With extended bouts of heat, how are Ag producers and their crops fairing? While there are many that are fairing well, it may still be too early in the season to tell the full effects.
- With 10 consecutive days of 107-degree heat earlier this year, it raised the question: how does this affect crops in Kern County?
- 23ABC spoke with Margaux Hein, Farm Manager for Hein Ranch, to discuss grapes and the heat's effect on them. Hein noted the weather has forced them to change their tactics for growing, but in the grand scope they're thankfully seeing little effect, but some are less fortunate, seeing a stunted crop.
- 23ABC also spoke with Todd Snyder, Owner of Western Ag Crop Insurance, Snyder said he's receiving notices from farmers all across the west coast who are seeing the early signs of a problem as a result of the heat. However, both Snyder and Hein agree that it's likely too early to tell if there will be an issue as a result of the weather.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
There are no ifs, and's, or buts about it; it has been hot, I'm Sam Hoyle, your Shafter neighborhood reporter, and with this heat it raises the question, how are farmers fairing?
"I think there's different things that we know that heat can cause, I don't think we know exactly what it's going to do, one of the things that you just mentioned was sunburn, we've been lucky and do see much sunburn damage here," said Margaux Hein,
That's Margaux Hein from Hein Ranch with farmland all throughout the central valley. Last season, we spoke with her about bunch rot in Grapes following the onslaught of rain from tropical storm Hilary, now the problem is the inverse, too much heat.
"Kind of like all of Bakersfield, or different people living in the valley, when it's 115 degrees outside, you;re not functioning outside very well, right? You're not going on your runs or your walks. I think it's safe to say we don't fully understand that about a grape, but you know they're not fully functioning."
According to Hein, heat in doses along with timely water are beneficial to crops, but extended bouts like the one we saw through the beginning of July can have effects like this.
To get a bigger picture of how heat is effecting farmers we also talked to Todd Snyder, owner of Western Ag Crop Insurance, and he said the issue isn't just impacting crops here in the Central Valley, but how they can be harvested in the meantime.
"Not just the farmer and the crops, that they're suffering potentially sunburn, quality adjustment situations, lower yields. You also have harvesting crews that have to have shorter days and now you cant get the fruit off of the tree or the vine
Though up to this point in the story, the magic 8 ball has said "outlook not so good" both Snyder and Hein says at this point in the year, it really should say "ask again later"
"Right now we're a little early so we'll see that growers will continue to farm as usual, they're ever the optimist. Farmers are always optimistic about what that crop will be and they'll start preparing as soon as this crop is finished for the next year."
"Scientists aren't studying what 115 degrees does to a grape, let alone what 115 does for five days duration, we don't really know. so, its anybody's best guess."
So we'll do just that later this year as we progress through the growing season, we'll update this story on-air and online,
In the middle of farmland, I'm Sam Hoyle, your shafter neighborhood reporter.
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