Annie Woods harvests Eight Ball zucchini at sunset on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, on her farm in Brooksville, Kentucky, USA. Joshua A. Bickel/AP Even as the sun begins to set, the heat of the day still lingers in the air as Annie Woods heads back to the fields to pick pumpkins and zucchini on her farm. Intense and prolonged heat waves are part of a pattern of extreme weather events driven by climate change, which have also caused droughts and severe floods. For U.S. farmers, this means shorter planting windows and greater risk of crop failure due to early-season hot spells followed by frost. ??Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 “I think it's very safe to say that these heat waves are not going away nor are they isolated events,” Woods said. The recent heat dome, a high pressure system that traps heat and humidity over a region, affected producers specializing in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. Climate change caused by human action has also intensified heat waves and other extreme weather events. These growers have found ways to adapt, in part by adjusting harvest times to avoid the hottest parts of the day. However, according to experts, they do not always have the same safety net available to producers of traditional agricultural commodities, such as corn and soybeans, when extreme weather events hit crops. Woods works during the cooler periods of the day, in the morning and late afternoon, taking frequent breaks to hydrate. She does the planting and harvesting manually, unlike large farms, which tend to rely on machines. When he needs to harvest during intense heat, he sets up a tent in the field, the same one he uses at farmers' markets, to create shaded areas. Extreme heat threatens wine production in France and accelerates grape harvest From coffee to rice: El Niño threatens production and could raise food prices People fight over air conditioning during heat wave in Europe Annie Woods carries a box with pumpkins and zucchini during harvest on her farm in Brooksville, Kentucky, on Wednesday (1st). Joshua A. Bickel/AP Heat can affect crop quality Extreme heat, combined with periods of rain and high humidity, also favors the emergence of diseases and pests that can destroy crops. At the moment, the priority is to harvest the most vulnerable crops, such as salad leaves. Woods grows vegetables and culinary herbs for area restaurants and a community-supported agriculture program. According to her, harvesting products when temperatures are very high can compromise their quality. She is also concerned about the health of the seedlings that will grow the fall crops. Currently, he keeps the seedlings in a closed cabinet inside a barn, where the temperature is lower. After they germinate, they are transferred to a greenhouse equipped with fans to maintain the environment in appropriate conditions. “We need to check the greenhouse constantly and water frequently to keep these tiny seedlings alive,” Woods said. For some producers, the recent heat wave has also reduced the harvest window for certain crops. Trays of seedlings are stored in a closet to keep cool at a farm in Brooksville, Kentucky, on Wednesday. Joshua A. Bickel/AP This is the case of Paul Rasch, owner of several orchards in central Iowa. According to him, the heat forced his team of eight workers to speed up the raspberry harvest. Normally, they would have about three weeks to harvest this highly perishable fruit, but now, "we are racing to harvest as much as possible," he said. On some days, harvesting begins at 6 am and ends before noon, when the heat becomes excessive and unsafe to work. Rasch has also installed air conditioning in buildings on the property and is expanding shaded areas for visitors, with trees and covered pavilions, so that customers who pick their own fruit can cool off. In addition, it is testing some high tunnel greenhouses to maintain more stable conditions for certain crops. According to Rasch, these heat episodes appear to be becoming more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. Added to floods, droughts and late frosts in spring, these events represent a threat to crops throughout the year. “It seems like we never have a year that’s considered normal again,” he said. Crop diversity reduces losses A cat pauses between rows of seedlings awaiting planting, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, on a farm in Brooksville, Kentucky, USA. Joshua A. Bickel/AP Small farms, like those in Woods and Rasch, tend to grow a wide variety of produce throughout the year. This strategy is, in part, a commercial decision, but it also serves to reduce losses when a certain crop is affected and others are not. "There will always be some cultures that will thrive, while others will struggle more," Woods said. Rasch also explained that crop insurance for producers of fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops works differently than that for producers of commodities, such as corn and soybeans. According to him, these farmers are more vulnerable to extreme weather events, but have less protection. Woods, who is also active in the Kentucky Organic Association, agrees. She says she knows several producers who have difficulty obtaining insurance because they grow many different crops in small areas. That's because U.S. federal crop insurance programs were designed to protect unique crops with just one harvest per year, such as corn, soybeans and wheat, explained Duncan Orlander, public policy specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. For small fruit and vegetable producers, the bureaucracy required to insure various crops on small properties can be excessive. Furthermore, certain special crops are not even covered in some regions. According to Orlander, insurers also have little incentive to sell policies with low premiums and possible reduced claims. Although there are federal programs that ensure the property's total income, and not specific crops, Orlander states that these modalities are complex and still little used. "We are not able to keep up with the losses and extreme weather events we are witnessing," he said. “We need to think differently about how to reduce risk and cover losses in the future when these events occur.” For Woods, the community supported agriculture (CSA) program offers greater flexibility if a crop is lost. Consumers financially support the farm throughout the season, regardless of which vegetables they end up receiving in their baskets. According to her, this model, combined with the diversity of cultures, is a way of "not putting all our eggs in one basket" in the face of heat waves, floods and droughts. "It's something we need to consider, plan and prepare to be resilient in the face of this type of event," concluded Woods.