Wrens Nest: Winter brings much work on farms

At a recent Carlton County Board of Commissioners meeting, one member asked the audience, “What do farmers actually do in the winter?” While I was initially a taken aback by the question — being married to a farmer I see firsthand the amount of work that goes into running an operation — I decided that I should treat the query as curiosity rather than dismiss it as woeful ignorance.

In our household, my husband cuts back to about 50 or 60 hours a week versus the 80 he spends during the growing season. This is the time of year for planning, ordering, fixing, bookkeeping and, as always, daily cho...