The farm calendar
A year of rodents on an eastern South Dakota farm
A rough guide, not a promise. Weather, your crop calendar and your livestock all move these dates, and the owner of this site edits them to match.
Mice in the feed room and shop
Cold pushes them toward the warmest corner that has something to eat. Bags on the floor and loose feed are the draw.
Nov to Mar
Calving and lambing barns
Bedding, feed and heat lamps bring them in. We seal around the pens and feed alley, and we plan around the weeks you're busiest.
Feb to May
Check what winter chewed
After the thaw: wiring, door sweeps, insulation, and anything stored on the floor.
Mar to Apr
Seed and feed deliveries
Bring pallets in off the floor and shut the door behind the truck.
Mar to May
Planting and spring work
Shops and machine sheds sit idle and quiet. A nest in a tractor seat or a wire harness is easier to stop in April than in July.
Apr to Jun
Burrows around bin pads and lanes
Rats dig where grain has spilled and cover is close: pallets, weeds, stacked tires.
Jun to Sep
Empty-bin clean-out and check
The cheapest time to find a gap is before the bin is full. Doors, roof vents and the base of the wall.
Jul to Sep
Harvest
Spilled grain under augers, dryers and in the yard gives them a reason to stay. Sweep it.
Sep to Nov
Seal before the first hard freeze
Doors, vents and the places a pipe goes through a wall. This is the visit that fills first.
Sep to Nov
Winter checks
Fresh tracks in the snow around a bin or a barn door tell us where to start.
Dec to Feb
Season by season
What we do in each season
Winter
Mostly looking and planning. We follow tracks, check the feed rooms and shops, and book the spring and fall work.
Feed rooms and shops
Fresh tracks and gnawing
Booking the thaw visit
Spring
The thaw visit: what winter chewed, what the calving barn needs, and the seed and feed storage.
Calving and lambing barns
Wiring and insulation
Pallets and stored bags
Summer
Bin sites and lanes. Empty-bin checks in July and August, and a look at burrows around the pads.
Empty-bin clean-out check
Pads, lanes and spilled grain
Burrows
Fall
The seal-up before the freeze, and a walk during harvest if rodents are following the grain.
Seal-up before the first hard freeze
Doors, vents and pipe holes
A follow-up check
Plan your fall seal-up
Fall fills first. Call in August and we'll set a day before the first hard freeze.