Aug 7, 2018

Indiana climate change assessment releases agricultural report

The Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment team, based at Purdue University released a report July 31 detailing the effects climate change will have on the landscape of Hoosier agriculture.

The report, “Indiana’s Agriculture in a Changing Climate,” is one component of an 11-part series demonstrating how climate change will affect the state’s society, economy, health and resource management. This report focused specifically on the repercussions of climate change for Indiana’s agricultural communities. The objective of these reports is to help researchers, farmers, lawmakers and innovators prepare for the inevitability of climate change.

“Indiana agriculture is a major economic driver in the state,” says Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture. “We have $31 billion in sales of ag related products, so our state is really an important player in the world.” She added that Indiana has a strategic advantage because of the large number of researchers and groups strategizing about how to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.

Laura Bowling, professor of agronomy, the lead author of this report, specified the areas of Hoosier agriculture that climate change will significantly influence. While climate change will bring about rising temperatures and an extended growing season, which could be beneficial to Hoosier farmers, these trends will also lead to stress on livestock, row crops, soil health and other sectors of agriculture.