Several South Florida farmers spent Wednesday morning drenching acres of their produce fields with water in order to prepare for a powerful incoming cold front.
John Alger of Alger Farms made sure every square inch of his field was soaked in order to protect a multi-million dollar corn crop from the cold.
According to Alger, the water mixes with ground water and will bring warmth to the surface, hopefully salvaging the crop.
“Ground water’s always a little bit warmer than the surface water, so we’re bringing up that heat from underneath and kind of bringing the heat to the surface,” he said.
“We’re just gonna try to cover everything we can,” said Wesley Money from Alger Farms.
Farmers had plenty of extra duties the day before their first corn harvest of the year.
“We got the water trucks going,” said Money. “We got every pivot on the farm running.”
Even though South Florida is not expected to dip into freezing temperatures, farmers said they will keep an eye on the thermometer for the next couple of days.
“Very, very, very, very closely,” said Alger. “We have a lot of money in the ground, and an hour at under 32 degrees could be financially damaging.”
Farmers aren’t the only ones preparing for the cold weather. Businesses along Lincoln Road are bringing out the heaters for outdoor dining.
The Homeless Voice in Davie is also asking for help with cold weather supplies.
“We need blankets, obviously, sweatshirts, sweatpants, beanies,” said Sean Cononie from The Homeless Voice.
Donations can be dropped off at 4700 SW 51st St., Suite 208.
And as the mercury continues to drop, officials gave a few reminders to stay safe: dress in layers, check on elderly neighbors, protect pets, bring plants indoors, and observe caution with space heaters.
Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Center has bundled up the fur babies, and they’re encouraging others to do the same and bring pets in out of the cold.
Space heaters should be used only with the proper safety precautions.
“You want to make sure that [the space heater] is on a flat surface — not on the furniture, not on the carpet, not anywhere where the heat from that space heater could cause a fire,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll.
You should also keep space heaters at least three feet from kids, curtains and furniture.