Farmers speak on heat, drought and how we can help.

Yes, cooler days are expected later this week, but, look over our shoulder: it's been tremendously and consistently hot and dry.

According to the National Weather Service, it rained .13 inches in August.

Food as a Verb asked small farmers across the region about their experience farming in this hot and dry summer.

• How has the heat and drought impacted daily operations and overall finances?
• What changes are you making to your farm and operations?
• What do you wish the rest of us knew and understood? How can we help?

One by one, here are their answers.

Jane Mauldin, Wheeler's Orchard and Vineyard, Sequatchie County, Tenn.

The drought earlier in the season hurt our blueberry crop.  We had berries just drying up & falling off.  The accompanying heat has disrupted our picking schedule.  We take frequent breaks & often can't bring our friendly four legged companions (dogs) out with us.  We have had to take time to water the blueberries as they are shallow rooted.

The grapes and apples do a little better in dry weather, but the fruit doesn't get as big & we have seen sun burn on the apples & grapes from 100 degree days.

Of course, it's hard to sell dried up & sun-burned fruit, so this is definitely a negative for the financial bottom line.  And having to take the time & spend money to water perennials which generally don't need irrigation once established is not something we want to make a habit of.

Our cottage/pollinator garden (we host lots of educational field trips) has really struggled & we have to water it frequently.

Mitigation efforts mostly involve lots of extra watering & frequent breaks during the day, which is quite disruptive to getting daily harvesting done.

We farmers often have value added products like jams & jellies, which helps us make use of crops that have been damaged by weather related events.  Please patronize us & consider purchasing our value added products when you are shopping at our farm stands & farmers markets.  We prefer selling most of our fruit fresh, but when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

Christina Crook, Pig Mountain and Dayspring Farm, Altamont, Tenn.

We rely on our pastures to feed our animals and when we hit bad drought years like this, we have to feed hay to stretch out what our pastures can provide. In a “normal” year, we only feed hay over winter so we’ve had to dip into those reserves. Not only does each bale cost money, but you risk not being able to refill your winter hay supply because the hay farmers are struggling, too.

When our pastures take a hit, we will seed them in the fall to help return soil and forage health in years to come. But unless we get some rain in the forecast, we won’t have that option this year - we have to have reliable rainfall for the seeds to germinate and there is a limited window of time in which that must happen before the colder temps hit.

After about 9 am, it is unbearable to work out in the pastures for longer than 30 minutes to an hour. So any work - setting up paddocks, fence repairs, moving animals, etc. - has to be planned for super early or super late. It’s hard to get a decent breakfast for ourselves some days! 

Pigs don’t sweat and therefore need mud to cool off in on really hot days. Our pigs have access to shade in the woods but during the dog days of summer, they still struggle - probably the most out of all of our animals. So we give them wallows everyday by showering them with the hose. Before we had underground waterlines installed, we hauled buckets from a nearby pond (which has also gotten so low some years we couldn’t use it and had to use equipment to haul water cubes filled from larger ponds).  

Patience is one thing I can think of to ask from our customers. When we get to the market, we’ve been working all day and driving long distances to bring our products to the people. We might move a little slower or not have our normal energy levels but that in no way means we don’t appreciate each and every one of our customers for continuing to support what we do! 

Another thing that’s important to ask for is flexibility and understanding. Animals don’t grow as well when it’s super hot and sometimes we have to skip processing to allow for them to grow out. We might not have a certain sausage flavor or beef cut in stock but we’ll still be at the market for you every week with as much as we’re able to provide.

Kelsey Keener, Sequatchie Cove Farm, Marion County, Tenn.

This has been a really crappy growing season this year!  The heat and lack of rain has really put a damper on veggie production.  Luckily for us most of our income comes from animal products so we are less effected but still the livestock do not perform as well in the heat and we do not have as much grass stockpiled in the pasture for winter grazing.  This could mean that we have to purchase more hay than we were planning this winter and that will add a lot of cost to our sheep and cattle operations.

The human toll of the dry and heat is also rough. Watching crops wither combined with having to be out in the heat doing daily chores can be quite disheartening and makes a person question why in the heck am I even doing this?  Luckily, I can remind myself of all the reasons why I love what I do even with all the hardships that we face.

Part of our planning and management revolves around expecting there to be drought, flood, extreme conditions. This is only becoming more normal so we must plan accordingly and adapt with the changing climate as much as we can.

