Staff writer
Most Marion County residents didn’t want to get out of bed Thursday and Friday — not to mention go outdoors to work when the temperature was 6 degrees and there was a stiff north wind.
Marcel Benda and his son William Benda, who live one mile north of Pilsen, had to brave the elements to water and feed their cattle. William said that they tried to feed their cows more food — eight bales of hay on Thursday — to help them battle the severe conditions. They work from sunrise to sunset most days of the year regardless of the weather.
It was cold enough that icicles formed on William’s mustache as he loaded the feeding bin for the cows.
It’s been cold enough that the Bendas have cleared the ice around the stock tank every morning.
At least the Bendas have a well with an electric pump.
Duane Carlson of rural Lincolnville has to take buckets of water out to his chickens several times a day to keep their water from freezing.
Both farm families prepared for the elements by stocking up with firewood. The Bendas heat their house entirely with firewood in the winter and have to bring in wood three to four times a day to keep the fire going.
The Bendas also made sure that they had plenty of hay ready for the sub-freezing temperatures and that their generator still worked in case the electricity in town was knocked out.
Winter conditions can be a life or death battle for calves. The Bendas have been lucky thus far: even though one of their cows gave birth two weeks ago, she was able to clean the calf and get it into the barn safely.
Things could be worse; William recalled the ice storm two years ago that knocked out power in Pilsen for four days.
“We took three trips to Salina to get a generator,” Marcel said. “By the time we got back, the power was back on.”
Marcel remembers a winter in 1952 with 15 inches of snow and a year when he walked out into the cold and his glasses snapped.
But, they don’t want to spend any more time out in the cold than they have to.
“I think we’re going to work on some inside projects today,” William said.
William spent the rest of the day doing paperwork and paying bills.