PHOENIX — Schnepf Farms owner Mark Schnepf says he’s using 20-30% more water for this time of year to irrigate his 4,000 peach trees.
“Normally, we wouldn’t be watering this much. But the temperatures have been so high and the monsoons have not kicked in yet, so we don’t have any extra moistures from the monsoons,” Schnepf said.
He said the peach trees will get very stressed, which will make them susceptible to diseases and pests. So making sure they water them appropriately is important.
The vegetables they grow on the farm are also mostly gone, too. Schnepf Farms says it usually doesn’t have too many vegetables for the summertime because it’s too hot.
“Tomatoes and peppers, those things are just shutting down because of the heat,” he said.
However, other summer crops are doing just fine, according to the Arizona Farm Bureau.
Julie Murphree, a spokesperson for the farm bureau, said the alfalfa and cotton usually grown in the summer are doing fine and are used to Arizona’s heat.
“The reality is they prepare. Our farmers and ranchers are very sophisticated and know what to plan for and carry out during these high summer heat waves,” Murphree said. “And because while this may be a record breaker, summers in Arizona are hot. Fortunately for us, for our crops, we apply water… And so even though we're in the midst of a heat wave. We're prepared for it.”
She said some ranchers may have to be more vigilant in keeping their water tanks filled for their livestock and wild animals.
From the farm to groceries, health experts say shoppers should be careful with their groceries in this heat.
Kory Skelton, a senior public health sanitarian with the Arizona Department of Health Services, says people should make grocery store shopping their last stop if they’re running other errands because a car can get really hot in these temperatures.
Skelton said if the “ambient” temperature is above 90º, perishable foods should not be left out for more than an hour.
“The bacteria that we're concerned about, they grow best in the danger zone, which is basically above 41 degrees and below 135º,” Skelton said. “Anything in there can allow those harmful bacteria to multiply, and the closer you get to that 90, 100 degrees, basically close to human body temperature, those harmful bacteria can multiply pretty rapidly.”
He also recommends people to bring insulated bags, ice packs and coolers if other stops need to be made.
“We would even recommend shopping for your nonperishable items first, then make your last round at the store being your more perishable items in the frozen items and bagging them together can help maintain that cold temperature,” Skelton said.
