A mid-August heat wave across Georgia had humans, plants and
animals all wilting. But the
heat isn’t just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous.

Farmers may be especially vulnerable to the heat.

“They’re often out in the open, with no shade in sight to help
keep them cool,” said Connie
Crawley, a nutrition and health specialist with the University
of Georgia Extension Service.
“Even staying in a shop with fans is better than in the open,
full sun.”

But when the farm needs attention, it probably needs it now.
That dilemma puts farmers at
extra risk. The stress of farming is bad enough, and heat
problems can add to it in many ways.

For almost all Georgia crops, soil moisture is more important
than air temperature. Rainfall
across south Georgia has been spotty at best.

The plants with ample moisture can withstand heat better than
those that need water. But even
with good moisture, high temperatures can speed evaporation,
increasing the need for water.

As harvest time approaches, many crops need hot, dry days to
finish maturing. But UGA
scientists say most crops aren’t quite ready for that. In most
cases, heat speeds maturation,
sometimes before the farmer or the plant is ready.

Extension peanut scientist John Beasley said the heat is both
good and bad. Some of the state’s
peanuts are maturing before they’ve set as good a crop as they
could with milder weather, he
said.

Steve Brown, an extension cotton scientist, said most farmers
are still two to three weeks away
from needing dry weather for cotton.

“Once the bolls fill out,” he said, “farmers want dry days to
open the bolls and start harvest
without boll rot setting in.”

Heat isn’t as much the problem as a lack of moisture in
soybeans, said extension agronomist
John Woodruff. “Some insects are thriving, though,” he
said. “Farmers need to keep a close
eye out for soybean loopers.”

Woodruff said soybean loopers can move into a field and multiply
fast, damaging the crop as
they go.

Grains agronomist Dewey Lee said the corn crop still needs rain
in north Georgia. But in south
Georgia, farmers need dry weather to get the crop harvested.
Overall, he said, the heat’s effect
won’t be as great on fields with adequate moisture.

Ironically, heat doesn’t hurt weeds as much as it does
crops. “They’re tough,” said extension
weed scientist Greg MacDonald.

As farmers apply herbicides, they can hurt their crop, too. “The
oils they apply with some
herbicides can burn crop plants during hot days,” he said.

Animals, including pets, need water and shade, too. Extension
veterinarian Jim Strickland said
most confined livestock facilities have good cooling mechanisms
designed into them. Misters
and fans help keep animals cool. And livestock in pastures, like
outdoor pets, will usually find
the coolest spot they can on their own.

With humid, hot weather, there is still danger from mosquitoes
and the encephalitis they
carry, Strickland said. “The big thing this year is taking care
of insects that might transmit
disease,” he said.