The sharp cold spell which has gripped the country is biting hardest in the north and west with the midlands and south less affected, but cold nonetheless.

Parts of the west coast experienced temperatures as low as minus -5°C overnight. The problem with temperatures that low is that higher temperatures during the day are often not enough to thaw frozen equipment and water pipes.

The worst affected farmers are undoubtedly those that milk cows over the winter months. The flip side to that is that this group of farmers are generally much more prepared for cold spells, unlike their spring calving cousins.

ADVERTISEMENT

Keeping parlours from freezing over is all about adequately draining all of the water from the plant. Some farmers will give a final rinse of salt and water to keep any residual water in pipes and instruments from freezing.

Keeping doors and entrances to milking parlours blocked off from the elements is another key step, as is the use of space heaters to keep internal temperatures up, where necessary. Others will use red lamps over pumps and power washers.

Sheds

By far the biggest priority in sheds is to keep water flowing to water troughs. It may not be possible or feasible to keep water flowing to all troughs so prioritise the troughs that are most important.

One trick some farmers use is to have a large water trough being fed directly from a half inch pipe with a valve at the end, opened one-third or less.

This ensure that the water is constantly flowing and when water is flowing it won’t freeze. By having a large trough, it means that not too much water should be overflowing.

However, its important to be sensible about where this trough is placed as any overflows shouldn’t make their way into slurry tanks.

Equally, if water is flowing across yards it will also become a big risk for slips as wet yards will become frozen.