By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Much of the country has seen enough of winter already with record cold and snow but for those in the South, the cold is unusual and hard to handle for many.

Farmers are no different, if they aren’t used to it, and crops and animals from Florida to Kentucky are feeling the effects of the winter weather. University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture Beef Specialist Roy Burris said a little extra effort and common sense will help farmers here protect their herds.

“The biggest thing to do is keep them well fed, out of the wind and dry if you can. Feed good quality hay during this time and grain if needed but keeping their bellies full will help them generate body heat,” he said.

“Keep the ice broken or make sure water lines are not frozen so the cattle can get water all the time. If there are any windbreaks, just put them in a pasture that will get them out of the wind but they don’t have to be put in a barn.”

Burris added it is a tough time and it’s hard on humans as well but not to let the weather keep producers from getting out to take care of their cows. He also said that in the event a cow was ready to calf or if they had just had a calf, it might be better to get those animals in a barn.

While farmers here are sheltering their animals, producers in the deeper south are trying to protect crops. In southern Georgia, greens were damaged from a frost last week and are likely to suffer severe losses according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

There may also be a problem for some that state’s Vidalia onion crop delayed by December rains. The planting window is nearly closed and soil temperatures need to be in the 40’s before planting can resume. As of last week the soil temps were still around 35 degrees.

The citrus crop is the big concern in Florida. Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson requested the state ease transportation restrictions so at-risk fruits could be quickly harvested and transported to avoid crop losses. His request was granted and went into effect on Jan. 5.

“This freezing weather has created a serious situation for our state’s agricultural producers, who now must rush to harvest their crops to prevent further losses,” Bronson said. “The temporary easing of highway restrictions enables farmers to more quickly transport their crops to processing facilities and help avoid financial disaster.”

Cold, but will it last?

The cold weather has certainly had a tight grip on much of the nation even in areas where cold weather is expected but as far as Kentucky is concerned, a warming spell is in the making.
Tom Priddy, UK College of Agriculture meteorologist, said while the weather of late has been extremely frigid, the coming week looks much better.

“It looks like we are going back to a more seasonal normal,” he said. “We actually have three different teleconnections serving us up quite a weather pattern. There is the North Atlantic Oscillation, a low that sits in the North Atlantic, then there is the Pacific North American Oscillation, and of course, we do have El Niño going on and it has reached the ‘strong’ category.”

Priddy added that normally with the presence of a strong El Niño, the winter weather patterns are typically milder, but with the presence of yet another oscillation – the Julian-Madden Oscillation – those El Niño patterns can be affected.

“The bottom line is we’ve had a cold weather pattern but it does look like that pattern is going to have a shift this week,” he said. “The long range forecast has mostly an El Niño signature with below normal precipitation expected through March and right now, slightly below normal temperatures from January through March, but that doesn’t preclude a mild spell in there.”