Report Says Local Corn Acres Could be Tested by Climate

A report from a national agricultural organization says climate change is already impacting the production of Iowa’s key crops and it offers dire predictions for a more challenging future. John Piotti, president and CEO of American Farmland Trust, says shifts in rainfall patterns that bring extremes like drought and flooding, are combining with warmer weather to make it very difficult, if not impossible, to continue the way we currently farm.

By the year 2040, the report projects only 33% of the acres now devoted to corn are likely to remain highly productive with the current corn varieties.

Iowans like Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug helped to revolutionize the hybridization process, enabling plants to survive extreme weather conditions, insects and other risk factors. Piotti says with the right tools and support, agricultural producers can continue to adapt to climate changes and help reverse the trends.

To ward off the worst impacts of climate change, Piotti says farmers and non-farmers can work to limit global warming and to increase the resiliency and profitability of farmland.

For other key crops, the report says 53% of the winter wheat acres will be much less likely to support the varieties now being grown. Also, conditions on all but 4% of the commercial apple production acreages will be much less likely to support the apple varieties we now grow. See the full report, “Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future,” here: farmland.org.