LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)– Climate change is impacting the agriculture industry right here in Michigan, although experts say they’re doing things to make sure our state stays one track ahead of it.
“Agriculture impacts every part of our lives. It all starts here in the field, in the ground,” Brandon Blain, Gustafson Farms.
With the mild winters and longer summers, Blain said there has been more wildlife destruction to our crops and an increase in plant diseases.
Blain said he’s had to react quickly to the quote ‘extreme’ changes in climate.
“What we used to be able to do, we could plan by the calendar. We expected that in a certain week in April and May we could get started with something. Now we don’t have that ability to forecast,” Blain said.
“It is a challenge. When we look at climate change, a lot of it, as you mentioned, is does have negative impacts with regard to agriculture,” Kurt D. Thelen, Ph.D., Director, MSU Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
Thelen is working on building more resilient cropping systems and said bioenergy is one of the main solutions for climate change.
“All renewable energy is good, like wind and water and solar. But the only one that really has the capability of removing carbon from the atmosphere and back into the soil and having a net negative carbon footprint is biomass,” Thelen said.
“So we can decarbonize our whole fleet if with a switch to biofuels.”
Back at the farm, Blain shares with me solutions he has come up with to make sure the fight against climate change is a strong one.
“We want to improve our yields, but also rely less on synthetic fertilizers,” Blain said.
“Another thing we’ve done on the farm is investing in new technology like this tractor with tracks.”
Blain said they’ve also started using cover crops, to retain plant nutrients.
And with the new Climate Resiliency Program, the state of Michigan is dedicating thousands of dollars towards combating these issues, as well.
George Smith, Ph.D., Director, AgBioResearch said this is one of the wettest falls we’ve had, which has impacted corn growers, and the frost in January killed our peaches.
“So, the public understands that the climate is changing. Agriculture understands that the climate is changing, and we are now in a position due to this foundational investment from the state of Michigan,” Smith said.
“We had 18 proposals from the best of the best really addressing these challenging issues.”
Even though climate change is a force, through the use of new farm technology, renewable fuels, and state investments, they believe that agriculture will survive and thrive here in Michigan.