Agricultural activities are heavily exposed to and dependent on weather and climate. As a result, New York State’s agriculture sector faces numerous challenges as the climate changes. A wide range of climate hazards can influence agriculture, including:

• More extreme heat events.
• Changes in the amount and duration of precipitation, including heavy rainfall and drought.
• More frequent and intense storms.
• Sea levels rise, and saltwater intrusion into farmland and water sources.

These climate hazards can have impacts on agriculture, including:

• Farmworker health impacts from heat stress.
• Crop and livestock impacts, including heat stresses to the growth and reproduction of plants and animals resulting in reduced crop yields and milk production.
• Pest impacts, including increases in weeds that spread and infest fields, insects that feed on crops, and diseases that infect plants and reduce crop yields.
• Impacts to the seasonal cycles of plant and animal life. For example, unseasonably warm temperatures in early spring can cause fruit trees to bloom early. When cold temperatures return, the buds can freeze and the fruit crop can be destroyed. 
• Financial impacts: Climate change can affect farm operating costs, food storage and transportation, and food prices.

For agriculture, economic differences and a lack of diversity are important climate equity and justice considerations. These factors can magnify climate impacts and make it more difficult for farmers to adapt. For example, Indigenous, Asian, Black, and biracial farmers represent only 1.2% of New York State farm owners. Recent research has found that farmers of color, immigrant farmers, and female farmers typically have smaller farms and grow higher-value, more labor-intensive crops. These farmers typically have fewer resources to adapt or respond to climate hazards that threaten their businesses. 

The high cost of land also makes it harder for new farmers to enter and remain in agriculture. Available land is often of lower quality, making it harder for farmers to make a living or adapt to climate impacts. Farmers who cannot afford to buy and own land may choose to rent instead, and they may not have the resources to adapt or respond to climate hazards that threaten their businesses.  

Because farmworkers work mostly outdoors, they are directly exposed to climate hazards. One major concern with the changing climate is the impact of more frequent and hotter heat waves have on farmworkers’ health. About 50% of farmworkers in New York State are undocumented, and they face added challenges that limit their ability to cope with these hazards. For example, they may avoid seeking help because of the fear of deportation and potential lost wages. They may also live in housing that is unable to withstand extreme weather.

There are eight federally recognized Tribal Nations and one state-recognized Nation in New York State, as well as several other Indigenous communities that maintain ties to the state and live in surrounding states. The colonization and dispossession of Tribal lands, as well as forced migration to lower-quality lands, have contributed to the climate risks Indigenous Peoples face.  

For example, Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples engage in agriculture for food, medicines, and materials for cultural traditions. Tribal Nations were forced off ancestral lands to lands with lower economic value. Agricultural activities on these lands are more exposed to climate impacts from extreme heat, less precipitation and more drought, and sea level rise. Climate change threatens some key products that are important as food and serve other purposes for Indigenous people, such as northern quahog, a type of clam that is essential for both sustenance and wampum-making within the Shinnecock Nation. Indigenous Peoples in New York are working on climate adaptation solutions. For example: 

• The Oneida Nation will produce certified organic maple syrup and cannabis to provide additional income in the face of climate uncertainties. 
• The Seneca Nation is using hemp crops as an additional income stream and planting the traditional “three sisters” crops (corn, beans, and squash) to improve soil health, decreasing impacts from excessive precipitation and drought.   
• The Onondaga Nation also cultivates the three sisters crops to improve soil health. As well, it is developing seed banks to preserve and grow more regionally adapted crops that are resilient to local climate impacts.  
• The Mohawk Nation Territory (Akwesasne) will add compost and other soil amendments to improve soil quality to address impacts from excessive precipitation and drought. It is also investing in irrigation and drainage systems to manage soil moisture during these extreme conditions. 
• The Shinnecock Nation has begun to farm kelp. This crop can help reduce nutrient levels, caused by excessive precipitation, that lead to harmful algal blooms; it can also lower ocean acidity caused by climate change. The Shinnecock are working to expand community gardening while facing sea level rise.  

Technical workgroups for each of the assessment’s eight sectors developed key findings focused on climate change impacts, responses, and solutions. More detail on the key findings for the agriculture sector, and the evidence base for each finding, can be found in the full Agriculture chapter. 

The most severe impacts of climate change to the agriculture sector are associated with extreme precipitation, short-term drought, heat stress, warmer winters, late spring freezes, increased pest pressures, and increased production costs.

