While many of us are finding refuge from this week’s heat indoors, Oregon farmers aren’t so lucky.
John Moxley owns a farm in Bonanza, just outside of Klamath Falls. He says it’s not the heat wave that causes problems for his cattle operation, but the ongoing drought conditions.
“We know how to deal with a heat wave,” says Moxley. “It’s very difficult to operate without water.”
File photo of cows at a ranch in Jackson County.
Jes Burns / OPB
Moxley says the lack of access to water means the cow’s feed is drying up faster than normal. Many farmers in the region need to get their water delivered to ensure their crops survive this heat wave.
Moxley says they’ll also have to rely on feed deliveries in the future if they aren’t able to grow enough this summer.
This heat wave is also one of the first chances to test the implementation of new state rules to protect workers from heat-related illness.
These protections were adopted by Oregon OSHA earlier this year.
Farmworkers preparing the blueberries they picked in a farm in Albany to get them weighed and ready to ship to a pack house on June 28, 2021.
Monica Samayoa / OPB
For winemaker Brian Gruber at Irvine & Roberts Vineyards in Ashland, a lot of the new changes just cemented informal practices.
“If you care about the people that work for you, you’re gonna have done most of these things, if not all of them already,” says Gruber. “In our case we’ve got a full time crew of five people that have worked for us for a long time and we care a lot about their safety.”
Gruber says employees are now required to get training on heat-related illness. And, he says OSHA has an app to check if the heat levels are too dangerous for outside work.
In addition to required training for workers, employers need to also provide access to drinking water, shaded areas and a plan to acclimatize workers to the heat.
Shifting the work hours earlier in the morning to avoid the midday heat is another way farmers are staying cool.
File photo of Oregon wine grapes on a vineyard vine.
Gruber echoes Moxley on the water issue. He says grapes actually thrive in hot climates.
“As long as you’re in the low 100′s like this, the grapes — as long as they have water — like it,” he says. “And they’re moving towards ripeness and doing good things.”
Gruber says the real issue is, again, the water. If the grapes aren’t getting the water they need, the crop could be lost in the heat.
There are some direct impacts as well, which require some adjustments to the plant care schedule.
“Like people, grapes can get sunburned,” he says. “It doesn’t ruin them, but it leads to some bitterness and off flavors in the wine.”
Gruber says in anticipation of the heat wave, he held off on stripping leaves from the vines; that means the grapes will stay under some shade for now. Winemakers strip off the leaves to allow the grapes to develop stronger flavors.