The summer food went weird: searing heat reshapes US food production

From wilting wheat to stressed pollinators, US farmers and fishermen see unexpected climate effects

This week, farmers across the midwest are preparing for temperatures to reach 115F (46C) as a heat dome covers the region. After a tricky growing season - that seesawed between drought and unseasonably heavy rains - many midwestern farmers worry the extreme heat will scorch, or at least stunt, their already struggling crops.

To say it's been a hot summer would be an understatement. According to Nasa scientists, July was the hottest month ever recorded. Off the coast of Florida, surface ocean temperatures soared over 101F, bleaching coral reefs. In Arizona, Phoenix residents sweated through a record 31 consecutive days above 110F. Even animals that spend much of their time in the sky, like birds, struggled to keep cool in the sweltering heat.