Case Studies
Investing to Adapt to the Uncertainties and Extremes of Climate Change in Field Crop Production
Forage and grain field crops are economically important for New York State. Adapting to climate change is costly, but also an investment in the farm’s long-term resilience and viability.
Farmers in New York State harvested forage and grain field crops (hay and haylage, corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and barley) on nearly 9 million acres in 2022 for both cash sales and to provide feed and bedding for the state’s livestock industry.1 These crops are the most economically important crops for the state’s agriculture, contributing $2.2 billion to the agricultural economy in 2022.1 However, the crops are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, since farmers produce them on tight margins with narrow profitability.
Rodman Lott and Son Farms, a 3000-acre cash grain farm in Seneca Falls that has hosted Empire Farm Days for over 30 years, is a large and influential producer of corn, soybean, and wheat. The farm has been in business since 1988. Like most farms, they have faced shifting seasonal weather conditions due to climate change. Their major challenges have included:
Highlights
- Forage and grain field crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, oats, and barley are economically important for New York State’s agriculture, but they are also highly vulnerable to climate change.
- It is costly to adapt to challenges such as excessively wet spring or fall conditions, drought conditions, fungal diseases, disruptions to fertilizer application timing, and changes in growing season length.
- Though adaptations have upfront costs (purchasing new equipment, installing tile drainage, and other measures), these costs are investments in the farm’s long-term resilience and viability.
- Excessively wet spring or fall conditions that have prevented or delayed planting or harvesting.
- An increase in the number of abnormally dry years and drought conditions that negatively affected yield.
- An increase in fungal corn diseases that lead to higher mycotoxin levels in grain, making it unmarketable.
- Difficulties meeting the necessary fertilizer application timings for crops.
- Changes in growing season length depending on spring and fall weather conditions.
The farm owners have adapted to these challenges, but at significant financial cost.
Planting thousands of acres of corn and soybeans takes time. Excessively wet spring conditions limit planting to a narrow window, making it difficult to plant in time for the crop to fully mature within the short growing season in the northern latitude. The Lotts work around the clock to plant their acreage while field conditions are favorable. They invested $250,000 in a larger planter that allows them to cover more acres in a shorter amount of time. While the Lotts are still at the mercy of the weather and field conditions, this equipment investment has helped them plant faster, allowing them to adapt to the narrow planting and harvesting windows.
Wet field conditions also create problems for other field operations, such as applying fertilizers and pesticides. To reduce flooding after major rain events and increase drainage of excess water in the fields, the Lotts have significantly increased the amount of tile (subsurface) drainage on the farm. Installing tile drainage costs $1000 per acre. The Lotts are installing it on as many acres as possible each year, with the goal of covering all 3000 acres. While expensive, tile drainage is a valuable long-term investment to help the farm adapt to the uncertainty and severity of extreme precipitation events.
Just as spring flooding brings challenges, excessively wet fields in the fall also affect farm operations, particularly the ability to harvest crops in a timely manner for maximum yield and quality. When wet conditions persist at harvest time and machines are unable to get into the fields, harvest is delayed. When harvest is delayed, fungi that thrive in wet conditions can spoil corn or wheat grain and produce harmful mycotoxins, resulting in lower yield and quality and potentially rendering the crop unmarketable. Rodman Lott and Son Farms has experienced an increase in mycotoxin levels in their corn grain in recent years. To resolve the issue, they invested $60,000 in larger harvesting equipment to harvest more acres in less time and keep the grain as close to peak quality as possible.
In addition to these significant financial investments, the Lotts have been proactive in improving soil health. For the past 30 years, they have used no-till methods, leading to fewer trips across the field; this reduces fuel inputs, engine emissions, soil compaction, erosion, and runoff of fertilizers and pesticides. This practice has led to an increase in soil organic matter and carbon sequestration and has improved water management on the farm. Planting cover crops has also helped the Lotts improve soil health.
To meet crop fertility needs and adapt to shifting weather and precipitation patterns, the Lotts have also increased fertilizer applications per season from two to three, at an additional cost of $10 per acre of corn per year.
Despite their proactive soil health and sustainability efforts, the Lotts are struggling to remain profitable while adapting to climate change. Purchasing and implementing the required adaptation practices on 3000 acres will require $3.31 million. The Lotts are not alone in having to purchase new equipment, install tile drainage, and make other investments to stay in business; field crop farms across New York State are making similar investments if they can afford them. However, by investing in new equipment and adopting more sustainable practices, the Lotts are increasing the resilience of their farm to climate change impacts and the overall viability of their farm business.
References
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (n.d.). 2022 state agriculture overview: New York. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=NEW%20YORK