Climate variability and climate change: Challenges and opportunities to extension services

Dairy productivity and climatic conditions: econometric evidence from South‐eastern United States

“…Fraisse et al (2008) noted that the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia have experienced a rise in average annual temperatures since 1980, but rainfall changes were less pronounced. Sharma et al (1988) analysed historical data from the University of Florida Agricultural Experiment Station herd and documented noteworthy interactions between climate effects and milk yields and composition.…”

Gridded, monthly rainfall and temperature climatology for El Niño Southern Oscillation impacts in the United States

“…Our changing climate is bringing new challenges, particularly to agricultural systems (Walthall et al, 2012;Hatfield et al, 2014). Part of the solution for preparing agriculture for potential future changes in climate can be through management adjustments that reduce the risks from seasonal climate variability (Fraisse et al, 2009) the challenges and opportunities of seasonal variability requires resources that land managers can use to understand the location-specific, historical impacts on climate connected with ENSO and other drivers of climate variability that can be used to prepare for near-term management decisions. This article introduces the first available ENSO-associated monthly climatology for the United States, available at http://agroclimate.org/tools/Climate-Anomalies/.…”

How to Communicate with Farmers about Climate Change: Farmers' Perceptions and Adaptations to Increasingly Variable Weather Patterns in Maine (USA)

“…Variable weather patterns have always and will continue to play an important role in the production risks faced by farmers (Adams, Hurd, Lenhart, & Leary, 1998;Fraisse, Breuer, Zierden and Ingram, 2009). How farmers view IVWP or climate change and whether they may be implementing measures to adapt to this have not been fully explored, particularly among U.S. farmers.…”

“…While all agricultural production methods are vulnerable to climate variation to some degree, some commodities and production methods, particularly those with intensive tillage, are more susceptible to soil loss and yield variability. Agricultural adaptation strategies have been explored that potentially can reduce the impact of damaging weather on crop yield, soil loss, and water quality deterioration, such as (1) growing varieties with greater range of tolerance to heat stress and drought; (2) wider use of practices to conserve soil moisture, including reduced tillage; (3) altering timing and location of cropping activities; (4) diversifying farm income as much as possible; and (5) improving effectiveness of pest management by using more resistant varieties and improved weed management measures (Fraisse, Breuer, Zierden, & Ingram, 2009;Howden, Sousanna, Tubiello, Chhetri, & Dunlop, 2007). Other specific measures such as double-cropping small grains and corn have been shown to provide improved soil protection and increased forage production for dairy farmers by providing soil cover for a greater part of the year and more efficiently capturing and utilizing solar energy, compared to growing a full-season corn crop (Jemison, Darby, & Reberg-Horton, 2012).…”