Henderson County Farmers Cope with Winter Storms

Apple tree orchard buried in snow.  Photo: Wallace Bohanan

By Wallace Bohanan

The farmers and other dwellers of rural Henderson County have to cope with the winter storms as much as, if not more than, city dwellers. Rural roads are usually the last to be cleaned of snow, and power outages can occur more frequently. This can make living in the rural farming community rather difficult.

Fortunately, farmers are a self-reliant group, and they know how to
prepare for the storms. Once the snow stops falling, they get busy
attaching snowplows to their tractors and cleaning their driveways.

Often several farmers work together to clean the road down to the
nearest intersection. Four-wheel-drive pickup trucks seem to be the
order of the day in rural Henderson County, and before the roads are
cleared, even when the snow is still falling, many rural residents use
their 4WDs to get around.

Many farmers also have generators that attach to the drive shaft of a
tractor. If you drive through rural Henderson County during a power
outage and see a tractor backed up to the house, the chances are that a
generator is providing full power to the entire house. So staying warm,
having lights on, and having well water flowing during a storm is the
norm for a farmer who is prepared — as is driving around when several
inches of snow fall.

Life can be difficult for a rural farmer. Fortunately for them and
their families, most are self reliant and well-prepared for whatever
Mother Nature has in store.