Ag Researchers Explain That Climate Change Matters to Soil Science
(DTN) Chuck Rice wants people to understand there is a direct link between climate change and agriculture. And it's a connection too many people don't make that could hurt the fertility of our most undervalued resource -- soil.
Rice, president of the Soil Science Society of America, realizes the view of agricultural scientists has been lost in the conversation about the impact of climate change and population growth. Even when he got the chance earlier this year to talk to so-called policy experts at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Rice said he realized they didn't have any understanding of the value soil science brings to the table.
"They asked, 'What is that?'" said Rice, a professor of soil microbiology at Kansas State University.
More than 4,100 scientists and researchers from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America gathered last month in San Antonio -- at the "tri-meeting." They are increasingly concerned about weather volatility putting stress on the cropping system. Some of those pressures include climate change, competition for land and energy demands.
"We're going to have to double production in the next 30 to 40 years to meet the population needs," Rice said. "So that is a challenge in and of itself. Then you throw in changing climate and more extreme events, and you add declining water resources -- the Ogallala is an example. Then you factor in degradation of the soil."
The consensus view is that cropping and livestock production are going to have to adapt to variability in temperature and precipitation, along with rising levels of carbon dioxide and a 7 billion global population set to reach 10 billion by 2050.
"We're going to have some challenges not only in mitigation, but adapting in agriculture, especially when you put that in light of our growing food-security needs by the middle of the century," Rice said.
Long term, researchers are studying various impacts by factoring in rising temperature levels, higher carbon dioxide, more intense rain events in some regions, and more drought in others. Combine all those factors to create the changes in crop diseases, pests and invasive species that could affect production as well.
In calling for a hearing on the climate change and crop yields, a pair of Democratic congressmen last week wrote: "The latest science indicates that crop yields, agricultural areas, and consumers are now experiencing the adverse effects of climate change and are expected to face more acute challenges as temperatures continue to rise."
Soil science is now fusing with climate-related disciplines that recognize soil as a living, active system. Presentation after presentation at the tri-meeting held consistent conclusions from soil scientists around the world: To deal with climate change, agriculture is going to have to adapt management and land use to climate. Producers and companies will need to mitigate greenhouse gases, mainly by reducing fertilizer use. At the same time, farmers are going to have to produce more while conserving soil and water.
Rice describes the cross of human health and nutrition, natural resources and climate. More specifically, he talks about food quality, quantity and cost coming from the growing potential we get from soil and water, and how climate change and energy availability affect all of those elements.
"We're in a critical time facing this planet, but it's a good time to be a soil scientist. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a disaster to create awareness," Rice said.
"There are huge challenges out there. If we don't capture the time now and take advantage, then we're history," he added.
Less than a week before the tri-meeting, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) also came out with a new report touted as a compilation of the latest science on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture. It's the third report CAST has done on climate change and agriculture in the past 20 years.
"I am going to state, based on this report and many others, climate change is under way, and the vast scientific majority agree is driven by human activities and is uncertain about how rapidly it will develop," said USDA Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Ron Follett, who co-chaired the task force that wrote the CAST report.
Some CAST leaders were on Capitol Hill last week speaking mostly to congressional staffers about the findings. dld.bz/…
The CAST report this fall highlighted that warming extends the growing season and potentially increases production in the process. This is especially true in areas where cold temperatures now limit crops. For some regions, that positive outcome gets negated by the pressures placed on the water supply due to the heat.
"A potentially negative effect of warming will be increased incidence of drought," the CAST report wrote.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program modeled out temperature changes in mid-century based on increased emission levels. If greenhouse-gas emission levels aren't curbed, temperatures nationally will increase about 3 degrees Fahrenheit over most of the continental U.S. by 2050, bumping 8-11 F higher in some parts of the country by the latter part of the century. Under lower emission scenarios, much of the country sees 1.5-2 F temperature increases at mid-century, and 4-6.5 F rises at the end of the century.
Follett describes the need to rethink managing some crops because planting and harvest dates will shift. An intense rain could dramatically shut down not just a farm operation but also an entire region. Follett describes a friend in western Nebraska who was harvesting hay in the spring, got it cut, but rain devastated the cut crop's quality with mold.
