USDA RELEASES CLIMATE IMPACT REPORT; DAIRY INDUSTRY COMMITS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS

News Date December 15, 2009

In the midst of international climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, USDA released “The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems,” a report indentifying potential effects from climate change.  In cooperation with the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the report examines the impact climate change has already had on agriculture, land and water resources, and biodiversity, as well as provides an outlook for the next several decades.  

Key findings from the report include:  

  • Grain and oilseed crops will mature more rapidly, but increasing temperatures will heighten the risk of crop failures, particularly where precipitation decreases or becomes more variable.
  • Marketable yield of horticultural crops (such as tomato, onion, and fruit) are more vulnerable to climate change than grains and oilseed crops due to the high sensitivity of their quality and appearance to climate factors.
  • Livestock mortality will decrease with warmer winters but this will be more than offset by greater mortality in hotter summers. Hotter temperatures will also result in reduced productivity of livestock and dairy animals, due to changes in consumption and lower pregnancy rates.
  • Weeds that can thwart agriculture production grow more rapidly under elevated atmospheric CO2, extend their range northward, and are less sensitive to herbicide applications.
  • The trends toward reduced mountain snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt runoff in the Western U.S., and toward increasing drought in the West and Southwest, imply changes in the availability of water and a need to monitor the performance of reservoir systems with implications for water management and irrigated agriculture in that region.
  • Climate change is inducing shifts in plant species in rangelands, favoring the establishment of perennial herbaceous species that reduce soil water availability early in the growing season. Shorter winters, however, decrease the need for seasonal forage reserves.
  • Forests in the interior West, the Southwest, and Alaska are already being affected by climate change as demonstrated by increases in the size and frequency of forest fires, insect outbreaks, and tree mortality over large areas.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also announced an agreement with U.S. dairy farmers to cooperatively expand the development of renewable energy on the farm and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  According to a USDA press release, USDA is teaming up with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to reach a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020.   Through a significant increase in anaerobic digesters, along with additional research and development in new technologies, USDA is demonstrating their commitment to work alongside producers to mitigate climate change.  (Contact: David Hickey)