the winter, your livestock, especially your horses, rely on the fermentation of fiber in their hind gut to stay warm. If you're feeding poor quality hay, they have to eat twice as much to get the same heat, which means you're hauling twice as many bales. Poor quality hay also gets wasted as animals refuse to eat it, which means you spend more time mucking out what they've trampled and defecated on. This leads me to my next point. Test your hay or buy from someone that does. A laboratory forage test is the best investment you'll make all year. Knowing your numbers allows you to supplement exactly what's missing rather than overpaying for grain or supplements that you might not need. Speaking of quality hay, this year was the inaugural Polk County Hay Contest. Where Hay grown in Polk County was sampled and submitted for testing and then evaluated and ranked based on the resulting total digestible nutrients, crude protein, and relative feed quality. This year's winner was Doug and Al Harmon's Fescue Hay with a relative feed quality of 164.6 total digestible nutrients of 66.2%. And crude protein of 15.2%. Second place went to Stewart Beam's Orchard Fescue Hay with a relative feed quality of 1 53.8 total digestible nutrients of 64.4% and crude protein of 12.9%. Congratulations to them and thank you to the Polk County Farm Bureau for sponsoring this contest. Next I want to mention mud. Mud is the enemy of efficiency. It slows your pace, sticks to your boots, and makes every wheelbarrow push feel like a CrossFit workout. Be sure to install high traffic pads of gravel and rock dust around your gates, waters, barn entrances, and heavy feeding areas. Go back and listen to my October episode for more information on mud management. Finally, let's talk about you invest in good insulated gloves and other gear to keep you comfortable while working outside this winter. I personally love my insulated bibs when it's really cold out. If you have wifi, reaching your barns, an inexpensive smart camera can save you. Late night trip to the barn just to check on your water or a senior horse. You can look on your phone and stay in the warmth of your house. The goal isn't to work harder, it's to work so efficiently that you actually have time to enjoy the quiet beauty of a frosty morning with your animals. Remember, every minute you save on a chore is a minute you get back for your own rest. Stay warm, stay safe and merry Christmas from everyone here at the NC State Extension Office in Polk County. We'll see you back here in the new year.