Major Snow Farming

During Greater Snow, the ground across Northeast China is deeply frozen, temperatures fall to −20 to −30°C, snow cover becomes deep, and the landscape turns completely white. Outdoor agricultural activity ceases and work is carried out almost entirely indoors.
Deep freezing continues and the “猫冬” period remains in place. The frozen-soil layer continues to thicken, reaching 1–2 meters in northern Heilongjiang, while deep snow cover makes outdoor field work impossible. Farmers use the winter period to manage stored grain, checking temperature and humidity regularly and protecting it from moisture, insects, and rodents while adjusting sales according to market trends. Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural film, and other inputs are purchased during the off-season, when prices are relatively low, in preparation for the coming spring. Large agricultural machines undergo comprehensive winter servicing, with engines, hydraulic systems, seeding units, and other critical components inspected and repaired and worn parts replaced so that machinery will be in good condition when spring sowing begins. Farmers also determine the following year’s cropping structure and cultivar choices by considering market conditions, policy direction, soil status, and climate trends. Although “猫冬” is the slowest point in the annual farming rhythm, indoor preparation remains essential.
Winter management in pastoral areas. In eastern Inner Mongolia, livestock management enters a critical winter stage. All animals are housed, shelters are reinforced, bedding is increased, and drafts are prevented, as cold protection becomes the overriding concern under the extremely low temperatures of Greater Snow. Supplementary feeding is fully established, with adequate feed reserves and careful calculation of daily rations to ensure that livestock can survive the long winter. Weak animals, pregnant females, and young livestock need special care, with increased feed and improved nutrition. Particular attention must also be paid to “白灾”, because Greater Snow is a high-risk period for blizzards that can bury grazing land and prevent animals from feeding. Farmers therefore need to monitor forecasts closely and store emergency feed in advance so that adequate supplies remain available if heavy snow blocks roads. The quality of winter pastoral management directly affects livestock survival and the following year’s pastoral income.
Greenhouse vegetables remain in peak production. Cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, and other greenhouse crops continue fruiting or harvesting and supplying the market. Because winter daylight is at its shortest, insulation covers need to be opened at suitable times to extend natural light, with artificial supplementary lighting used when necessary. Temperatures should be maintained at 25–28°C during the day and 12–15°C at night, with temporary heating equipment activated during extreme cold. Humidity also requires close control, because winter greenhouses are prone to high moisture and need timely ventilation to prevent diseases such as gray mold. Gray mold, downy mildew, and related diseases become especially likely under low-temperature, high-humidity conditions, so monitoring and control should be strengthened. Before extreme cold arrives, additional inner curtains or thermal covers should be installed to prevent cold-air intrusion.

During Greater Snow, Northwest China enters a critical winter-management stage. Winter wheat is in deep overwintering, winter orchard management continues, and basic farmland improvement approaches completion.
Winter wheat is in deep overwintering. Growth has stopped completely and plants are in deep dormancy. Snow cover provides insulation and protection from freezing, reflected in the saying “冬天雪盖三层被，来年枕着馒头睡.” Winter irrigation is fully complete, and farmers need to inspect fields periodically to monitor overwintering conditions. Where freezing injury is found, remedial measures such as straw or plastic-film covering should be applied promptly for insulation.
Winter orchard management continues. Winter pruning proceeds from leaf fall until bud break and removes dead, diseased, crossing, and overcrowded branches while adjusting tree structure. Young trees are pruned mainly for training into appropriate forms such as open-center or spindle forms, while mature trees are pruned primarily for renewal and rejuvenation through renewal of fruiting branches, height control, and improved ventilation and light penetration. Orchard sanitation also continues, with dead branches, fallen leaves, diseased fruit, infected wood, and weeds removed and either burned or deeply buried to reduce overwintering pests and pathogens. Trunk whitewashing is likewise continued, coating the lower 1–1.5 meters of the trunk with a mixture of quicklime + sulfur + salt + water to protect against freezing and pests. Young trees and late-autumn shoots also require additional cold protection through straw wrapping, plastic-film covering, or soil mounding.
Basic farmland improvement approaches completion. Autumn fertilization is fully complete, with farmyard manure or compound fertilizer already applied in preparation for spring sowing or winter-wheat green-up. Land leveling is also complete, improving irrigation conditions, while repair of irrigation canals, wells, reservoirs, and other water facilities continues in preparation for spring irrigation. Shelterbelt development likewise continues through winter tree planting for wind protection, sand stabilization, and improvement of the farmland environment. Once the land is fully frozen after Greater Snow, basic farmland construction must already have been completed.

