UK farmers digging out after major storm

[Catherine]

It is not just the farmers that are digging out. Everyone in the storm area has been hit by deep snow. For farmers it is worse. This is lambing season and lambs have been  lost to the snow and cold in spite of vigilance and hard work.

https://www.channel4.com/news/farmers-fo...heavy-snow

It is a bit late, but I found some helpful suggestions for keeping pets safe in the storm.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk...a-14358291

I hope the worst of the storm is over and no more lives are lost. It is hard to prepare for weather that you don't normally get.
I am impressed with how well the farmers have done. If the lambs had been born outside they all would have died.

[Tobi]

The hill farmers of north Wales are used to these conditions which regularly come in winter. And the same for the Scottish farmers. But for others, in areas where there usually isn't much more than a sprinkling of snow, it must have been harder. But I have not yet known a farmer who was out of touch with a long-range weather forecast.
Of course, sometimes those forecasts are wrong...

But still, I am surprised some farmers were taken unawares by a serious snowfall which was predicted days earlier...(?) If I knew on the Monday before it happened, and went out to get emergency supplies in, why didn't they know?

Lambs are fine in cold dry weather, even frosty conditions. But deep snow is a killer for them. So is heavy rain. And even mature ewes can't cope when it gets too bad.

I know a local farmer who always has his pregnant ewes out end of February -early March. But this year there is no sign of them. Those are the best kept ewes and lambs I have ever seen, and he is a decent man. I have helped him set wires. He has all his stock inside I am sure. And probably took them in in good time.
Most of the snow has melted now, but still the fields are unsuitable. The snow melt has waterlogged everything.

[Catherine]

I could picture wet sheep being in trouble. They would soak up the water and it would get cold and weigh them down.
New born lambs would lose heat even faster because they are already wet. 

I would hope most farmers would be ready for the storm that hit them. Maybe some areas were hit that had not expected to be hit. 

I hope everyone is okay now.


Farmers are not the only ones effected by the storm. A lot of marine life has been hit by the cold and many animals have died.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/zahrahirji/dead...uk-beaches

I am glad they are out there trying to save animals from the cold.

[Tobi]

The other day, I saw a picture of all the starfish marooned on the coast after the storm. It is so sad as there were very many of them. The weather affected so many creatures badly.
The only ones it didn't affect badly were my Crow Koori, and his Martha. They got the contents of my melted freezer, which threw a hissy-fit at being in my utility room at near to freezing point! haha....They must have thought all their Christmases and birthdays had come at once!
(Unfortunately last Monday, I bought freezer food when I went out to buy emergency supplies for the storm....)
We live and learn.

Sheep get bad feet in constant wet conditions. If you see a ewe limping (poor Soul!) it is often because she has been too long in a waterlogged field.

[Catherine]

I am glad Koori and Martha are having a feast. It has been a tough winter. They deserve a break. 
Odd that your freezer doesn't like the cold. I would have expected it to work better.
I wonder if all freezers act that way. The only time my freezer was ever cold there was no electricity.  As soon as the power came on the furnace came on and everything else.

All those star fish on the beach are a sad sight. Do you think they were all dead? Would the cold have killed them? I suppose out of water they would freeze. It is a tragic loss of life for many of the animals pictured on the beaches. These storms are real killers.

Sheep seem particularly vulnerable. I didn't know their feet had problems when they get wet. Sheep might like the lush green grass of England, but I wonder if they are not better in the dryer areas. They have feet that are suited to rocky ground don't they?

[Tobi]

Most fridge freezers are designed to sit in peoples' kitchens/utility rooms in a centrally heated environment. Who doesn't have central heating? Almost no-one. Those kinds are designed to operate between +10 and + 32 Celsius ambient temperature (that is room temperature.)

I had no idea it was so complicated!
Apparently those people living in the Tropics have a diferent kind of fridge freezer which is designed to operate to higher ambient temperatures. More "nordic" people have environments which almost never drop below +10. Because in the winter the ambient air is heated.

There are such things as "garage freezers" which are designed to operate at lower temperatures. But who told me that when I bought a fridge freezer in 2011? For quite a while I was sure warmth coming through from the stove in the next room would keep the ambient temperature up enough in the next room....but obviously not when the weather gets too far below freezing.  It cut out once before, I think in 2013 but hasn't done since.

The secret isn't buy a new fridge for £300, but get a little space heater (Amazon £22) in that room and use it when it gets very cold. Cheaper option! Which is what I have done now. A thermometer would be useful too, so as not to waste power when it's not needed.

Food never goes to waste in my house. There is always someone who will appreciate it! Who would imagine Crows love vegan sausages frozen peas and oven chips?

There's an article here, which tries to explain why thousands of Starfish were washed ashore on UK beaches in the freezing weather:

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/thousands-st...east-east/

[Catherine]

I feel for the many starfish and other marine animals that didn't stand a chance against such a destructive storm. 
It was such a terrible loss of life. I would want to run out there and search for live ones, but they all look dead.

I had no idea freezers were so complicated. You needed a garage freezer. Now I know I can't move my freezer to the cold unheated area at the back of my place. It would shut off for sure.

Your little heater from Amazon probably has a thermostat. I have one that sounds like what you are getting. I set it and it will come on as much as needed to keep things at the set temperature.

Having your food defrost was a good thing as far as Koori and Martha are concerned. You fed them everything you had so they made it through the storm alright. Crows will eat anything.
At least this is a chance to clean out your freezer and have it ready for new food.