It has been a hot week on the farm and we are SO ready for cooler fall temperatures. This type of heat wave this late in the summer is abnormal as we hit temperatures and dew points that we haven't seen in decades. Sadly, with climate change it seems like these types of weather extremes will happen more and more frequently. As such, we need to be prepared and take care of ourselves to continue to produce healthy, sustainable produce.
Despite the heat, the work continues on our farm. We take frequent breaks and strategize and prioritize tasks such that the hardest or most labor intensive tasks happen in the morning and easier tasks happen in the afternoon. We also adjust our working hours so we can take advantage of the slightly cooler morning temps.
Additionally, we've stocked up on Gatorade and ice cream treats so when we take a break we can cool off. We've also chosen not to offer or harvest certain labor intensive, time consuming crops this week to help shorten our work days. Finally, we've been very selective about which lettuce we're harvesting and how much we harvest to both reduce our workload and to make sure we don't have a bunch of spoiled lettuce.
All of this helps us get through these hot weeks but we'd much prefer more normal temperatures and dew points.