During Greater Snow, winter wheat across North China enters deep overwintering. Snow cover insulates the fields against freezing and field activity comes to a complete stop.
Winter wheat is in deep overwintering. Growth stops completely and the plants enter deep dormancy. Snow cover provides crucial insulation, as expressed in “冬天雪盖三层被，来年枕着馒头睡”: a layer of snow can raise surface temperatures by 2–3°C, protecting wheat seedlings through winter while also increasing soil moisture and helping suppress overwintering pests. Winter irrigation is fully complete, and the pre-freeze watering has left the soil with sufficient moisture. Field activity largely ceases.
Agricultural work fully stops outdoors. During Greater Snow, there is virtually no field work across North China and farmers enter the winter slack season. Indoor preparations nevertheless continue through grain-storage management, off-season purchasing of agricultural inputs, winter servicing of farm machinery, and preparation of the following year’s planting plans based on market conditions, policy direction, and other factors.
Winter orchard management continues. Apple, pear, and other orchards continue with winter pruning, orchard sanitation, and trunk whitewashing.
Vegetable management. Greenhouse vegetables remain in peak production, with cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, and other crops continuing to supply the market. Temperatures need to be maintained at 25–28°C during the day and 12–15°C at night, together with effective insulation and protection against severe cold.

During Greater Snow, the middle and lower Yangtze enters a critical winter-management period. Overwintering management of rapeseed and winter wheat continues, and keeping drainage channels clear to prevent waterlogging remains the central priority.
Rapeseed overwintering management continues. Rapeseed enters deep overwintering and growth is nearly suspended. Drainage channels must remain clear and fully connected so that excess water drains quickly once rainfall stops, because cold, wet winter conditions pose the greatest threat to overwintering rapeseed and can lead to root rot and seedling death. Weak stands may receive a pre-winter topdressing, based mainly on organic or compound fertilizer, to promote root development and improve cold resistance, at a rate of 5–8 kg of compound fertilizer per *mu* or 500–800 kg of farmyard manure per *mu*. In colder highland areas or years of extreme low temperatures, straw or plastic-film covering may be used to provide insulation against freezing. The quality of overwintering management directly affects winter survival and yield the following year.
Winter-wheat overwintering management continues. Winter wheat enters deep overwintering, while drainage and waterlogging prevention continue alongside topdressing of weak stands and cold-protection measures.
Drainage and waterlogging prevention remain the overriding priority. During Greater Snow, the Yangtze basin still experiences cold and damp winter conditions, so the three-level drainage system must remain fully operational. The main ditch, cross-field ditch, and perimeter ditch should reach minimum depths of 80 cm, 60 cm, and 40 cm, respectively, and remain interconnected so that water drains quickly once rain stops. Although rainfall decreases around Greater Snow, persistent cold and damp conditions can still leave the soil excessively wet, making continued ditch maintenance essential.
Winter-vegetable management. Chinese cabbage, radish, lettuce, spinach, celery, and other winter vegetables enter active growth and require stronger water and nutrient management, pest and disease control, and cold preparation through insulating covers before low temperatures arrive.
Winter orchard management. Citrus and other orchards continue with postharvest pruning and fertilization to restore tree vigor, sanitation to remove dead branches, fallen leaves, diseased fruit, and infected wood, continuing winter pruning, and trunk whitewashing for protection against cold and pests.

