There is a lot going on in the world, and It is my job to help keep you updated. With that being said, not only do I have some COVID related information that will help keep you and your employees safe, but “Winter is Coming,” and I have a few things for you to keep in mind when winterizing your farm.
Steps that your agriculture operation should be taking to protect yourself, your family, and your employees from the impact of COVID-19 – numbers are on the rise!
1. MOST IMPORTANTLY, employees should be told to not report to work and stay home if they are ill. That there is a daily health assessment process in place for all employees. It is good practice to have the employees take their temperature every day when arriving on site to be sure they do not have a temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
· If they do, they should be sent back to their residence immediately and informed not to go anywhere unless emergency services are needed.
· To encourage ill workers to stay home, consider providing paid sick leave.
2. Be aware of absences. If a worker reports an illness inquire into their symptoms. If they include fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath, contact your County’s Health Department to discuss appropriateness for testing. If a person is in distress, call 911 for emergency services and inform them of the concern.
3. Keep track of people who enter the farm and when, i.e. workforce, milk truck drivers, veterinarians, etc.
4. Designate and maintain work partners to limit the number of people potentially exposed to illness.
5. If someone on your farm becomes ill with COVID, the Health Department will be working to identify their close contacts and will be asking you, as the employer, for a list of contacts.
6. Make sure all farm workers learn about COVID-19. Posters from the CDC link here should be printed and provided to all employees. · Spanish – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/stop-the-spread-of-germs-sp.pdf · English – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/stop-the-spread-of-germs.pdf
7. Facilities to wash hands should be available to all employees and employees should be encouraged to wash hands often, but especially after coughing or sneezing.
8. Employers should ensure that employees are practicing social distancing.
· Employees should not congregate for meals, or when taking breaks and should maintain at least 6 feet separation from other people at all times.
· Chairs should be removed from breakrooms to discourage close contact.
9. Require that employees wear masks when they are near others to minimize droplet dispersion. Encourage employees to cough or sneeze into their sleeve, even while wearing masks.
10. Before temporary workers from other farms are used, employers should make sure that they are healthy without a fever or other symptoms.
11. Employers should clean and disinfect any areas where employees routinely visit such as bathrooms or frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and computer keyboards.
12. Provide cleaning supplies such as cleaning solutions, disinfectant wipes, etc. for cleaning at work and for those living in employer-provided housing.
** The steps above were taken from a write-up from the Cayuga County Health Department. **
Other resources available: Cornell Farmworker Program: https://cardi.cals.cornell.edu/programs/farmworker/ ProDairy: https://prodairy.cals.cornell.edu/ Farm Bureau: www.nyfb.org
Winterizing your Farm
The Barns & Equipment
· The first thing you should do is conduct an all-farm inspection. This includes machinery, equipment, buildings, walkways, gates, wiring and pesticides. Clean, service and/or repair items if needed. Also, have extra supplies on hand in case you need to make repairs during winter from fallen trees or ice damage.
· Clean out your barns and buildings. Remove all debris, trash and safely store any flammable items you may have.
· Check carbon monoxide alarms in shops and other buildings that use nonelectric heaters.
· Inventory pesticides & other chemicals you may have. Re-read labels to note any expiration dates or storage temperature recommendations. Store dry pesticides above liquid pesticides. Also, determine if you can store unused pesticides, or whether they need to be disposed.
· Make sure all tanks are filled. Condensation often occurs when weather warms in the spring, which can cause water to enter empty tanks. Top off fuel and hydraulic oil tanks to eliminate this problem.
· Adequately lubricate all machinery. Consult the operator instruction book and lubricate as recommended. Grease unpainted metal parts (ex. hydraulic cylinder rods) to protect them from the elements.
· Fix any damage that occurred the past season. This ensures that broken parts don’t further degrade or rust during the winter. It also ensures faster access to equipment when it’s needed next spring or summer.
· Remove dust and debris from both inside and outside of farm equipment. Change oil and fluids, and check tire air pressure regularly. Protect the air inlet and exhaust from humidity. Lower each linkage fully to avoid pressure buildup in hydraulic rams. If possible, slacken the engine accessories’ belt tensioner. Remove the battery and store in a dry location.
· Properly store equipment. Keeping equipment under a roof is the best way to protect equipment, but this is not always possible. If left outdoors, cover equipment and protect computerized mechanisms with a cloth. Using water-resistant products such as wax can further protect equipment from rust and premature wear.
The Livestock
· Make sure all barns and sheds stop drafts and provide proper ventilation.
· Make sure your heat lamps are working properly and keep a few extra bulbs on hand. Please note heat lamps present a huge fire hazard, please use sparingly. Assuring they are in good working condition but also set up safely to prevent bumping, tipping or that nothing flammable is kept near the lamp and it is not accessible to animals.
· Provide dry bedding to help with insulation and comfort.
· Ensure all of your animals are healthy. Make sure that their hooves and feet are well cared for. Your livestock also needs to be up-to-date on their immunizations.
· Stock up on feed and bedding so you won’t run out in case bad weather occurs.
· Make sure there is an animal first aid kit located in the barn.
· Rodents can be a huge problem during this time of the year. Taking proper rodent control measures such as, keeping items picked up, make sure all feed containers are covered or keep bags of feed in containers, and reducing the amount of feed spillage, is truly important.
· Making sure clean water is available throughout the winter is crucial to your livestock’s health. Utilize tank heaters, heated buckets, and automatic waterers. The University of Wisconsin Extension has published a water consumption chart that outlines the amounts of water certain species will consume per day.
If you have questions about COVID-19, contact your county’s health department. If you have questions on winterizing your farm, other agriculture related topics, or ideas on future Ag Informer blog posts, please feel free to contact myself (518-272-4210/kls342@cornell.edu).
Stay Warm & Happy Holidays!
-Kayela
