A heat dome moved across a large portion of the United States in July 2026, leading specialty farmers to modify their harvest schedules and on-farm practices. This weather system is characterized by high pressure that traps heat and humidity in a region. Specialty farmers adjusted their harvest schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day during this period.

Annie Woods, who owns a 50-acre farm in Brooksville, Kentucky, harvests squash and zucchini. She works in the morning and evening to avoid the highest temperatures and takes frequent water breaks while working. Woods plants and harvests by hand. During high heat situations, she uses a tent to create shade in the fields for harvesting. She also keeps seedlings in an enclosed cabinet inside a barn and moves germinated seedlings into a greenhouse equipped with fans. Woods noted that her farm grows vegetables and culinary herbs for restaurants and a community-supported agriculture program.

Paul Rasch, an orchard owner in central Iowa, also adjusted his operations. His crew, consisting of eight workers, began harvesting raspberries as early as 6 a.m. to finish before noon. Rasch has installed air conditioning inside his farm buildings and is adding outdoor shade through trees and covered pavilions. He is also testing high tunnels to maintain consistent conditions for certain crops. "We’re scrambling to pick as many as we can," Rasch said. He also stated, "We don’t ever seem to have a typical year anymore."

Woods said, "We have to do a lot checking on the greenhouse and watering frequently to keep those teeny tiny plants alive." She added, "It’s something you have to be aware of and plan for and have a plan to be resilient in the face of these kind of events."

Duncan Orlander, a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, stated, "We’re not keeping up with the losses and the extreme weather that we’re seeing." Orlander added, "And we have to think a little bit differently about how we are going to mitigate risk and cover losses into the future when these things occur." Human-driven climate change has been associated with more intense heat waves and other extreme weather events. Extreme heat, combined with rain and high humidity, can introduce diseases and pests that can destroy crops, and harvesting crops in high heat can impact their quality.

Why It Matters

The July 2026 heat dome event required specialty farmers across the United States to implement specific measures to protect both their crops and workers from extreme heat. While federal crop insurance programs primarily cover single-season crops like corn and soybeans, specialty crop farmers often cultivate a wide variety of crops on smaller plots. This difference can make paperwork burdensome for smaller operations, and coverage may not be available for all specialty crops in all areas. Federal programs designed to cover a farm's revenue are often underutilized due to their complexity, leaving many specialty farmers without adequate protection against such losses.