- Heat that feels like 108 degrees is forcing farmers to take extra steps to keep animals and plants cool.
- Farmers at Orchard Pond Farm said heat can reduce yield for crops.
- The horse breeder at Sundance Oaks Miniature Horse Farm is spraying her horses with water to keep them cool.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The summer heat we're experiencing can be dangerous for people, but it can also impact livestock.
Horses at one local farm are being sprayed with water to keep from overheating.
Mary Lackey, owner of Orchard Pond Farms, has a passion for taking care of miniature horses.
"I've always loved horses. I've never outgrown it," Lackey said.
Part of taking care of the horses is keeping them cool during summer months.
"With the babies, we clip them and shave them so they're not as fuzzy and furry," Lackey said. "We provide fresh water in any pasture they're in. They also have a salt block they lick."
On days like today where it feels like 108 degrees or highter, Lackey takes a hose to the horses.
"They go in our barn at night and take a hose and hose them off to cool them off," Lackey said.
It's not just animals that need to stay cool.
Produce, like what Philip Nelson grows at Orchard Pond Farms, can also be affected.
"It wilts. It gets sad as we say," Nelson said. "It won't grow as good of a fruit for sure."
He said they take extra steps to cool them off.
"It helps to water in the morning," Nelson said. "Sometimes I use an overhead spraying cooler with the crops which will kind of cool the dirt down."
Despite those efforts, yield can be impacted by heat.
"You have to take more frequent breaks so you don't have as large of a yield you just have to cut and run at some point," Nelson said. "You look around at your crew and go 'I think we're done.'"
Lackey said that her horses do handle the heat better than she does.
"They're used to being outside," Lackey said. "It doesn't bother them as much as it bothers us."
She still makes sure they stay cool.
