Oklahoma Climatological Survey Finds "Overwhelming Evidence" That Warming Will Hurt Crops

[hatrack]

An Oklahoma Climatological Survey study that found “overwhelming evidence” of a warming climate could prompt a change in state agricultural practices, experts say. State climate experts released an official statement Monday, stating “the vast majority of scientists that study climate change believe that warming will continue for the foreseeable future.”

Longer growing seasons accompanied by shorter winters, experts say, could elevate the risks of crop infestations due to insects and disease. The chance of crop-damaging late freezes also could increase with a shift toward a warmer climate.

Al Sutherland, Mesonet Agricultural Program Coordinator for Oklahoma State University, said there have been no serious discussions among agricultural experts regarding climate change.

“Insects and diseases will certainly be something that will have to be monitored closely,” Sutherland said, citing soybean rust, a plant disease brought into the United States on the winds of Hurricane Katrina, as an example. “Soybean rust has established itself in green plant material in Florida and Louisiana. As things warm up and the freeze line moves north, we have to monitor its (the disease’s) migration.” Sutherland said the northward migration of insects like fire ants and killer bees also can be attributed to a warming climate. The changes agricultural producers can expect to see “will be progressive, not overnight.”

EDIT

http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_304003542.html

[enid602]

1. Uh-oh

That one must have gotten past Inhofe.