Valley farmers feeling the impact of record-breaking heat

PHOENIX - Valley farmers have certainly struggled with our record-breaking heat this summer and it continues into the fall as Phoenix broke another heat record for the most number of days with temperatures at or above 100 degrees on Oct. 14.

A local farmer who usually sells fresh vegetables to Valley restaurants says the summer heat coupled with the pandemic, made it tough to keep going.

But, farmer Carl SeaCat continues planting crops on a small lot near South Mountain. He says warm October temperatures are a good thing because it helps seeds germinate. But it's not good if it continues.

"If this hot weather trend continues, we’re going to have to rethink what we're growing, where and how," SeaCat said.

That's why he's hoping for a cool down over the next two weeks. That will help his crops thrive.

"I couldn't even grow okra, which is a heat loving plant. It was so hot and so dry. I couldn't keep enough water on it without the rain," he said.

Because of this, he's taken a hit financially.

"So we're operating, I speak for myself, on about 15% of the revenue we had seven months ago. It's not a good situation," he said.

SeaCat recently planted arugula, lettuce and carrots on his plot of land. He says they are cold loving plants that thrive when planted in the heat, but grow in the cold.