These impacts pose a variety of risks to agricultural operations. Because farmers rely on the weather, more uncertainty and more extreme weather also create major planning challenges.  

• Heat stress affects livestock, crops, farmers, and farmworkers. High soil and air temperatures can harm plant growth and reduce crop yields. Heat stress can also threaten the health of dairy cows and reduce milk production; other livestock are also at risk from high heat. Extreme heat can cause illness or even death among farm workers exposed to these high outdoor temperatures. Undocumented workers and others who may not have the resources to seek help are especially at risk.
• Increased weeds, diseases, and insects damage crops. Warmer temperatures can increase the populations and ranges of some existing insects and other pests. Higher temperatures might also allow new invasive species to move into the state. More pests can lead to more pesticide use, which poses additional health concerns. Herbicide-resistant weed species have recently been identified in New York State for the first time, creating management challenges for farmers as their range expands. Crops may become more susceptible to diseases as the climate becomes warmer and more humid. Crops weakened by other impacts—like heat stress or drought—are particularly vulnerable to harm from pests, diseases, and invasive species.

What Can We Do?

Farmers can consider a variety of strategies to address these impacts, depending on the type of agricultural operation they run and the resources they have available. Examples of strategies for farmers to consider include the following: 

• Improve soil drainage for crops. Farmers are installing tile drainage systems to help transport water from heavy rain away from their crops. The number of acres using tile drainage across the state has increased from 780,996 in 2012 to 861,265 in 2017.  

• Use new programs, plant varieties, and updated planning tools to contend with increased pests. Farmers can develop and implement integrated pest management programs and plant crop varieties with improved pest and disease resistance. Farmers can also use online pest forecast systems, but some of these tools will need to be updated to align with changing weather patterns. 

Climate change is a threat multiplier for agriculture in New York State. Farmers already face many stressors such as tight profit margins and labor shortages.

Farming is a risky livelihood, and climate change adds to those risks. Increased weather variability and weather extremes are disrupting farm operations and leading to unanticipated expenses. 

Climate hazards threaten farms’ finances, straining their already-constrained resources to adapt. For example, New York State farms grapple with rising labor costs due to factors such as competition and labor requirements. The need for climate adaptations like precision seasonal forecasting tools could mean the need for a more highly trained workforce and even higher wages. More extreme weather events can reach beyond the farms themselves and cause damage in economically strained farming communities. Many farming communities in the state already face high rural poverty rates: in 2019, the poverty rate of farming communities was 14.9%, leaving few resources to respond to climate impacts. Rising farmland and labor costs also make it difficult for new farmers to enter and stay in agriculture; the additional economic challenges introduced by climate change make this even harder.

A farm’s location is a factor in the risks it faces. For example, farmers in some rural areas lack access to broadband and have limited cell phone service. As a result, they have limited access to many digital and precision agricultural technologies needed to cope with changing climate hazards.

Heat stress poses a serious risk to farmworkers in both rural and urban environments that can worsen labor shortages and tight profit margins. Farmworkers may need to work fewer hours or shift their hours to limit heat exposure. This can present a challenge with shortened planting and harvesting windows for some crops due to current or expected weather conditions. On very hot days, workers may need to work indoors, which reduces productivity if certain outdoor farm tasks are regularly needed, such as scouting for pests and diseases.

What Can We Do?

Helping farmers manage non-climate-related challenges can help reduce the additional pressures from climate change. For example—though they are not specifically aimed at climate change—programs that help farmers whose yields have been affected by weather variability, or that help address water quality and conservation on farmland, can help address climate change challenges as well. Protecting farmland and finding ways to make farmland more affordable can help financial burdens on farms. In addition, ensuring fast internet service to rural areas can make technology options available that otherwise might not be possible. 

Farmers and other agricultural stakeholders show awareness and acknowledgment of climate change impacts on agriculture.

Farmers in New York State have already reported more extreme weather and weather variability and uncertainty. For example, they have noticed more heavy rain events that lead to flooding and that disrupt their farm operations. Some farmers and others in the state’s farming industry say that they understand how climate change is causing new weather-related threats to their farms but lack the skills, technical knowledge, or financial capacity to address those threats and impacts. Additionally, a farmer’s decision to adopt new practices to adapt to climate change often depends on their personal experience with extreme weather and other climate-related impacts, which can vary widely among farmers.

What Can We Do?

