The series of relentless heatwaves that baked the U.S. last summer is forcing farmers to reconsider their plans for this season. The extreme heat leaving some with few options to save their crops.

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

The U.S. experienced a series of relentless heatwaves last summer, leading to significant challenges for the agricultural sector. Farmers across the country are being compelled to reevaluate their cultivation plans for the current season due to the adverse effects of the extreme heat. This situation has left some farmers with limited options to protect their crops from the scorching temperatures and ensure their survival.



Extreme heat prompts shift in U.S agriculture

Summer is still months away, but the backbone of America's dinner table is already bracing for the heat. I think farmworkers are often seen as the invisible workforce, especially here in Florida. According to the Economic Policy Institute, as of 2022, there are roughly 2.4 million farmworkers in the U.S. And as heatwaves continue to grow in frequency and intensity, many of these workers are finding themselves face-to-face with increasingly dire working conditions. It's not enough to just say that farmworkers need to drink more water, you know, and to take more breaks, because that's not easy in practice. Dominique O'Connor is the Climate Justice Organizer for the Farmworker Association of Florida. She says many people have no clue just how difficult it can be working for long hours out in the sun, with limited access to shade, breaks, and at times, water. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, mortality from heat-related illness is 20 times higher for crop workers in the U.S. than private industry and non-federal government workers. In addition, the average U.S. agricultural worker is exposed to 21 working days in the summer growing season that are unsafe due to heat. Farmworkers usually know how to take care of themselves. The problem is, is that they're not able to. Currently, there's no federal standard that protects workers from extreme heat. There is so much that people don't know about the agricultural industry and the agricultural supply chain, which is fraught with injustices and inequities and even cases of forced labor. Mike Rios helps to oversee the Fair Food Program, a partnership between farmers, farmworkers, and food companies that is geared toward improving working conditions for farmworkers. In recent years, the program has established a set of heat stress standards with its participating farmers, including providing farmworkers with shade, water, regular rest breaks, training on heat stress symptoms, medical treatment, and the ability for workers to stop if they feel ill. The fact that a worker can, without fear of retaliation, that's the key right there, without fear of retaliation, has the ability to set themselves aside, rest, take shade, drink water for however long they need, is an incredible step in worker protection. While Rios says the program has been applauded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's the feedback from the farmworkers that's been the most meaningful. More than we can try to count of people that have expressed the huge difference between working on a Fair Food Program farm and working at a non-Fair Food Program farm. Ultimately, the future of our climate remains uncertain, but Rios says the well-being of farmworkers doesn't have to be. Meg Hilling, Scripps News.

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Sulphur

At least four dead in Oklahoma tornadoes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she would stand in upcoming European Parliament elections, a move apparently calculated to boost her far-right party, although she would be forced to resign immediately under EU rules.

Pescara

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Oklahoma

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Wakeley

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Protest leaders hit out at Prime Minister over power 'abuse'

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel-Gaza War

Biden tells Netanyahu U.S. doesn't support Rafah assault

Ukraine's top general says his troops have been forced to retreat as fighting on the country's eastern front intensified. Kyiv's forces have fallen back to new positions in at least three places along the front, west of the Donetsk region.

Donetsk

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine troops retreating on eastern front

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on an unannounced visit, to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of Full Self-Driving software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Shanghai

Elon Musk makes surprise visit to China

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Rafah

Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages

Defence Minister Richard Marles has revealed a fresh aid package to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, including $30 million in funding for drones. It marks more than one billion dollars in funding from Australia since the war began.

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Ohio police released video of a Black man who died at a local hospital after repeatedly telling officers "I can't breathe" as they pinned him to the floor of a bar and handcuffed him, evoking memories of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

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Witnesses in Gaza reported fresh Israeli strikes overnight around Rafah. It comes as Hamas says it is considering an Israeli ceasefire proposal, after a delegation from Egypt arrived in Israel to resume stalled negotiations.

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Jerusalem

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Windsor

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Council of the City of Sydney

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Baku

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London

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Paris

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Nairobi

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New York

U.S. Presidential Election

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Marsden Park

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Port-au-Prince

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Climate Crisis