There’s something about fresh snow that makes people think farm life slows down in winter. Quiet mornings. Warm cozy barns. Maybe a mug of coffee while animals magically take care of themselves.
Reality check: chores don’t stop because it snowed, and most barns are not heated. (Artificial heat is actually not healthy for your livestock!)
When the recent snow and ice storm rolled through, the internet lit up with warnings, forecasts, and dramatic headlines. Schools closed for the first time in awhile for every WV county at once. People stocked up, shelves in the milk isle of the stores were empty, bread was gone as well as “emergency” heat sources. Everyone braced for impact.
Out here on the farm, we did what we always do, we got up and did chores.
The snow came down, the ice glazed everything over, and by evening the temperature dropped hard. It looked beautiful in that quiet, frozen way winter has. But beauty doesn’t haul water buckets or feed animals.
Winter on a small farm just means everything takes longer, and you need to plan extra. Extra time. Extra effort. Extra awareness. You move differently when everything is slick and icy. You think ahead more. You double-check gates, footing, animals, and yourself.
Morning chores still start the same way. Goats still yell for breakfast. Water buckets still needs hauled. Doorways need cleared out before you can even get the door open to get in the barn. Snow might make everything look peaceful, but underneath there is a layer of ice, and a whole lot of extra effort.
Some days are harder than others. Breaking ice out of water buckets. Carefully walking across slick ground, because a fall isn’t an option. Layering up, then peeling layers off once you start working. The hat always goes first for me. It’s not glamorous, and it’s definitely not easy. I usually rethink my layering options once I get moving as it’s hard work maneuvering in the snow and everything but your fingers and toes heats up fast.
But there’s a quiet side to winter farm life that’s hard to explain unless you live it.
The world feels smaller when it’s covered in snow. Sounds are softer and ofttimes muffled in the world of white insulated wonder. Animals settle in a little more. There’s a rhythm to winter chores that feels steady and grounding. You notice things you miss during busier seasons, your breath in the cold air, the way the farm wakes up slowly and beds down earlier.
Winter reminds you why preparedness matters. Why routine matters. Why showing up every day, no matter the weather or how your feeling, is part of choosing this life.
The snow and ice from this recent storm will melt, temperatures will rise, and winter will eventually loosen its grip. But the rhythm of farm life stays the same. Show up, take care of the animals, and keep moving forward no matter the forecast.
These snowy, icy days aren’t always easy, but they’re part of the story. The quiet moments between chores, the resilience built one cold morning at a time, and the simple beauty that settles in when everything else slows down.
I’ll let the photos tell the rest of this one, because winter on the farm has a way of speaking for itself.
Beautiful. Just beautiful. I’ve always thought the silence of the snow was almost sacred. I feel God puts a blanket of snow over Mother Earth so she can rest quiet thru the winter and wake up refreshed and ready for her hard work in the spring. I’m thankful for all of our seasons. If never want to leave West Virginia
Same! I love it here in WV so much. Every season is so special in it’s way.
The earth takes her rest in the Winter, even if us farmers don’t. I do appreciate a break from bugs and insects though for sure.