Increasing technical knowledge can help farmers address the climate impacts that threaten their operations. Clear information about future impacts will help farmers plan and remain profitable. Farmers make decisions based on their experiences and on the information they have on hand, which often comes from trusted relationships with their peers, extension specialists, or consultants. Farmers need access to additional research-based information on climate impacts and strategies that are right for their operations. They also need to know how different crops or animal breeds fare under different conditions. Developing and providing this needed information to trusted networks can be an effective way of getting the information to the farming community.

Farmers are implementing and investing in practices that make their farm businesses more resilient to climate extremes. 

Different adaptation strategies can help farmers as the climate changes. For example, improving soil health can make farms more productive and resilient. More and more farmers in the state are adopting practices that build soil health, such as planting cover crops. Many fruit growers in New York State are installing wind machines and fabric orchard covers to help reduce frost damage. Vegetable farmers are using protective structures, such as hoop houses and high tunnels, to cope with extreme weather and pest invasions. Different adaptation strategies can help farmers as the climate changes. For example, improving soil health can make farms more productive and resilient. More and more farmers in the state are adopting practices that build soil health, such as planting cover crops. Many fruit growers in New York State are installing wind machines and fabric orchard covers to help reduce frost damage.

What Can We Do?

Many farmers in the state are implementing climate adaptation practices; however, adoption of these practices is still not widespread. In many instances, adaptations must be tailored to match specific farm production systems. Providing farmers with information about adaptation strategies that are relevant to their specific farm situations, and with examples from their farming colleagues who have successfully implemented the strategies, may help farmers feel more comfortable in making similar changes on their farms. Providing agricultural research information about the effectiveness of different strategies could help farmers weigh the costs and benefits for their farms. 

Enhanced technical support, financial assistance, and research are crucial to increase the adaptive capacity of farms across New York State.

Without more support to implement adaptation measures, farms will face greater risk of physical, social, and economic losses due to climate change. Active engagement among policymakers, farmers, and agriculture stakeholders can help shape climate and agricultural policies that are realistic for farm businesses. In addition, policies and programs that support farmworkers in the state and beyond are integral to farm adaptation efforts. 

What Can We Do?

New York State is nationally recognized for leadership in invasive species management. The New York State Department of Technical tools—and training on how to use these tools—can help farmers make more informed decisions. For example, farmers could benefit from online decision-support tools that provide accurate farm-level weather and climate data related to agricultural decisions. More research and information are needed to show the effectiveness of specific adaptation strategies. 

Financial assistance like grants, financing, and other incentives that allow for and encourage climate adaptation measures will help make it possible for farmers to make their farms and businesses more resilient to climate change. Many state programs and initiatives support farmers’ adoption of conservation and climate adaptation and mitigation practices. These include the New York State Climate Resilient Farming Program, the Climate Smart Farming initiative at Cornell University, and several other conservation and renewable energy programs in the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and elsewhere. Passage of the New York State Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Act in 2021 established programs to help farmers improve the health of their soil. It also supports climate-resilient farming efforts to help farmers mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Increasing farmers’ awareness about these financial resources and programs can help them go from awareness to action. 

While climate change poses significant risks to agriculture, there may be some positive outcomes and opportunities for farmers. For example, projections show:

As farm organizations and government agencies enact policies and provide funding and extension support for “climate-smart” practices, farmers who embrace sustainable practices may be able to capitalize on market demand from socially conscious consumers. These farmers and companies will also be able to market their products as climate-friendly or carbon neutral.

Emerging Research Topics

Researchers continue to study the ways climate change will affect agriculture across New York State. Farmers and stakeholders will need to work together to create, test, and improve new technologies and techniques to adapt. This assessment revealed a few gaps in knowledge that would be valuable to fill with new research, such as:

• How effective climate adaptation practices are when implemented.
• How climate change affects crop quantity and quality.
• Which new pests and invasive species might arrive in the state as the climate changes.
• More resilient ways to produce food and better support the farmers who grow it.

Climate change is affecting agriculture across New York State. Its impacts intensify the challenges farmers in the state already face. Many farmers experience and recognize these impacts. Farmers are innovative and resilient, using adaptation practices where they can. Their diverse skill sets, ingenuity, and generational knowledge help them to adapt to ongoing challenges so their businesses can remain profitable and sustainable.

With adequate technical and financial resources, farmers will have an even greater opportunity to respond to the challenges posed by climate change. In doing so, they can keep providing the food and other agricultural products that New York State’s residents rely on every day.  

Read the full Agriculture chapter to learn more about impacts and adaptation strategies. 

Learn more about equity, justice, and climate change.

Explore assessment resources.