This is how climate change is going to change agriculture in the North Country - North Country Public Radio

This is how climate change is going to change agriculture in the North Country | NCPR News

This is how climate change is going to change agriculture in the North Country
Catherine Wheeler (St. Lawrence Valley Reporter)

Henry M. Diaz, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. In the U.S., the industry accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions.

But at the same time, climate change is going to fundamentally change agriculture, and that threatens a big part of the North Country’s economy.

A new report outlines how climate change will affect the industry and what farmers can do to adapt.

The New York State Climate Impacts Assessment lays out how climate change is going to impact our daily lives, from energy and health to the environment and economy.

And agriculture—one of the North Country’s leading industries—is linked to it all.

"Agriculture is connected to all other sectors of the New York State economy, and that's something we do highlight in the chapter is how agriculture is connected to transportation is connected to human health is tied to water resources is tied to buildings," said Cornell University extension associate Deborah Aller. Aller is one of the authors of the agriculture chapter of the climate impacts assessment.

New York is a top-producing state for dairy, fruit and some other commodities.

Aller says one of the toughest things agriculture will have to face is the increase in severe weather.

"I think when we think about climate change, it's no longer thinking about the normal right? There's no such thing as normal anymore," she said. "A lot of people have said that and so when it comes to thinking about adapting on farms, it's really adapting to the extremes."

Think warmer winters, drought, early autumn frost, late spring freezes, and more pests attacking crops.

Aller says farmers need to prepare for more rain, too. She says by the end of this century, New York State will have more precipitation.

"But when we're getting this rainfall is going to differ," she said. "We're often seeing more of this water in the winter or in the spring and less in the summer when we have crops growing in crops that really need it. Having more precipitation in the springtime, for example, makes it more difficult for farmers to get in their fields for planting. And also in the fall to get in for potentially harvesting those crops. So the shift in the timing of things is becoming a real issue."

Another factor is increased summer heat. Aller says dairy farmers will have to adapt.

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"[It's] not just the fact that the temperatures increase, but the fact that we're having more heat waves and days with excessive heat units, which can be really detrimental to the health and productivity of dairy animals," she said.

Aller says climate change is a threat multiplier for farmers. It compounds the factors that already make farming hard.

"Farmers are already stressed with tight profit margins when it comes to agricultural production and really strict issues with labor or labor shortages," she said. "So climate change is really exacerbating these already existing stressors."

All of these things sound really scary. But Aller says there is hope.

She says New York’s farmers and other agricultural stakeholders know climate change is here. And they’re already doing things to make their farms more resilient.

"They're taking steps that they can to the extent financially feasible to implement adaptation strategies and what these adaptations strategies look like differ on any different farm," she said.

She says those could be things like improving soil health and finding ways to capture excess rain and cool soil during hot stretches.

Aller says farmers will need technical and financial support and research to help them adapt from places like Cornell Cooperative Extension and the USDA.

Aller says farmers are prepared for this kind of challenge in a way. They’re always thinking ahead.

"I think farmers are incredibly innovative and farmers particularly in New York state are constantly finding ways to think about new practices thinking about what could they implement to make their farm business more viable or reach more consumers or improve the sustainability of their operation," she said.

Aller says farming in New York is still profitable in the face of climate change. She says our local food system is vital and we’ll figure out solutions to keep it around.