Skip to main content
Alexis Racelis, an environmental scientist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, at the Hub of Prosperity Farm in Edinburg on July 9, 2023. The farm is an urban farm partnership between Edinburg First United Methodist Church and the university’s agroecology department.

Essay: Extreme heat is threatening corn in South Texas — and the state’s food supply

The crop, a staple of the fertile Rio Grande Valley, is particularly susceptible to rising temperatures. It’s also a global challenge, as climate change drives food insecurity.

By Jeff Goodell
Andrés Cruz Sr., farm manager at Hilltop Gardens, in the fields of the property in Lyford on July 9, 2023.
Hay stacks stand in a field of sorghum-sudangrass, grown in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, at the Hilltop Gardens in Lyford on July 9, 2023.

Texans need truth. Help us report it.

Support independent Texas news

Become a member. Join today.

Donate now

Explore related story topics

Environment