Farmers work long hours during harvest, racing to get their crop out of the fields and to market or storage before winter. Even though it’s a relief to get through harvest, farmers don’t take the cold months off.
Many people ask, what do farmers do during winter when corn isn’t growing? The answer? A lot! There’s equipment to maintain, strategies to plan, plenty of bookwork and much more.
Farmer Ethan Zoerb, who farms with his father, Dale, in Litchfield, Nebraska, shared the many things he does during the winter on the farm. They have livestock in addition to their corn farming activities, so there’s always plenty to do.
Cleaning, Repairing and Readying Farm Equipment
While every day for a farmer is unique, there are many tasks corn farmers have to do over the winter to get ready for next year. For much of the season, Zoerb says that means some sort of job in the machine shop that houses their farming equipment.
One of the first jobs is to clean and maintain the combines, tractors, grain carts and other equipment that was used during harvest. Similar to washing a car to keep it clean and free of potential rust, corn farming equipment that’s cleaned and maintained every year stays in better shape. This helps reduce avoidable breakdowns during the growing season and can help lengthen the equipment’s lifespan.
For Zoerb, working on farming equipment in winter also includes setting up his planter for next year’s planting season.
“That’s kind of my favorite time,” he said. “You get to go into work every day and see what you’re actually changing from day to day.”
Hauling Grain to Market
Farmers don’t always sell their corn right after it leaves the field. While they often sell some of their crops right at harvest, many store part of their crop in large grain bins or, temporarily, in long, plastic-covered tubes in the fields called corn bags. This allows them to reserve some of their crops to sell later when the price is more favorable or when buyers want it delivered.
In Zoerb’s case, much of the white corn their family grows is exported to Mexico over the winter. When the buyer arranges transportation, Zoerb takes the corn to the train.
Taking Care of the Business of Farming
Farming isn’t just what happens in the fields. Like any other business owner, Zoerb has to keep up with all the bills, write sales contracts, review his finances, do taxes and complete the other office tasks required to make a business function.
“You’re doing a lot of your bookwork at the end of the year,” he said. “[Doing] any bills you need to pay or send out, you’re talking to your banker, financing and working everything out for the next year.”
The business of farming also can include looking into buying new land to expand an operation. Farmland often is auctioned off during the winter, so Zoerb has to evaluate whether any available land will benefit his operation and if it can be purchased at a price that fits his budget.
Winter also is a time for farmers to decide whether they need to buy or replace equipment. Some buy equipment directly from a dealer, while others find used equipment at auctions or buy directly from other farmers.
Strategizing for Next Year’s Corn Growing Season
A big part of farming in the winter is evaluating last year’s crop and using that information to guide decisions for next year. By analyzing how well certain seed varieties, types of corn, irrigation methods or fertilizers perform each year, a corn farmer aims to continually increase the quality and yields of their crop.
“We try to figure out what products we want to try for next year and how we want to try them,” Zoerb said. “We do a lot of comparing and looking at the data from this last harvest. What we did that worked. What we did that didn’t work. What we want to take a look at trying again, and just a lot of data analysis.”
Another winter farming job is determining the planting and fertilizer application rate for next year. Called a prescription, this information can include how many seeds per acre Zoerb wants to plant in different areas. It also can include how many pounds per acre of fertilizer he wants to apply.
By inputting this information into the GIS-enabled smart farming technology on his tractor, Zoerb can plant seeds in exactly the right amount and use precise amounts of nutrients for the crop. This helps maximize yields, reduce waste and also protect the environment.
Working with Custom Farming Clients
Strategizing for next year’s crop also includes talking to customers who hire Zoerb and his family’s business for farming-related services on their farms. Called custom farming, this includes hiring someone to plant the crop, oversee irrigation, harvest and apply fertilizer or herbicide during the growing season. Sometimes the Zoerbs do all of these functions, but other times a customer only needs them to do a few, such as planting or applying nutrients.
Tending Cattle, Moving Snow and Networking
In addition to the office tasks and projects in the shop, the Zoerbs also care for their cattle. They check on the animals every day, making sure they have food, access to fresh water, loose minerals and are healthy. Some of the cattle graze on rye grass, one of the winter cover crops the Zoerbs grow in their fields after harvest. When calving season arrives in February, they also check on the cattle multiple times during the night to look for any mother cows in labor or newborn calves that need additional help.
If they get a lot of snow, Zoerb’s father will go move snow outside his swine finishing barn to make sure there’s access to the building so the pigs can be fed, watered and checked on.
When he has time, Zoerb likes to attend farm shows. These events showcase the latest in agricultural equipment and technology—and are a great place for farmers to get together and debrief over the season.
“One of the coolest things about the farm shows is the ability to network and talk to people outside of just your area,” Zoerb said. “What’s working there? How was your weather, actually, this year? Did you get a lot of rain?”
Community Involvement
While there’s a lot to do on a farm in winter, one benefit is that farmers have more control over their schedule than they do during hectic harvest or planting seasons.
That gives Zoerb more time to go to school events or winter sports with his wife, Nichole, and daughters Faith, Charity, Grace, Harbor and Merit. Dale Zoerb is an assistant high school basketball coach, while Ethan Zoerb coaches basketball for one of his daughter’s teams and volunteers to help the high school team.
“[Winter is] one of the times where we have the best opportunity to help back in the community,” he said.
