practical farming solutions… #5

…in Southern Norway…

adaptation to climate…

Climate changes may have an effect on how we farm in Norway in the future, but for now we've only noticed what may be signs of slightly higher average temperatures in the cold season and maybe a little more rain in the summer.

Our farm is situated in the hills around 5 kilometer in from the coast-line, elevated 120 to 210 meters above sea-level. This proximity to the coast means the temperatures are still affected and somewhat stabilized by the ocean, so they rarely ever go into extremes. Normal temperature range is +22° to -5°Celcius, and the maximum range is around +30° to -30°Celcius.

In the summer week-long periods of mostly sunny days are often followed by equally long periods of gray and rainy days. Summers with too little rain are rare. Some years we receive just enough rain to keep our pastures green and lush, and some years we receive at least ten times as much rain as we need. Soaked fields and pastures are no fun for us or the animals, but we don't have to worry about flooding up here in the hills.

Most winters are moderate with temperatures between +5° and -10°Celcius and just enough snow to necessitate clearing it off our main roads to prevent build-up and slippery conditions.

The first months in the year we may see more snow and wind, so the cow paths on our internal farm roads sometimes end up being near the top of the fence posts in places. Late-winter storms where the snow gets piled up to levels where neither animals nor machines can move around, seems to become more and more common – maybe a sign of more lasting climate changes.

Cattle obviously don't like having wet fur when it's cold, but otherwise they adapt well to the weather throughout the seasons as long as we don't try to “help” and “protect” them too much.

Apart from checking out and preparing cow paths and roads so the animals don't have to sink knee-deep in mud while walking to and from pastures, we introduce as few modifications to the natural environment as possible. The woody parts of our farm provide excellent natural protection against the elements, and our animals know how to make good use of them.

tolerant for low temperatures…

Even less than a day old calves can handle quite low temperatures extremely well (minus 20°Celcius is usually no problem) as long as they and their bed are dry and they're well sheltered from draft.

If a calf is given a moist bed it loses body-temperature pretty quickly and may become sick. Diarrhea is often caused by cold and wet conditions, and it is of course better to prevent than to cure such a condition.

We have 300 Watts heating-lamps hanging over calf boxes, and turn these on for newborns for a few hours or a day – until they're perfectly dry all over. Rubbing and massaging the small calf's body thoroughly with our hands now and than, imitates a cow's licking and pushing, and stimulates the calf while at the same time dries its fur-coat and generates heat and is an efficient way to check the calf's condition and reaction to contact.

We want our animals to keep their natural tolerance for low temperatures, so apart from making sure each calf is well fed and in good condition, we don't make changes to or heat up its environment during wintertime.

This of course also goes for older animals, heifers and cows, too. Staying outdoors all year they prepare themselves for the cold season by growing fur, and any man-made protection against low temperatures just means the animals can't prepare properly and naturally for the cold weather and as a result they will suffer unnecessarily.

We have over the years learned how well these animals adapt to our local environment and the at times pretty rough and unstable weather. Not much we can do that can be seen as improvements in the long run, so we focus on observing and making sure all animals are doing alright, and otherwise leave it to them.

I'll rather spend a cold night out in the snow with the animals to make sure they're doing ok when the winter-storms are at their worst, than lock them up inside a shelter or in the barn. We've done both as the situations demand, and there's no doubt in my mind about what's best for them.

problems with high temperatures…

These animals are less tolerant for high temperatures than low ones, so we do make sure it doesn't become too warm when/where calves are kept indoors, during the summer. The building itself with its old meter-thick stone walls, protects against extremes.

High temperatures can have negative effects on milk production, so we have made sure our cows can find shade at or near the pastures and that drinking water is near and stays cold.

Leafy trees along the southern pasture-edges provides both shade and food in the summer, and the prevailing winds pass along these tree-lines.

Finding all our cows standing inside the main weather-shelter on a really warm sunny day, is quite normal, as that shelter is constructed and placed in the terrain so that it not only keeps the sun out but also channels wind in under the roof and through.

The shelter's black-surfaced tin roof does of course become heated by the sun, but the hotter it gets the more it cools down the area it covers. As hot air under the roof rizes and escapes at the shelter's narrow opening in the upper end, more air is drawn in through the wide and open lower end. This makes this shelter the best ventilated and naturally cooled structure on the farm in warm periods, and you can bet our cows have figured that out without us having to tell them.

Heatstroke is not uncommon amongst cattle in some areas of the world. Even here in Southern Norway we can have temperatures up in the low thirties (Celcius) occasionally, and our cows don't react well to such high temperatures. I don't think we have ever had any really serious cases caused by high temperatures on our farm though.

