Brooksville, Ky. – As the sun lingered even after sunset, Annie Woods stepped back into her 50‑acre farm to hand‑pick squash and zucchini. The heat dome that settled over the region is part of a climate‑change driven pattern of extreme weather that shortens planting windows and threatens crops with early‑season heat followed by freezes.
Woods says she “assumes these kind of heat waves aren’t going away.” To stay safe, she works in the coolest hours of the morning and evening, takes frequent water breaks, and pitches a market tent over her rows for shade. She also keeps seedlings in a cooled barn cabinet before moving them to a greenhouse with fans.
Adjusting harvest schedules
Specialty growers are moving harvests to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Paul Rasch, who runs several fruit orchards in central Iowa, has his crew of eight harvesting raspberries as early as 6 a.m. to finish before noon becomes unsafe. Rasch added air‑conditioning to his packing buildings, planted shade trees, and erected covered pavilions for pick‑your‑own customers. He is also testing high tunnels to stabilize conditions for certain crops.
Both Woods and Rasch note that heat events feel more frequent, intense, and longer lasting, adding to worries about floods, droughts and late‑spring frosts.
Crop diversity as a safety net
Because specialty farms often grow a wide mix of vegetables, herbs and fruit, they can offset losses when one crop suffers. “You’re always gonna have something that will thrive while other things might be more challenged,” Woods explains.
However, the federal crop‑insurance system is geared toward single‑crop commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat. Policy specialist Duncan Orlander of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition says paperwork and low premiums make insurance unattractive for small, diversified farms. While revenue‑based programs exist, they are complex and underused.
Community support helps
Woods’ community‑supported agriculture (CSA) program gives her customers a season‑long share of the farm’s harvest, providing a financial buffer if a particular crop fails. The CSA model, combined with diversified planting, helps farmers hedge against heat, floods and drought.
Melissa Widhalm, associate director of the Midwest Regional Climate Center, warns that heat domes pose a “serious threat to human health” for farmworkers. Both growers stress the need for careful monitoring, frequent watering and proactive planning to stay resilient amid a changing climate.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
