Earlier this month I presented at the the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) annual conference. This organization offers a wealth of information to cut flower producers. If you grow flowers and you don’t know about this organization, spend some time learning about their fantastic resources.

One of the benefits to attending a national conference is to gain insight on challenges facing growers across a broad geographic area. With growers attending from Canada and across the United States, one of the most interesting discussion topics was extreme weather events and the ongoing struggles to adapt farm production to a changing climate. Farmers in the desert Southwest have radically different field conditions than those here in Western North Carolina, however the great equalizer is the unpredictability of weather patterns and how farms are attempting to minimize those disruptions.

WIDESPREAD CHALLENGES

Growers of every commodity are voicing similar observations and growing challenges - excessive moisture followed by periods of drought, erratic temperature swings, heat domes and extreme heat waves, and increasing disease and insect pressure. These conditions are forcing growers to make critical decisions about crop selection, planting dates, farm infrastructure and altered production systems.

While these decisions add to the complexity of farm planning, many of the solutions are tried and true practices already well-researched and practiced. For example, the use of covered growing spaces can hedge temperature swings in the shoulder seasons - high tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, and floating row covers can all protect susceptible crops. Irrigation can be upgraded to include drip systems that conserve moisture, while overhead sprinklers can be used to deal with either extreme heat as well as freezing conditions (similar to how strawberry growers irrigate to protect vulnerable blossoms).

Planting windbreaks and hedgerows on the farm creates sheltered zones where plants are protected from damaging winds, and excessive drying conditions. As a bonus, these buffered areas provide critical habitat for beneficial insects. In some cases, the plants creating the windbreaks can also provide marketable items - whether it’s elderberries or hazelnuts, or viburnums or mock oranges for woody cut flowers.

In Western North Carolina, excessive moisture is often our biggest challenge. Prepping fields for spring planting is always tricky with wet soils, and our summer storms often deliver large quantities of rain that create erosion channels, and can lead to nutrient loss and soil compaction. Again, covered growing areas can minimize some of these impacts. Raised beds, and reduced tillage can also help improve soil drainage and nutrient conservation. Cover crops are of widespread benefit to holding soil in place, and nurturing soil biology, which aids in nutrient delivery to crop roots. The cycle of living roots and their eventual decomposition builds soil aggregates that hold onto nutrients, and helps bolster the resilience of soil particles to compaction and movement. If there was one practice to improve on your farm to help combat climate impacts, cover crops is the first place to start.

To learn more about farming challenges, and possible solutions that build resilience against climate change and extreme weather, visit:

https://www.sare.org/resources/farming-strategies-for-adapting-to-extreme-weather/
https://www.sare.org/resources/cultivating-climate-resilience-on-farms-and-ranches/
https://www.adaptationfellows.net/planningtool