Every second dairy farmer seems to be grappling with the frost and struggling to get cows milked. The others have all their cows dried off by now.

The main issue is freezing pipes in milking parlours. Even farmers who are meticulous about draining plants after milking are struggling as temperatures hit -5°C and rarely go above 0°C during the day.

Many are having to resort to milking with whatever units are working and leave the frozen ones hanging up.

One tip to drain liners and milk tubes after the final rinse and when the machine is still running is to open all buttons on claw pieces (close vacuum) when attached to the jetters.

Go to the furthest unit from the receiver jar and press the button up and down repeatedly. Repeat this for every unit to send blasts of vacuum through the unit, sucking out water.

The other option is to line the inside of the pipes with saltwater to prevent freezing. The normal rate is a 2.5% salt solution. So dissolve half a kilo of salt in 20l of water and flush it through the line after the final rinse.

Give the machine a further rinse of water at the next milking to get rid of the salt, or else let the first few gallons of milk run to waste.

With many water pipes going into sheds frozen, farmers are having to get water to stock through other means.

Make sure to keep at least one supply running at all times to prevent it from freezing.

Many farmers move water troughs to outside of sheds and let the water pipe directly into the trough, bypassing the ball cock at a low rate. This wastes water but at least the cows and cattle won’t be thirsty.

It is very important that animals getting high-concentrate feeds get access to fresh and clean water at all times

Make sure no water gets into slurry tanks and try and prevent water from flowing over yards because when this freezes it’ll become a major slip hazard.

Another option is to pipe water to this trough from a tap that you know won’t freeze, such as a tap in the dairy that has a heat lamp over it. Make sure to fully drain the pipe after use or it won’t be much use the next time.

It is very important that animals getting high-concentrate feeds get access to fresh and clean water at all times. If water is restricted, reduce meal feeding rates instantly to reduce demand for water.

Dry cows eating silage will probably be OK for a day or more without water but milking cows will need access to water every day.

Scrapers

Automatic scrapers gave a lot of trouble in 2010 and 2011, with slurry freezing to the nicks in the track preventing the blade from moving. Run the scrapers more regularly to keep them moving and/or clean the top of the track every few hours.

Pumps

If wash-down pumps are not protected with insulation or heat lamps then the water in them will freeze, causing damage to the impellers.

The safest option is to drain pipes and pumps that are not being used, which is easier said than done. Insulate where feasible.

Check that there is anti-freeze in tractor radiators. Keep tractors in sheds if possible. Enclosed cubicle sheds will be the warmest place in the farmyard. Make sure sprayers and other equipment that carries water are well drained.

Finally, look after yourself and those in the community. Extra layers of clothing are more insulating than wearing fewer, but heavier clothes.

Eat well over the next few days as your body will use up more energy to keep warm. Your workload is likely to increase also.