Some farmers in other parts of Norway restrict grazing to nighttime in really warm periods, but no need for that on our farm. Our animals regulate their grazing patterns and use of areas to the conditions.

Seeing the need to cool down an overheated animal with wet towels and/or a water-hose when she comes in from pasture on a particularly hot summer day, before milking her, is rare but it has happened. We always take the extra time to make sure all our animals are ok before going on with the other routines. Flies are a worse menace than heat most summer days though.

indoor climate…

We allow temperatures in the stalls to drop to near freezing in the winter. We can't let water-pipes freeze since the animals need drinking-water while they're in for milking, but apart from that the animals don't mind and it's only we humans that may “suffer” a bit in the cold stalls.

Normally our cows and the electric lighting are the only heat-sources during the winter. If we warm up the stalls by other means the animals may soon start to feel uncomfortable and overheated in their thick furcoats while they're in, but on rare occasions during long-lasting periods of low temperatures we bring in a small electrical area-heater or a large oil-driven one to prevent the water-pipes from freezing while the animals are not present.

Fans are constantly pushing fresh air in through channels in the ceiling, and keep the difference in temperature between floor and ceiling low and the air fresh, while creating no draft. Turning off the ventilation makes the water-pipes freeze much easier near floor-level, so of course we keep the ventilation on no matter how low the temperature is outside.

Temperatures in the stalls rarely ever rises above 20°C in the summer, and if so only slightly and for the short period when all animals are in for milking during the day. A combination of natural and fan-based ventilation keeps the air fresh.

positive-pressure ventilation:

The draft-free ventilation system is entirely our own creation, and, as mentioned, it pushes fresh air in instead of sucking stale air out. The whole ceiling is working as a ventilation channel, so when the flow of fresh air enters the room it is slowed down and pretty near room-temperature since the entire ceiling also acts as a large-area heat exchanger.

This ventilation-method may not work well in regular stalls with wooden or steel-plated walls, since humidity tends to be high inside closed stalls. The vapor will then get pushed towards and into walls and structures with an over-pressure ventilation like ours, making them rot or rust pretty quickly.

However, it is perfect for our stone wall building where only the ceiling above the stall-level contains wood. Stone walls can't rot or corrode, and our barn foundation that contains the stalls have the added natural property of being able to absorb and release water-vapor as needed without being damaged – they breathe, thanks to the old method of double stone layers with no mortar, and compacted soil as stabilizer and insulation in the middle.

The result is fresh air, dry walls, and moderate humidity in the stall-area throughout the seasons. The wooden ceiling gets constantly dried out by the fresh air pushed through its lower layer, so that will also hold its own for a very long time.

When all doors are closed, the slight over-pressure created by the fans pushes stail air down and out through the manure compartment below floor-level, where all bad odor belongs. Passive escapes for odor and gasses out of the manure compartment, means potentially dangerous gasses developing in the manure can't rise high enough to reach the stall-level and thereby enter the area for animals and humans.

When the stall-area's doors and/or windows are open the fan-driven ventilation still protects the ceiling and provides fresh air, but there's obviously no pressure in the room under this condition, so air, and odor, flows freely in the direction set by any wind around the building.

The resulting climate is generally quite good for a stall, and it works fine for both the animals and humans that spend some of their working-hours there.

according to rules and regulations…

Oh yes, everything is – to the letter. However, if situations arise where I have to choose between following rules and regulations and do what's best for the animals, then I'll definitely go with the latter. I guess one can file our approach as “intelligent interpretation of the law for the sake of animal welfare”.

As mentioned above: I'll rather spend a cold night out in the snow with the animals to make sure they're doing ok when the winter-storms are at their worst, than lock them up inside a shelter or in the barn. Not quite in line with what's written, I think, but close enough for comfort and better for the animals.

All in all, one has to be prepared to solve problems right here and now when they arise, and can not afford to be tied up by rules and regulations written and watched over by people who aren't here. I think that is how most sensible people think and act, being they farmers or something else.

Luckily the local climate normally creates few problems for both our animals and ourselves, so although we've had to put in place a few “precautions” just to make sure rules and regulations are followed – things that otherwise are of no use, common sense rules and it's business as usual on our farm all year round – come rain or shine or blistering winter-storms.

To be quite honest about it, I really wouldn't mind having a little less rain and snow and a bit colder and more stable winters. Would make life even easier and more enjoyable for all of us here.

sincerely  georg; sign

Hageland 16.jul.2008
last rev: 11.sep.2008

practical farming solutions…

High temperatures can have negative effects on milk production…
— Georg

I really wouldn't mind having a little less rain and snow and a bit colder and more stable winters.
— Georg


farming…
…2008