How many days of the year do you NOT do things outside? Sometimes the weather isn't good and I don't want to go outside either, but on the farms across America that's not an option. Even though the wintertime tends to be a little slower on the farm, the chores don't stop. Animals need to be fed everyday, waters need to be checked and filled, which isn't very much fun when it's 10 below.
The Conner Prairie staff that works outside during the winter to take care of the farm and animals are Kevyn Miller and me, Richard Kroyer. Kevyn is the livestock manager and I'm assistant herdsman. I assist Kevyn with all the chores and do everything relating to the horses - very critical but exceedingly fun.
As I was saying before, running a farm and owning livestock is a 365-day-a-year job and Conner Prairie is no exception. If you want to harvest corn next year, the field has to be prepared, seed has to be ordered, and so on. Do you ever wonder what happens to all that nice hay and grain the livestock has been eating all year? It turns into wonderful compost that is spread on the fields as fertilizer.
Animals don't just get sick when it's sunny. Sometimes it's freezing rain on Christmas day and someone has to be with that animal out in the field to make sure it has everything it needs. That's me or Kevyn.
Although you've probably already figured it out, things like fences need to be maintained all year round as well. If the phone rings just as you're sitting down to Easter supper with the family and the voice on the phone says, "Happy Easter, Richard. I think those are your horses in my front yard." Guess who gets to round them up and fix the hole in the fence?
There are some things we plan on doing in the wintertime. It is a great time to make repairs and upkeep to machines used in summer, and clean and oil all the leather harnesses and saddles for the horses. Our farm support office is quite the mess right now because it's doing double duty as a harness cleaning and repair shop.
There are always hiccups to be taken care of during the year and the winter is no exception. If all goes well in this wintertime, Kevyn and I will have happy, healthy animals, clean barns, good working equipment and great crops to share with you come opening weekend.