Heat Wave Dries Out Western Pa. Crops

Local farmers are grappling with the heat wave that recently settled over the region.

Ed Shenot of Shenot Farms in Wexford says keeping plants healthy during intense heat costs extra time and money. Shenot says many farmers are scrambling to water their crops as the heat wave dries them.

“We’re set up for drip irrigation on a lot of our crops, which requires less water,” says Shenot. “We’re not sprinkling it in the air. We’re putting it directly into the ground so the roots can take it up, but we’re just constantly going from one crop to another, doing this procedure.”

Shenot says the heat won’t affect current harvest yields in a major way, but he is still taking precautions with his plants.

“When we are harvesting, we have to get it in shade or get it in irrigation as soon as possible,” says Shenot.

Sweet corn, squash, cabbage, and zucchini can all be harvested near this time of year.