Ogilvie’s advise to farmers

Jamaica and the world over have been taking a battering where the heat is concerned, but Ogilvie said the company has been working hard to help farmers navigate the challenge.

Admitting that some farmers suffered losses due to the conditions, he said for the last four weeks, their public information education focus has been on heat management and heat stress for crops and livestock.

“It is the number one issue out there right now: how do they manage the heat and how do they make it through this period of intense heat and drought?”

“Farmers have been losing to heat; the ones that are losing more than they probably should are the ones that are not adapting. That includes putting animals under shade and watering early in the morning or late at night, not in the middle of the day when the sun is out,” he stated.

Other words of advise he offered were, giving them the anti-stress medication that is going to help them keep cool during the heat of the day and recycling the water that they are given so that the water will be fresh as opposed to the boiling water that heats through convection during the course of the day.

Nadine Harris: