Canada's farmers brace for new heat wave as scorching summer leaves cherries roasting on trees

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Climate and Environment

Canada’s farmers brace for new heat wave as scorching summer leaves cherries roasting on trees



A wildfire burns in the mountains north of Lytton, British Columbia, Canada, during record high temperatures, July 1. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Caroline Anders
July 17, 2021 | Updated yesterday at 7:18 p.m. EDT

As devastating heat waves sweep swaths of the globe, farmers in Canada are facing a crippling phenomenon: Crops are baking in fields.

Cherries have roasted on trees. Fields of canola and wheat have withered brown. And as feed and safe water for animals grow scarce, ranchers may have no choice but to sell off their livestock.

“It will totally upend Canadian food production if this becomes a regular thing,” said Lenore Newman, director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.

A heat dome roasted Canada in late June, leading to hundreds of “sudden and unexpected” deaths, according to officials, and {sparked fear} among Canadian farmers and climate experts. A village in British Columbia claimed the nation’s highest recorded temperature, clocking in just shy of 115 degrees. This weekend, another scorching wave is expected to return to the nation.

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By Caroline Anders
Caroline Anders is a reporting intern on the General Assignment desk. Twitter https://twitter.com/caroIineanders

[Random Boomer]

1. "If" this becomes a regular thing?

People are still deep in denial.