This heatwave is no joke for farmers — or their visitors

MONTREAL -

It's another scorching hot day today and the trend is expected to continue into the first half of the week — and farms are feeling the impact. 

The heat wave is accelerating harvest season for some farms. On Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot, the owners of Quinn Farm say their "U-Pick" produce is ready to go, as the heat has advanced their harvest of corn, squash and apples. 

“When it's this hot, you don't feel like apple picking," says farmer Stephanie Quinn. "It doesn't feel like fall, so we're worried that we're going to miss some of those sales later in the season. People are going to show-up in October and it's going to be too late."

And according to her partener, farmer Phil Quinn, high heat means high maintenance crops. 

"It's very important to keep water on everything when it's this hot and sunny. If you avoid the water, it starts wilting and you start losing crops," he explains. 

Quinn says he's had to compensate for the lack of rainfall this season. 

"It's very, very, very dry right now, critically dry. Our irrgation systems are running non-stop, 24 hours a day," he explains. 

But it's not just the crops that are being impacted by the heat — so are the visitors. 

Tractor driver and tour guide Mateo Gueli says he's being extra cautious when it comes to visitations.

"You have to keep an eye on the people going out into the field," he says. "On a normal day, if someone wanders and goes missing for four hours, it's ok. But on a day like today, if someone is missing for four hours, there's reason to get worried."

Public vists have already had to be staggered due to social distancing protocols, and now the farm is shutting down visits during the hottest hours. 

"After 2 o'clock we blocked off the reservations because it's too hot, especially in the afternoon. We don't want any heatstroke here," says tour guide Sam Grou. 

As people visit the farm and take tractor rides from one field to another, water stations and shade breaks have been incorporated into the tours.