U.S. launches 'climate hubs' to help farmers face climate change

[bananas]

Source: Reuters

President Barack Obama's administration announced the formation on Wednesday of seven "climate hubs" help farmers and rural communities adapt to extreme weather conditions and other effects of climate change.

The hubs will act as information centers and aim to help farmers and ranchers handle risks, including fires, pests, floods and droughts, that are exacerbated by global warming.

<snip>

The hubs will be located in Ames, Iowa; Durham, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; El Reno, Oklahoma; Corvallis, Oregon; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, the official said.

Additional "sub hubs" will be set up in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico; Davis, California; and Houghton, Michigan.

The hubs are an example of executive actions Obama has promised to take to fight climate change.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-usa-climate-hubs-idUSBREA1408120140205

[JoeyT]

1. It's a nice thought,

but I'm not sure how much help they can actually be, no matter how well meaning it is.

People that don't grow stuff don't realize how easily the tiniest shift in field conditions away from ideal can reduce a harvest, or even annihilate it. And much of the stuff that climate change is going to bring us is going to be stuff there really isn't a lot to be done for. The unpredictability of the weather may make even forward planning of minimal effectiveness.

If we don't start taking major steps toward slowing it down, and even reversing it, all the mitigation in the world isn't going to help.

[JDPriestly]

5. We need to protect our water too.

Above all, we need to make sure that water remains in the public, government control. We will see terrible misery if we allow corporations to take over our water supply.

[freshwest]

2. He's continuing from last year:

President Obama Issues Executive Order On Climate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110219113

[Cha]

9. Ah, reality.. thanks for that, freshwest..

[taught_me_patience]

3. sounds like a big waste of money

if farmers want it, they should pay for it.

[jwirr]

11. You will not be saying that when food prices start going up due to the drought conditions in the SW.

What should be happening this spring is the growing of many of the crops that originally grew in California should be planted in places like Iowa. With cuts in food stamps and other food programs added to a lose of crops due to drought we are going to be hurting.

Having said that I hope this organization is smarter than the one that used to advise farmers and caused many a small farm to crash from bad advice.

[JDPriestly]

4. Good for Obama. He will be appreciated for this some day.

Climate change deniers are just crazy. Sorry to say that, but they are. Climate change is not a matter of opinion. It is a scientific fact. And that it is caused in great part by human activity is proven irrefutably.

[blkmusclmachine]

7. So, Obama's "evolving" on the environment???

[delrem]

8. From what we're/I'm seeing, climate change is causing MASSIVE shifts.

Continent wide shifts in weather -- and worst of all, as someone mentioned upthread, unpredictable shifts. Whereas from the beginning of history agriculture has required fairly precise predictability, to the point where cosmic clocks were first developed for the purpose.

I think we're in for a hell of a ride.

[newfie11]

10. I think your right on

We sold our farm about 4 months ago. It was ditch irrigated but year by year the allotted amount was cut due to lack of snow fall in the Wyoming Rockies.
Last year extra water had to be bought from another irrigation company.
The water we used was from huge reservoirs built by the CCC, complete with a network of ditches.
Our friends have an irrigation well into the ocalala and they also have been cut back on water usage several times.
The lack of moisture some years made it impossible for seeds to spout with ditch irrigation.

Water is going to be a very big problem in farming and not just in California!