The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture

Last year’s nationwide drought was the worst since 1956. According to the National Weather Service, last March was the warmest March on record  — nearly 9 degrees warmer than the average — and July was the hottest month on record with back-to-back days in the 90s. In 2011, it was much different — there was a record rainfall in Ohio, severe drought in the lower Midwest and an unusually mild winter.

Climate change is not new to Ohio farmers. But, what do these ever-evolving climate changes mean for farmers and the future of agriculture?

Climatologist consultant, Evelyn Browning-Garriss, says that with a proper understanding of the climate, farmers can plan ahead for the weather changes that are coming.

“The Gulf Stream and other tropical currents are flowing faster, which heat the North Atlantic,” says Browning-Garriss. “This warm phase should continue for 15 or 20 more years and can create hotter summers, more active hurricane seasons and colder winters in the Midwest, Great Lakes and eastern states. Rapid flows of the Gulf Stream can create a warmer Atlantic, which can then create heat waves and ‘flash droughts’ in the Midwest and Great Plains.”

While the weather may continue to be more challenging for U.S. agriculture in the coming years, Browning-Garriss says that Ohio is a comparative winner in general, with more moderate extremes than much of the country. Nonetheless, Ohio farmers should be prepared to maximize water resources and minimize heat stress for the next two decades.

So, how can Ohio farmers adjust their farming practices to an ever-changing climate?

A recent Ohio’s Country Journal article states that the use of no-till in combination with cover crops can play an increasingly important role in a warmer climate with more extreme heat waves and droughts.

“No-till and cover crops can reduce soil temperatures to soften temperature extremes,” says Jim Hoorman with The Ohio State University Extension in Putnam County. “In hot soil, bacteria can actually die. A hot dry summer can quickly reduce yields, but no-till and cover crop use can reduce soil temperatures and retain more water in soils.”

Farmers can also consider these additional climate change options:

• More double-cropping opportunities with longer growing seasons
• Planting more hybrid varieties to mitigate the risk of yield loss (for example, during a drought)
• Relying more heavily on sound agronomics to buffer against challenging conditions

It will be interesting to see what the future holds in terms of our ever-changing climate and how we’ll need to adapt our farming practices accordingly.

What are your thoughts about our changing climate the past few years? Have you or are you planning to adapt your farming practices to adjust for climate changes?


Photo obtained from: http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/

Cap-and-Trade Reforms – Climate Change Cure?

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack advocates the passage of proposed cap-and-trade legislation with Congress to combat the divisive issue of climate change.

Climate change, or global warming, refers to the variation of modern climate patterns and is said to be the result of natural geographic forces and human outputs on the environment. Such human outputs include land use, deforestation, animal agriculture and carbon discharges.

Vilsack is confident in the reality of global warming and has referenced fisheries in Alaska and forestry in Colorado as examples of its destructive effects.

The Obama administration is promoting the establishment of a revised domestic cap-and-trade system aimed to reduce energy emissions. Vilsack testified to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture in March, outlining the administration’s goals to decrease emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Legislation details can be located at http://thinkcarbon.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-waxman-markey-bill-at-a-glance/.

“USDA believes that the agriculture and forestry sectors hold the potential to deliver substantial emissions reductions, including carbon sequestration, under a national climate change policy,” said Vilsack.

Many farmers oppose the legislation because they either don’t believe in global warming or consider the cap-and-trade system to be a financial burden, or both. Vilsack is aware of the apprehension many in the industry are experiencing, but is confident that the potential reforms “will likely outweigh the costs” and will actually bolster the national farm community.

"Over the long haul, it is potentially tens of billions of dollars of net income opportunity for farmers," Vilsack said.

Some agriculturalists are leery of prospective increased energy costs and increased input (fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals) costs. Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston has publicly declared his opposition.

“Agriculture is inherently an energy-intensive industry and this bill does nothing to mitigate that fact. From tractor fuel to fertilizer to livestock feed, farmers across America are especially vulnerable to this proposed national energy tax. Our farmers are already struggling with the high cost of fertilizer and feed and gas prices are going up. Now, in this time of economic downturn, is not the time to further drive up the cost of farming and the cost of food. American farmers can’t afford it and neither can American families.”

Vilsack has countered with this example:

“A Northern Plains wheat producer, for example, might see an increase of 80 cents per acre in costs of production by 2020 because of higher fuel prices. Based on a soil carbon sequestration rate of 0.4 tons per acre and a carbon price of $16 per ton, a producer could mitigate those expenses by adopting no-till practices and earn $6.40 per acre. So, this wheat farmer does better under the House-passed climate legislation than without it. And, it's quite possible that this wheat farmer could do even better if technologies and markets progress in such a way that allows for the sale of wheat straw to make cellulosic ethanol.”

Vilsack says the government will aid agriculturalists by assisting them in adopting new technology use and conservation practices.

“Well you know farmers, I know farmers. There's no question that they are going to be looking for alternatives. They are going to be looking for technology changes, for renewable energy sources, for biofuels, all of which could potentially benefit them in terms of lower costs," said Vilsack.

Judging from his experience with the 17 stops completed in the Rural Farm Tour, Vilsack told ag broadcasters he believes the cap-and-trade legislation should pass through Congress without resistance.

Should other industries be targeted for inclusion in cap-and-trade regulations? Are farmers being treated unfairly? Should the agriculture sector try to amend proposed legislation?