Climate Change and Agriculture

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Climate change, farming food what we can do
Vern Grubinger vernon.grubinger_at_uvm.edu
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Agricultures response to a changing climate
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Adapt Production Practices
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Climate changes thatfarming must adapt to

• warmer temperatures
• more extreme precipitation events
• increasing atmospheric CO2

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Some crops will be winners Others will be
losers
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There will new management priorities heat stress
in livestock
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Irrigation and drainage to manage rainfall
extremes
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Insect, disease and weed pressure is already
changing
better winter survival of pests
more root rots with heavy rains
perennial weeds make good use of CO2
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Reducing agricultural greenhouse gasemissions

• conservation / efficiency
• fertilizer manure management
• renewable energy on farms
• local, sustainable food systems

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Grass-based livestock production is
efficient minimize tillage, fuel use,
fertilizers, purchased feed
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Nitrogen fertilizer is low hanging fruit
Fuel
Fertilizer
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Optimize nitrogen fertilizer use
Soil and stalk N testing
Legume N from rotations
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On-farm (sustainable) bio-fuels
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Community-scale biodiesel production
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Greenhouse heated with waste vegetable oil from
local restaurants
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Passive solar greenhouse uses no fuel at all - in
Vermont!
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On-farm wind power
Provides half the electricity for dairy farms
yogurt production
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Reducing energy usage in the US food system both
farmers and consumers have a role
Source M.C. Heller, G.A. Keoleian. Assessing the
sustainability of the US food system a life
cycle perspective, Agricultural Systems, 76,
(2003) 1007-1041.
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Consumer choices can reduce food miles and
energy used in refrigeration, processing,
packaging.
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Community Supported Agriculture
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Sustainable, local food systems school food
scraps chickens eggs compost
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thank you for listening www.climateandfarming.org