O’Neill: While some crops excel in the heat, most need help

Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.

The heat is oppressive, testing my endurance and requiring all of my strategies to mitigate and manage. Under my hat I keep a wet towel on my head with ice cubes on top of it. I soak the old cotton button-down that I wear as an outer layer to protect the skin of my forearms. The damp collar keeps my neck cool and the towel adds moisture as the ice slowly melts. I put ice, lemon juice and electrolytes in my water bottles and guzzle liberally. Even so, some days it is not enough.