Texas Heat Waves Put Crops and Cattle at Risk

After a relentless heat wave in June dragged on for three straight weeks in Texas and July offered little relief from high temperatures, farmers in the state are increasingly wary of the risk posed by the extreme hotness to their crops and cattle.

The heat, which reached triple-digit temperatures in parts of Texas last month, is life-threatening for outdoor workers. Under a new law approved by Governor Greg Abbott, they are not entitled to mandatory water breaks.

However, the temperatures are also threatening crop yields and cattle, which have already suffered from the impact of extreme weather events this year. Hundreds of animals are estimated to have died in Amarillo in May during flash floods.

Commissioner Sid Miller, from the Texas Department of Agriculture, told Newsweek that the heat is "devastating our crops."

"Right now cotton is trying to bloom and it's so hot and dry that we didn't get much of a crop," he said. "The cotton is suffering. The corn is pretty much burnt out. So our crop numbers are going to be down in Texas."

More seriously than that, Miller said, a lot of Texas orchards—like pecans and fruit trees—are suffering from the extreme heat. "We may actually lose some trees if we can't get enough water," he said. "We've had that happening in 2011 and 1980, we lost mature pecan trees. So we're hoping that we don't see that happen again because we've just replanted a lot of those orchards and we want to make sure that we keep those trees alive, but it's hard without enough water."

Texas has been hit by a double-edged sword when it comes to climate change. On the one hand, higher-than-normal temperatures are linked to an accelerated evaporation of the state's water reservoirs, which also dries the soil more quickly, as reported by news website The Texas Tribune. On the other hand, higher temperatures also increase the risk of extreme rainfall like the one experienced in May this year, which can easily lead to flash floods.

The impact of this increasingly unpredictable weather—which combines period of droughts with sudden heavy rainfall—is already being felt by farmers in the state.

FarmProgress, an agriculture publisher, reported that several crops around Texas were "showing stress from high temperatures and lack of soil moisture, and livestock gains likely experienced heat-related declines" because of the June heat wave.

Experts predict that the summer heatwave, after a years-long drought across the nation's breadbasket states and sudden flash floods in May, will bring the worst wheat harvest in over 60 years, per The Wall Street Journal. Cotton and sorghum productions are being closely watched by farmers in Texas, as reported by Agriculture Dive, as their production is closely linked to the level of moisture in the soil.

Cattle suffered the impact of the flash floods in May, and animals are now affected by the heat. They are estimated to be grazing less as they avoid the temperatures outside, according to FarmProgress.

"It's 110, 115 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and normally the livestock can cool off at night, get some water and get some rest. But when it only gets down in the 90s at night they can't even get rest at night and escape the heat," Miller said.

"It makes beef cattle not re-breed. Milk production falls off tremendously during this heat. The cows get uncomfortable and they don't eat as well, and so without the fuel, they don't produce as much milk," he added.

Jason Banta, Ph.D., is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist. In an article published by the local newspaper Gainesville Daily Register, he complained about the state's poor spring forage production, which is driving farmers to market calves earlier and cull herds deeper than usual. Banta added that water availability in Texas could also become a serious concern in the next 60 days, as "conditions could worsen without sufficient rainfall and runoff."

But the next weeks will bring no relief for farmers. August is expected to bring hotter-than-average temperatures, according to the Climate Prediction Center, part of NOAA's National Weather Service, though they should not reach the triple digits. The agency says rainfall could be above or below average—but the way things will sway will depend on El Niño, a global weather phenomenon that occurs every year.

Things are expected to only get worse for Texas and much of the southern U.S. in the coming years. The National Climate Assessment says that climate disruptions to agriculture have been increasing in the past 40 years. They are projected to become more severe in the next 25 years, a trend that, by mid-century, could diminish the security of the U.S. food supply.

"The next ten days, I just check the forecast, there's absolutely zero chance of rain," Miller said. The commissioner told Newsweek that "our plan is keep praying God us give us some rain."

Newsweek has contacted Texas A&M Agrilife, the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, and the Texas Beef Company for comment by email on Wednesday.

Update 7/27/23, 5:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a comment from Commissioner Sid Miller of the Texas Department of Agriculture.