We experienced a remarkable autumn weather-wise, with no real complaints despite some people finding fault. It started too warm and dry, then became too cold and wet when the rain came. There truly is no pleasing everyone.

Winter Woes and Wins on the Dairy Farm

Early and Late Winters

Living in our area means encountering winters that come early and stay late. One such winter struck when I was eighteen and felt invincible. I took a job on a dairy farm about twenty miles from Sioux Falls. The 72-cow dairy barn was brand new and a vast improvement from our old and primitive facilities at home.It was November 9 when a fierce blizzard blew in. The next day, the storm swept across the Great Lakes and sank the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. Our dairy barn had a design flaw in its ventilation system, allowing snow to blow in through the eves and fill the north row of free stalls. I didn't mind shoveling several metric tons of snow as I was young and full of energy.

Milk Room Mishaps

The next day while milking, a ceiling panel crashed down along with snow due to the same ventilation mistake in the milking parlor's attic. I crawled through the attic and nailed plywood over the eaves to stop the snow. However, the builder had placed the milk room's water pipes inside the walls, and they froze solid when the temperature dropped below zero. We had to replumb the entire milk room, which I saw as a learning opportunity.

Blizzards and Sledding

Blizzards became a regular occurrence that year, making it seem like winter would never end. On the south side of the new barn, the snow was so deep that Bud's three-year-old granddaughter and I went sledding off the roof. After another blizzard, the milk truck got stuck in a snowdrift. I went out to help the driver shovel, despite the sub-zero windchill. I wore ill-fitting wire-rimmed glasses and later noticed a white stripe of frostbite where the metal nosepiece had rested.

Skid Loader Mishap

One day while hauling a heavy bucket of silage with the skid loader, one of its wheels suddenly came off. All the wheel's studs had sheared off. I held a long punch against the busted studs as Bud angrily whacked it with a huge sledgehammer. This made me nervous as my hands weren't sledgehammer-proof.

Overcast Nights and Hopes

On overcast nights, the lights of Sioux Falls made the low clouds glow like neon, making me wonder if something better was ahead. And indeed, I quit that job, and the seemingly never-ending winter finally came to an end.Jerry's book, “Dear County Agent Guy” can be found at www.workman.com and in bookstores nationwide.