Warm and Cozy
/It may be cold outside, but dairy farmers — like the Korn family — keep their herd comfortable, no matter the weather.
With snow falling more than four months of the year, and some mountainous areas receiving even more winter weather, Idahoans like husband and wife Richard and Kim Korn, who operate Korn Dairy, are well accustomed to donning their snow boots and winter coats. The Korn family has weathered through their share of Idaho winters on their third-generation family dairy in Terreton, Idaho. They work hard to provide comfortable conditions for their herd of 90 Holstein and Brown Swiss dairy cattle 365 days a year, including the chilly ones.
Their responsibility to take care of their cows is an everyday endeavor, so nothing, including cold winters, will stop them from maintaining a high level of care. That starts with caring for each cow as if she was the only one.
The Korns use trackers that the cows wear around their necks to monitor their health. If a cow’s temperature or exercise levels are off, the Korns are able to quickly identify the cow, so they can check on her and provide any necessary care.
But, while the Korns may have to bundle up in their winter gear to go check on their herd, the cows are right at home in the cold weather. Their thick skin, coarse hair and natural insultation help them stay warm. In fact, all year long, cows have an internal body temperature of around 101 degrees, and they prefer temperatures between 40 and 65 degrees. They don’t typically get stressed due to cold temperatures until they reach nearly 20 degrees below zero for a long period of time — and dedicated dairy farmers make sure that doesn’t happen.
When temperatures dip below or near freezing, cows have their barn mates to thank for helping keep them warm. Cozied up, cows can produce enough heat to warm the barn and stay nice and comfortable. And to keep it even more toasty, farmers may put up curtains or plastic to mitigate snow or drafty winds getting in the barn. Some barns in areas with cold winters are even equipped with built-in wind protectors that can be manually raised or lowered, depending on the weather that day. The Korns ensure their girls have extra dry bedding on cold days to help insulate the barn and keep the cows dry.
“Another thing we have to prepare for is something breaking, such as our stock tank heaters,” Kim says. “Since we’re 50 miles from the closest store for parts, we’re sure to have spare parts on hand.”
A cow’s diet also plays a factor in keeping her warm during the winter. Dairy farmers may alter their cows’ feed rations to accommodate for their bodies using energy to keep them warm. And they don’t let up on their drinking habits, either. Cows can drink upwards of five gallons of water in a single minute, so farmers ensure their water tanks are always full to keep up with demand. In the winter, it’s especially important that the water source is checked, too, to make sure pipes don’t freeze or water gets too cold to drink (cows prefer a water temperature anywhere between 40 to 65 degrees).
The little ones are cared for in much the same manner. But because calves are smaller, they require a little extra warmth, including more straw, a separate barn with space heaters or an enclosed hutch away from the elements. In some conditions, calves also wear warm, quilted jackets. At Korn Dairy, the calves in hutches get dried milk fat added to their milk bottles during the winter. The extra calories give them more energy against the cold temperatures.
Cows are tough animals and are well-equipped to face the many seasons and temperature fluctuations the environment gives us. It takes dedicated family farmers, like the Korns, to ensure that they are cared for despite the cold winds of winter or heat of summer. “We love the dairy lifestyle, working with family, caring for our cows throughout the seasons and being productive and involved members of our community,” Richard says.