Virginia farmers struggle with heat and drought during tough growing season

A combination of extreme heat and prolonged drought devastated Virginia vegetable crops this summer, forcing farmers to adjust their methods in hopes of preserving their harvests.

Sean Sublette reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

• Virginia vegetable farmers faced one of the driest and hottest summers on record, severely impacting crops like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
• Flash droughts, intensified by climate change, quickly developed and worsened, leaving plants without sufficient moisture during key growth periods.
• Some farmers experimented with no-till farming and irrigation but found these methods insufficient without more consistent rainfall.

Key quote:

“This growing season had a drought that was combined with an incredibly long hot spell, and that was the real problem.”

— Hana Newcomb, farmer at Potomac Vegetable Farms

Why this matters:

The increasing frequency of flash droughts threatens food security by destabilizing growing seasons. Climate change is making weather patterns more unpredictable, leaving farmers vulnerable to crop failures without long-term solutions.

Related: How climate change is stunting farm production