Let’s Focus on the Less-Discussed Weather Threats to Agriculture
February 16, 2022 There’s a question I tend to ask a lot. Each time I meet someone new in the vegetable industry, I’ll ask some form of “Which issues are you most concerned about?”
One topic that’s top of mind for most is increasingly erratic weather patterns. Just think of all the records we’ve broken in just the past year in different parts of the country related to natural disasters: fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, straight-line winds, snow, heat, and cold.
A month ago, I had a chat with Ohio State University’s Matt Kleinhenz. He pointed out that those disasters get all the headlines. The less-dramatic shifts in weather patterns worry him just as much.
Take rain fall. A three-day rainfall isn’t that unusual anymore. So much so that you can all but guarantee a soaker during the planting season, preventing heavy equipment from entering the fields for days.
As a result, the planting window is shrinking. That has a significant ripple effect in labor and eventual harvest timing. There’s also the risk you won’t have the opportunity to get to all the acreage you budgeted for.
Researchers have tracked how insect pest ranges have been shifting north for years. Now the USDA will be watching which crops are on the move as well.
This is one of the reasons you’ll see American Vegetable Grower profile growers who find new ways to increase their sustainable practices. Our world is changing in a lot of ways. We need fresh ideas and innovative people to keep our produce industry healthy long into the future.
It’s also why we host BiocontrolsSM USA Conference and Expo along with our sister publications, American Fruit Grower and Greenhouse Grower. We find researchers with the latest intel and growers who are willing to talk about what is and what isn’t working for them.
I invite you to join us in our journey. Please get in touch with us if you have a story to share that you think will help the industry at large. And if you’re available to travel to Monterey, CA, February 28 through February 2, come enjoy the warm weather and the latest intel at Biocontrols USA.
Oh, One More Thing
Each year, the National Centers for Environmental Information (a division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) reports on temperatures and rainfall in the U.S. From these county rainfall maps, you gain an idea of how unusual our weather has been over the past few years. Those dark green areas? They indicate record-breaking totals. And these records date back to 1895.
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