Changes in Agricultural Productivity- 

According to the EPA, climate change can make conditions better or worse for growing crops in different regions.  Changes in temperature, rainfall, and frost-free days are leading to longer growing seasons in almost every state, including NYS.  A longer growing season can have both positive and negative impacts for crops.  Whereas some farmers may be able to plant longer-maturing crops or more crop cycles , others may need more irrigation over a longer, hotter growing season.  Air pollution can also damage crops, plants, and forests.  When plants absorb large amounts of ground-level ozone, they suffer from reduced photosynthesis, slower growth, and are more disease prone.   

 

Climate change can also increase the threat of wildfires, and changes in temperature and rainfall amounts will also very likely expand the occurrence and range of insects, weeds, and diseases. This could lead to a greater need for weed and pest control. 

 

Pollination is vital to more than 100 crops grown in the United States.  Warmer temperatures and changing precipitation can affect when plants bloom and when pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, come out.  If mismatches occur between when plants flower and when pollinators emerge, pollination could decrease.

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Impacts to Soil and Water Resources-

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of heavy precipitation which can harm crops by eroding soil and depleting soil nutrients. Heavy rains can also increase agricultural runoff into our lakes, and streams. This runoff can harm water quality. When paired with warming water temperatures runoff can lead to depleted oxygen levels in water bodies which can kill fish.

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Challenges to Agricultural Workers and Livestock-

Farmers & agricultural workers are at risk from exposure to heat and other extreme weather, more pesticide exposure due to expanded pest presence, disease-carrying pests like mosquitos and ticks, and worsening air quality. Language barriers, lack of health care access, and other factors can compound these risks. Heat and humidity can also affect the health and productivity of animals raised for meat, milk, and eggs. 

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Impacts on Pollination-

According to leading scientists at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, climate change is a significant factor contributing to the decline in pollinator populations. A warming climate and rapidly changing weather patterns are disrupting the critical timing between flowering plants and the pollinators who must forage them for food. Honey bees, along with native bees, wasps, and other pollinators such as butterflies, are vital to securing our food supply.  Fruit and seed yields dramatically increase in quantity and quality when many pollinator species are present, whether in wild ecosystems or in crops such as apples or almonds. Unfortunately, shifts in temperature, droughts, and floods are disrupting native ranges for pollinators, and negatively impacting hibernation, spring nest establishment, and reproduction. While the importance of pollinators is widely known, populations have been declining for more than a decade. 

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Local Agricultural Impacts From Warming Weather Trends-

As stated in the Erie County Climate Vulnerability Assessment, Draft of Climate Hazards Summary Report August 16, 2020, analysis of the northeast US, western New York, and the Greater Buffalo and Erie County region all point to an upward trend for average temperature. Since 1990, vegetation growing zones have shifted northward and the trend is projected to continue.  A potential positive of this shift with its increase in levels of carbon dioxide, is a possible increase in plant productivity in some instances. However, overall  increase in temperature is expected to negatively impact crop yields and health of livestock. It may also result in an increase in pressure on agriculture from noxious weeds and insect pests. Excessive, prolonged heat can cause drought conditions for farmers, with the risk of crop loss and increased irrigation costs.