Climate and Ag in the news

  • Georgia FACES recently published a story which is based on a talk given by Carrie Furman and me to the annual meeting of Georgia Organics.  You can find the link here.  In the talk we discussed current trends in temperature, precipitation and other climate variables and their impact on crops, including an increase in the…

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  • There has been quite a bit of press on the impacts of climate on crops around the Southeast in the press lately.  Here are some of the stories I’ve seen. 1. Heavy Rains Delaying Crop Planting—Growing Georgia–May 1 Heavy rains across the Southeast have caused a lot of problems for farmers trying to get fields…

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  • The latest National Climate Assessment report was released this morning, discussing the latest findings in climate change.  Here is a direct link to the interactive section on agriculture:  https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/sectors/agriculture. Time magazine reports that one of the conclusions of the report is that “Agriculture will be resilient… at first: Many farmers should actually be able to adapt…

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  • A new study published by Nature magazine indicates that the length of the growing season worldwide is increasing not just from warming temperatures but also from the direct influence of carbon dioxide.  This research, based on plot trials on grasslands in Wyoming, shows that  carbon dioxide affects plant growth by regulating evapotranspiration from leaves as…

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  • National Public Radio reported  on April 24 that scientists from the University of Oklahoma are using a large research facility near El Reno to study the relationships between climate, crops, soil and livestock.   They are doing this by equipping research pastures and wheat fields with sensors to monitor the fluxes of water, carbon, and methane…

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  • The Packer reported on April 23 that Florida blueberries are running 2-3 weeks behind normal due to lack of chill hours over the winter coupled with cooler than normal spring nights.  The cold conditions that affected much of the Southeast this winter did not affect Florida to the same extent as more northern regions.  This…

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  • The early forecast for this year’s hurricane season is for just three hurricanes, based on presentations given at the National Hurricane Center’s annual conference and reported by the Miami Herald and Washington Post (for story, click here).  The quieter than normal conditions are forecast due to the predicted onset of El Nino later this year. …

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