Milking cows on the Greenfield farm in Kilkenny were eventually milked last night after a super effort by staff to dig both cows and the milking parlour out of the snow.

The cows hadn't been milked since Thursday morning as the farm battled with sweeping snow drifts that effectively swamped the farm and farmyard in a blanket of snow, with drifts of over 1m on all yards, cubicles and approach roads.

This farm is a leased farm (year nine of a 15-year lease) so only the minimum spend in terms of capital expenditure like sheds was planned.

Obviously this leaves the farm more exposed than most when freak weather events like what has happened over last few days occur. Yes, it's a weakness in the model and one we will return to discuss more.

Full pit

The parlour pit was filled with snow as strong northeasterly winds whipped snow in from the fields. The parlour froze over, like a lot of milking parlours across the country.

Huge drifts swept across the roofless cubicles as snow from all the nearby fields was lifted up and landed on to the cubicles, passageways, stand-off pad and all concrete passageways.

On the night and day of Storm Emma, cows huddled together to protect one another on the pad and cubicles. Mother Nature’s instincts alive and active.

So what had to happen yesterday?

Passageways had to be cleared of snow as much as possible to allow movement of tractors and cows around the farm. A neighbour’s loader was used where he could travel and everywhere else it was shovels and elbow grease.

Shelterbelt

All cleared areas then had to be coated with salt to defrost the frozen concrete and keep it as clear as possible. A new shelterbelt with straw bales was set up in front of the parlour to keep the bitterly cold easterly wind out of the parlour.

The parlour had to be defrosted with a mix of warm salt water and gentle persuasion. The 270 spring-calving cows were milked and fed.

Snow was swept into the calf sheds so these beds had to be thrown out and calves fed.

While all these jobs sound simple, it just takes so much more time when you are wading through snow and blizzards to get from one spot to the next.

Calves and milk

During all the snow clearing, newborn calves had to be fed and taken into a warm area. Any sick cows and calves have to be treated and looked after as best as possible.

Probably the most pressing issue at the moment on the farm is milk collection as the bulk tank nears capacity.

Luckier than most, the farm is near a main road but there is still a lot of snow to shift to allow a lorry to come in and turn.

Again the timing of this event is critical for farm owners and workers.

Most spring milkers are just out of a heavy calving period so mental and physical tiredness is real.

It's at times like this that committed farm workers keep Ireland and the world alive and fed. We all need to be grateful for the workload they take on. Safe farming.

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