Assessing and Communicating Climate Change Impacts on Midwest Specialty Crops

Agriculture is an industry that is highly susceptible to a variety of climate changes. In the Midwestern United States, a major agriculture region, changes in average and extreme temperature and precipitation have occurred in recent decades and further change is projected by climate models. With these changes, farmers face the challenges of modifying current practices, adopting new practices to adapt to and mitigate further climate change, or even changing crops. However, with a plethora of climate data and resources available, it can be quite overwhelming to farmers seeking accurate data that can inform agronomic decisions. Or, in some cases, the data that they may need does not exist, has not been compiled yet, or is not specific enough to their cropping system to be useful. This issue is not limited to just farmers, as agricultural advisors (e.g., agronomists, conservation staff, Extension educators) are increasingly being contacted by farmers with questions regarding climate change impacts to their operations.

Specialty crops growers are in a challenging position when it comes to climate change impacts as there is currently a lack of climate change resources that are targeted specifically for specialty crop growers in the Midwest and for those who advise specialty crop growers. The Midwest is known for its extensive production of corn and soybeans, but the Midwest also boasts an array of specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, forages, small grains, Christmas trees, and floriculture. The impacts to specialty crops from a changing climate will differ between crops and from the prevailing corn and soybean production in the region. Also, farmers’ management strategies to address climate change impacts will vary among different crops. With continued changes in climate projected, there is an enormous need to address the distinct gap in resources available to specialty crop growers.

The USDA Midwest Climate Hub (MCH) is addressing this resource gap by creating climate resources that are targeted towards specialty crop growers in the Midwest. This has been a joint effort between MCH and Extension professionals with experience in various specialty crops. These resources are developed as fact sheets/bulletins that highlight (1) the observed and projected changes in climate for the Midwest, (2) expected impacts to specific specialty crops, and (3) management strategies that farmers may adopt to increase resilience to these changes. This ongoing project is an extension of the MCH’s work on helping producers understand climate change impacts to Midwest agriculture. Plans for this project include publishing the specialty crop bulletins; housing the information on the MCH’s website for easy access by farmers and agricultural advisors; and collecting feedback from our target audience to assess the usefulness of these resources.