Sonora, CA — Mother Lode residents may be paying more for dairy and produce due to the triple-digit heat wave that steamrolled across the country killing thousands of cattle and poultry and cooking crops in the field before farmers could pick them.
In California, the temperature peaked at more than 115 degrees in late July, killing more than 16,000 cows.
A million chickens and turkeys perished and countless peaches, nectarines, nuts and melons were destroyed.
As the heat plowed eastward, farmers in the Plains states and the Midwest also reported dried-out crops and lowered milk production.
Written by Sabrina Sabbagh
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 1:55 pm