Every year, a new class of rookie farmers hits the fields. As harvesting season reaches its end, many of them wonder what they’ll do during the winter.
Even though you can’t grow food outside in inclement weather conditions, farmers still have necessary tasks to complete. Here are some things that farmers do during the winter.
Complete Necessary Paperwork
Just like any other business, farmers need to fill out their taxes, expense reports, and leases for land that they work on. Bookkeeping is an essential component of any business, and farming is no different.
Outside of paperwork, farmers will purchase inventory and equipment for the next season during the winter. In addition, they often need to meet with seed dealers to secure them for the next season.
Farming requires a lot of work, even during the off-season. Although farmers mostly work outside, there is still plenty of work they must complete indoors.
Fix Broken Equipment
Farmers also fix any equipment that broke during the last harvesting season. Regularly cleaning equipment is a task that farmers perform during all four seasons, and winter is a great time to catch up on anything that’s fallen behind.
Event organizers also schedule farm shows during the winter, so farmers will want to clean and fix their equipment if they want to enter it into the events. Fixing broken equipment can take a while, which is why it’s better to stay ahead of the curve and audit your equipment before winter begins. That way, you can start fixing equipment and obtaining parts before the spring rush pushes everything back. Running your machines during the winter will help you avoid problems during the busy season.
Storing and Organizing Inventory
Farmers haul corn, soybeans, or any other crops they grow and either ship them to market or put them in long-term storage. After the harvest is complete, there’s still plenty of work to do, so many farmers will use the winter to start transporting and organizing their crops.
If they have overstock, farmers also like to throw end-of-year parties to give away any food they can’t sell. Reaching out to neighbors is one of the top ways to sell produce as a farmer during the off-season.
Overall, farmers still have to work hard even when they aren’t growing anything. Now that you know the things that farmers do during the winter, you have some ideas on how to spend the cold months!