Climate change, particularly its cause, is a controversial topic in U.S. agriculture. But there's no dispute that American farmers and ranchers want to make their operations more resilient in changing and adverse weather conditions, including drought.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, or SARE, wants to help. SARE has released "Cultivating Climate Resilience on Farms and Ranches," a 28-page publication that examines changing regional weather patterns across the country and the risk that poses to crop and livestock production. The guide also looks at how to evaluate climate risk to your operation and how to identify practices to reduce those risk and improve resilience.
Among the observations in the publication:
• Corn and soybean farmers in the Midwest and northern Great Plains are adapting to longer dry periods and drought, higher disease and insect pressure, increased heat stress and more frequent extreme rains by implementing new in-field conservation practices such as cover crops, purchasing more crop insurance or adjusting their insurance plans, and adding new technologies.
• Organic and conventional grain producers in Montana have adapted to more frequent and extreme drought by diversifying crops, improving soil health and increasing profitability by reducing costs and selling into high-value direct markets.
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The publication also has a list of other resources for farmers and ranchers.
The free publication can be ordered at https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Bulletins/Cultivating-Climate-Resilience-on-Farms-and-Ranches , downloaded for free or call 301-779-1007.
