5 Winter Weekend Farm Projects

There is always something to be done on a farm whether you’re a weekender or full timer. Even when the ground is too hard to do much with, you can always find some project you’ve been putting off. We have created a shortlist of five winter weekend projects to get you and the farm ready for another year. 

Clean Your Tools

It’s always our goal to have our tools in top shape when spring arrives. Whether it’s time to plant food plots, harvest crops, or take cows to market, you want to work with a tool and not on it. Knock that out during the winter.

You can stay in the house, shop, or barn, out of the elements. Sharpen blades, grease axles and tractor joints, change the oil, check hydraulic lines, the list keeps going. If you are anything like us, a 15-minute project quickly becomes a day-long task as one thing inevitably leads to another.  

Repair Fencing

With most of the vegetation gone, it's the perfect time to assess the state of your fences. Look to see if the posts are still solid or if any critters have dug under the wire in the chicken coop. Organizing additional supplies to help quickly mend fence will reduce any stress should you have to do so at any point now or in the near future. 

Order Seeds

Let’s face it: supply chains are out of whack right now. That said, it's necessary to factor in some additional lead time on any purchase. If you’re planting crops for deer or human consumption, or if you keep a chicken coop, it may be wise to get an even earlier start this year on ordering the necessary seeds and supplements.

With supply chains already backed up, ordering seeds during the winter can help get them here by planting time. 

Organize Your Shed

Just like cleaning your tools, organizing your tool shed will help you inventory what's on hand. And you will know where it is when the season kicks into gear. This is also an excellent time to ensure the shed is closed up tight to keep rodents out, which will undoubtedly be ready to eat whatever feed is left over from the year.

Repair the Roof

That leak in the roof from the summer is still there. While working in the cold isn't always fun, getting up on a metal roof when it's 40 degrees versus 95 is much more pleasant. If there are leaks that require patching the roof, the shorter daylight hours are a benefit. Shining a spotlight up from inside the building will create pinholes of light that you can see and mark to come back and replace.

While working in the cold isn't always fun, getting up on a metal roof when it's 40 degrees versus 95 is much more pleasant.

It’s a good bet that farmers keep a "to-do" list longer than the average family's grocery bill. However, we can all agree that it's easier to get a job done when we suggest it to ourselves. By checking off this short list of tasks, you can reduce your list substantially while staying busy and getting exercise throughout the winter. Who knows, you may be ahead of the curve come spring.