Farmers try to beat the heat

Heat waves are not anything new for farmers, but the high temperatures still call plenty of attention to farm fields.

Marc Thiel has been farming since 1992. His fields include barley, alfalfa, wheat and potatoes. He said heat waves are as stressful as they are hot.

“You just irrigate across, shut everything off, and transport it back across the field,” said Thiel. “There just hasn’t been a break.”

He said this summer has been tough. When the temperatures rise, so do the costs.

“It’s hard to watch the meter go around and around,” said Thiel. “And write really big checks every month.”

Thiel said potatoes, wheat and barley are in their reproductive stage, meaning everything is being watered vigorously.

“It’s really important that they not get stressed in that reproductive stage,” said Thiel.

For now, Thiel will put the necessary work in to reap the benefits in September.

“You got to look at it as an investment,” said Thiel. “No water, no yield.”