Crops
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The University of Vermont published the results of a study of farmers in the Northeast and what they think about risks due to changes in climate that have occurred over time and may occur in the future. In this study, Vermont farmers identified many site-specific risks that they associate with weather fluctuations and climate change.…
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Food and Wine reported this week on a new study by Harvard’s School of Public Health which looked at the nutritional content of crops eaten around the world under higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, which is increasing in the atmosphere. The study showed that as carbon dioxide continues to increase, the nutritional content of many…
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The National Environmental Education Foundation published a short report this week on how changes in climate could affect agriculture in the future. While carbon dioxide is necessary for plants to grow and increased carbon dioxide does increase the growth of plants (both beneficial crops and weeds), it also can affect the length of the growing…
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Channel News Asia has an eye-opening story about how a combination of drought and mismanagement of water supplies has caused a major river in South India to almost dry up. This is causing economic devastation and hardship to farmers growing rice in the area. You can read about how centralized irrigation systems have contributed to…
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The Packer noted this week that the Vidalia onion crop this year is 15% larger than last year’s great crop, due in part to great weather during the harvesting season. Growers noted that the mid-March freeze that killed off most of Georgia’s blueberry crop only nipped a few leaves on the onions, which require several…
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While floods and droughts are causing problems for farmers in the US, producers in other parts of the world are having their own difficulties dealing with the weather. Southern Europe is in the middle of a severe drought which is reducing the production of cereal grains and causing heat stress problems for cattle, according to…
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The National Farmers Union posted an article late in June looking at the impact of smart irrigation techniques on adapting to changes in climate. By controlling the amount of water used in irrigation, farmers can save not only water, which is a valuable resource in its own right, but also fuel for pumps and improve…