What can dairy farmers do in advance of Storm Éowyn?

As the whole country is now set to be in a red weather warning due to the arrival of Storm Éowyn on Friday morning, the likelihood is that thousands of farms and family homes will be without power over the coming days.

For farmers, this is an inevitable consequence, particularly those on exposed, coastal sites. However, it is something that all farmers need to be prepared for.

The fact that the whole country is set to be affected, means that the time taken to repair the damage is going to be much longer than the repair time for most other storms that are more regional in their impact.

Generators should be set up on tractors and ready to go once the storm passes to ensure power to milking parlours, calf feeders and automatic scrapers.

Make sure generators are working correctly, test them now in advance of the storm coming.

Damage control

Remember to only move the changeover switch when the generator is operating at the correct power output and then switch the changeover switch back or to the off position before turning off the generator.

Fluctuations in power can damage some of the electronics in milking equipment and other devices.

Losing power is one thing, but losing sheds is another and this is a big worry, particularly so close to calving.

I know some farmers are already busy weighing down sheds that are at risk with weights, such as big square bales of straw, or driving additional long galvanised nails into loose sheets.

Keep all doors of buildings closed to limit the amount of wind traps within the farmyard. It’s often wind getting into the shed that will lift the roof.

It goes without saying that safety is a big issue during and after the storm, with many potential accidents during the clean-up with fallen trees, live wires, loose sheets, etc.

Best policy is to limit the amount of time spent outdoors tomorrow by putting in double feeds to stock today.