CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — This heat wave is not only affecting people but also affecting a very important sector in our region.
James Faske grew up farming his whole life.
His dad was a farmer, and now they both farm together.
“Getting to see what we can grow, how good we can grow it, and honestly that is the best part of my job because every year is different,” Faske said.
Faske says his job can be very rewarding, but the weather can sometimes take a toll on the crops.
“They are drying up a lot faster than they should, causing it to lodge, and fall over. The plant is basically cannibalizing itself and eating itself up trying to survive.” Faske said.
These sorghum crops are drying up a lot faster than they should, causing the plants to fall over.
Jaime Lopez with the Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Nueces County says this heat wave is making farmers be extra careful with their crops.
"These crops are starting to lose a little bit of bushel weight, they are probably maturing a week to two weeks earlier than we have anticipated with that being said we are going to see probably a loss in yield here over the next couple of weeks." Lopez said.
The loss in bushel weight will ultimately impact the farmer's sales.
“They're maturing too fast, it can cause it to have bad bushel weight which is what we are graded off of and how well we get paid for the crop is based on bushel weight.” Faske said.
Lopez says these sorghum crops rely 100% on Mother Nature and the farmer's skills to be harvested, but this heat wave has taken an unexpected toll on the harvest this year.”
“Finishing up this crop is crucial, with the start that we had, with the middle of the season as good as it was, and now what we are seeing right now is kind of a stab in the heart,” Lopez said.
Lopez says if they are going to have any hope in salvaging this season they are going to need rain soon.
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