Climate and Ag in the news
-
A recent report on CNN.com lists some problems that farmers in Africa and other developing areas are experiencing due to recent changes in climate, including increased pest pressure and the need to change crops that are more appropriate for the newer climate. The writer points out that farmers can increase yields and food security by…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
NBC News had a story online today about droughts across North, Central and South American and their impacts on agriculture. The California drought is the one that is making the biggest news splash, and I have had many stories on this blog listing some of the variety of agricultural effects this drought has had. But…
-
Cold weather and frosts are causing problems for farmers in the upper Midwest this month. Farmers planted crops late due to cold and wet spring conditions and are concerned that frost and cold, damp weather could cause reductions in yield due to immaturity. AgWeb posted a story about these problems, which is available here. The…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
One story in the Southeast that has gotten little attention this week is the severe impact of recent drought conditions on the already stressed oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay on the Florida coast. The combination of high salinity water due to drought, as well as pressures from water usage and industrial pollution as well as…
-
The Chicago Tribune published a recent article on the increasing move of American to coastal areas. The number of people moving to the Florida coastline alone has increased 1.1 million since 1990, not including part-year residents. A third of that coastal development has been on the shoreline itself, in spite of increasingly restrictive building codes…
-
A Time magazine article today highlights one of the local impacts of changing weather patterns on disease vectors. Because of all the rain that has fallen in the Southwest due to inputs of hurricane moisture from the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the associated flooding, mosquito populations in Phoenix and surrounding areas has doubled. Standing water…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The Washington Post issued a story yesterday discussing the nearly nine year drought in hurricanes hitting Florida and why it might portend danger for Florida residents. They pointed out that more than a million people have moved to Florida since the last hurricane hit in 2005 and that many of these people have no experience…