Farmers in New England must adapt to unpredictable temperature changes
Climate change is changing fruit growing patterns in New England. Farmers are trying to change with it.
lellens
This year, a cold snap in February destroyed much of New Hampsire's peach crop. Three months later, another cold snap took out most of the state's apple crop.
Unlucky year? Freak accident? Farmers in New England aren't so sure.
They say that the seasonal patterns they've observed for decades are shifting. While some farmers are hesitant to pin blame, others attribute these shifts directly to climate change.
Science indicates climate change could indeed be responsible for the large crop failures in New Hampshire this year and that such failures are likely to become more common in the future. This is because as the planet warms, average temperatures increase. This means that fruit trees receive signals to start growing earlier in the year. However, acute cold snaps and freezing temperatures remain possible until their normal times, leaving fruit trees vulnerable. There's growing evidence that cold snaps are becoming more unpredictable with climate change, further compounding the problem.
How are farmers responding? There are variety of methods. Some farmers are simply switching to crops that are less susceptible to cold snaps. Some are transitioning breeds of fruit, swapping a more tempermental apple for a more durable one. Still others are investigating the use of sprays or pulps that can be applied to trees to insulate flowers and young fruits.
For farmers that lost their crop this year, it's a little trickier. Many of them are supplementing their income by selling farmstand products, such as berries, zucchinis, and other fruits unharmed by the cold snaps. Others are renting their property for weddings or hosting other events such as apple cider tastings.
Though no clear path forward exists yet, New England farmers remain optimistic, and many of them are already working on ways to adjust to farming in a warmer climate.
