While a blanket of snow covering the landscape may be a beautiful sight for some, it can also be a warning sign on some dairies if a building’s roof is not designed to handle heavy snowfall.

Across the Northern Plains, when the thermometer plunges to -30ºF night after night and the northwest wind howls like a jet engine on takeoff, “strange things can happen” to dairy equipment – including even the latest automated technology, says Jon Qual of Qual Dairy, Lisbon, North Dakota.

Many of life’s most memorable meals are served over the Christmas season.

With winter quickly approaching, preparing your ranch’s cattle-handling equipment, buildings and machinery becomes time-sensitive. It’s critical that livestock are handled safely and that handlers remain productive even when Mother Nature drops the temperature.