Walter Bates, Hoe Hop Valley Farm, Polk Co., Tenn.

We've been preparing for the heat for years and have managed to handle it very well. Our narrow savannah style pastures provide ample shade for the most part. So glad we decided to leave/plant a lot of trees 20 years ago. Production was not halted due to heat this season.... yet.

Drought is a different story. We need rain in order for the manure to assimilate into the pasture, both for sanitation and regrowth. We canceled the delivery of 400 baby chicks this season because of the slow regrowth. 

400 less chicks means less net income, less employment for staff and may lead to a market shortage of frozen birds come January. But it did not lead to any direct losses; nothing invested, nothing earned/lost.

We have 2 gravity flow springs and a well that serves the pasture so future plans are to provide irrigation when needed. Just have to invest the time and money and then be prepared for several years of ample rain!

Pay with cash instead of card. The boneless breast is the least flavorful, least nutritious and overall least exciting cut of poultry. Do yourself a favor and learn how to cut up a whole bird.

Eric Hanson, Hissing Possum Farm, Tunnel Hill, Georgia

When we read this message the other day, our weather station was reporting 102 degree temperature, the hottest day of the year. We also had not had measurable rain for 12 days.

We work harder in the heat. Tasks take more time and energy to complete. We try to work in the cooler parts of the day extending the length of the work day, hopefully lowering the stress on the body. Ice packs and hydration are important. The most important element for us dealing with the heat is realizing that we just need to quit for the day. It’s better to work another day.

We are fortunate to have municipal water. Drought conditions hit every growing season and our water supply allows us relief from worrying about our water source. We have irrigation set up to water plants for growth and mist in the hotter parts of the day to keep them cool. We still lose crops, but we have a fighting chance. As a drought lengthens, four legged pests become a major problem. As their normal forage in the woods and edges disappears our crops are their target. Last year, deer ate or trampled most of our fall and winter veggies.

This year, June was especially tough. The first week was rainy and moderate allowing plants to grow well. The rest of June was hotter than normal and no rain. We were able to manage the hot and dry pretty well, but several veggie crops suffered and were lost.

Summer - June through August - is viewed by many to be prime growing season; not for us. The veggies we grow best don’t do well in the heat. Paying attention to normal weather patterns doesn’t help much; unpredictable is the new norm.

We’re investing irrigation and season extension tools. We also use as many heat tolerant varieties as possible.

We plan to focus on nontraditional growing seasons to make up for the summer months.

From our perspective, the biggest help comes by people showing up to the market and encouraging non-regulars to become regulars. The people that shop at our markets are quite well-versed in the concept of seasonal and local.

One farmer said the drought and heat did not affect his operations much; more irrigation is budgeted for, and the drier weather is expected for this time of year.

Another farmer - Alysia Leon of Bird Fork Farm - posted a beautiful piece on her own body and the land. We'll close with her words. (Subscribe to her newsletter here.)

This Sunday, we're bringing you a powerfully honest and intimate conversation with Amanda and Erik Niel - the visionaries behind Easy Bistro & Bar, Little Coyote and Main Street Meats - and their definition of hospitality.

Here's Alysia:

Lately, I've been feeling drained, dry, hot, angry, frustrated, and unmotivated. When I look to the land, I recognize that I'm feeling what the land is feeling.

Drought has left the trees yellowing and dropping leaves early, plants droop despite being watered, animals hiding during the day because the sun is so violent, waves of warmth hitting like a brick wall, soil so dry and cracked even the earthworms seem to be hiding. Pollinators scrounging for food as the plants reserve theirs. Creeks run dry, food sources dwindling, and the underlying dread of, when is it going to be over? I can feel the anger, sadness, exhaustion, and death from this dearth.

When is that sweet, sweet smell of rain going to grace us? Make us dance and holler. Cry and thank the skies.

I dream of the day. The day the water kisses my cheeks, the one the birds sing loudly their songs of gratitude, the one where the plants can breathe after a very stressful season... the one where my body can pause for a minute and feel replenished by the water. Please, please rain come and save us all

In 9.5 weeks (since the start of summer), we've received 5 inches of rain. Growing fruits and vegetables requires at least 1 inch per week. We are all feeling it.

All photography by Sarah Unger (sarah@foodasaverb.com)

All design by Alex DeHart

All words by David Cook (david@foodasaverb.com)

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in sponsorship or advertising opportunities? Email us: david@foodasaverb.com and sarah@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.