During Greater Snow, agricultural activity across Southwest China remains in a critical winter-management stage. Rapeseed and winter-wheat overwintering management continue, while field management of winter potatoes proceeds steadily.
Rapeseed overwintering management continues. Rapeseed enters deep overwintering and growth is nearly suspended. Drainage channels need to remain clear so that water drains rapidly after rainfall; weak stands receive pre-winter fertilizer, and in colder highland areas insulating covers are used to protect plants from freezing.
Winter-wheat overwintering management continues. Winter wheat enters deep overwintering, while drainage and waterlogging prevention, topdressing of weak stands, and cold-protection measures continue in parallel.
Winter-potato field management continues. Winter potatoes enter the stage from seedling growth to tuber formation. Farmers combine inter-row cultivation with earthing up to promote root development and tuber formation while preventing tubers from being exposed to light and turning green. A tuber-development fertilizer dominated by potassium is applied, using 8–10 kg of potassium sulfate per *mu* to promote tuber enlargement. Late blight enters a critical control period, with mancozeb or metalaxyl used for disease control. In high-altitude areas, plastic-film or straw covering is applied before low temperatures arrive to protect the crop from cold. The quality of winter-potato field management directly affects both yield and marketable proportion.

#### (1) Mainland South China
Winter crops enter active growth management. During Greater Snow, winter potatoes, winter maize, winter vegetables, and other crops enter the seedling stage or vigorous vegetative growth. Water and nutrient management becomes especially important: irrigation is applied according to soil-moisture conditions because winter rainfall is relatively low; winter maize receives jointing-stage topdressing, winter potatoes receive seedling-stage fertilizer, and winter vegetables receive growth-promoting fertilizer. Inter-row cultivation and weeding are carried out to loosen the soil and remove weeds, while aphids, cabbage caterpillars, cutworms, and other seedling-stage pests enter an important control window. Farmers also prepare for occasional winter frost by applying insulating covers before low temperatures arrive. Winter crops form an important part of South China’s winter agriculture, and the quality of field management directly affects yield and quality.
Citrus enters peak harvest. Around Greater Snow, early- and late-maturing citrus cultivars are marketed simultaneously. “砂糖橘,” “贡柑,” navel orange, and “沃柑” are harvested intensively from late November through January, and farmers take advantage of clear weather to pick, grade, pack, and sell the fruit. Harvest quality directly affects market price and farm income, making harvest timing—based on fruit maturity and market conditions—as well as postharvest grading, packaging, and preservation especially important.
Tropical-fruit management. Banana harvesting approaches completion and is followed promptly by orchard sanitation, fertilization, and cold protection. Lychee and longan enter winter management through postharvest pruning to restore tree vigor, winter fertilization based mainly on organic fertilizer to promote flower-bud differentiation, orchard sanitation to reduce overwintering pests and diseases, and cold protection through covering or smoke-frost protection before low temperatures arrive.
#### (2) Taiwan
Rice: Rice harvesting is fully complete across Taiwan and fields enter either the winter slack period or winter-cropping stage.
Vegetables: During Greater Snow, winter vegetables across Taiwan enter active growth management.
Fruit trees: Citrus enters peak harvest, while banana harvesting approaches completion.
Tea: Tea gardens in central and southern areas such as Nantou and Chiayi enter winter management, as do northern tea-growing areas such as Wenshan and Sanxia.
Fisheries: Fishing continues in waters around Taiwan during Greater Snow, while the northeast monsoon remains active and maritime operations require continued attention to safety.
Farmer’s proverbs and folk customs: Taiwanese folk tradition preserves the saying “大雪大雪，大雪纷飞”, referring to the increase in snowfall around Greater Snow. Another saying, “大雪不冻，倒春寒”, suggests that if the weather is not cold during Greater Snow, a late-spring cold spell may occur the following year. Greater Snow is also associated with the custom of “大雪腌肉”: as expressed in “小雪腌菜，大雪腌肉”, people use the low temperatures to cure winter foods such as preserved pork and sausages.