"He said normally, if it was for his livestock, he would have burned it, but it sold for $200 a ton," Follett said. "Hey, this is having an impact, and he felt really badly about it. But he's in to make a living, so we have to think about our agricultural producers and what they are up against."
Follett's story highlights two points. One, a good hay crop could be devastated quickly from a poorly timed downpour. Yet, even poor crops could sell if drought forces livestock producers to pay whatever it takes just to get some forage for their cattle.
A key finding for mitigating climate change and adapting is to focus heavily on putting more organic matter into the soil. Crop residue, no-till production, perennial crops and cover crops all sink carbon into the ground while increasing the organic profile of the soil over time.
Further, "a particularly important strategy for decreasing emissions of nitrous oxide is to improve the efficiency of production inputs (especially nitrogen fertilizer)," which lowers use of fossil fuels and nitrous emissions.
These kinds of strategies reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff into the waterways, soil scientists highlight. Soil erosion and nutrient pollution are two of the biggest environmental problems -- and regulatory issues -- facing farmers today.
http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com
Rice, president of the Soil Science Society of America, realizes the view of agricultural scientists has been lost in the conversation about the impact of climate change and population growth. Even when he got the chance earlier this year to talk to so-called policy experts at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Rice said he realized they didn't have any understanding of the value soil science brings to the table.
"They asked, 'What is that?'" said Rice, a professor of soil microbiology at Kansas State University.
More than 4,100 scientists and researchers from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America gathered last month in San Antonio -- at the "tri-meeting." They are increasingly concerned about weather volatility putting stress on the cropping system. Some of those pressures include climate change, competition for land and energy demands.
"We're going to have to double production in the next 30 to 40 years to meet the population needs," Rice said. "So that is a challenge in and of itself. Then you throw in changing climate and more extreme events, and you add declining water resources -- the Ogallala is an example. Then you factor in degradation of the soil."
The consensus view is that cropping and livestock production are going to have to adapt to variability in temperature and precipitation, along with rising levels of carbon dioxide and a 7 billion global population set to reach 10 billion by 2050.
"We're going to have some challenges not only in mitigation, but adapting in agriculture, especially when you put that in light of our growing food-security needs by the middle of the century," Rice said.
Long term, researchers are studying various impacts by factoring in rising temperature levels, higher carbon dioxide, more intense rain events in some regions, and more drought in others. Combine all those factors to create the changes in crop diseases, pests and invasive species that could affect production as well.
In calling for a hearing on the climate change and crop yields, a pair of Democratic congressmen last week wrote: "The latest science indicates that crop yields, agricultural areas, and consumers are now experiencing the adverse effects of climate change and are expected to face more acute challenges as temperatures continue to rise."
Soil science is now fusing with climate-related disciplines that recognize soil as a living, active system. Presentation after presentation at the tri-meeting held consistent conclusions from soil scientists around the world: To deal with climate change, agriculture is going to have to adapt management and land use to climate. Producers and companies will need to mitigate greenhouse gases, mainly by reducing fertilizer use. At the same time, farmers are going to have to produce more while conserving soil and water.
Rice describes the cross of human health and nutrition, natural resources and climate. More specifically, he talks about food quality, quantity and cost coming from the growing potential we get from soil and water, and how climate change and energy availability affect all of those elements.
"We're in a critical time facing this planet, but it's a good time to be a soil scientist. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a disaster to create awareness," Rice said.
"There are huge challenges out there. If we don't capture the time now and take advantage, then we're history," he added.
Less than a week before the tri-meeting, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) also came out with a new report touted as a compilation of the latest science on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture. It's the third report CAST has done on climate change and agriculture in the past 20 years.
"I am going to state, based on this report and many others, climate change is under way, and the vast scientific majority agree is driven by human activities and is uncertain about how rapidly it will develop," said USDA Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Ron Follett, who co-chaired the task force that wrote the CAST report.
Some CAST leaders were on Capitol Hill last week speaking mostly to congressional staffers about the findings. dld.bz/…
The CAST report this fall highlighted that warming extends the growing season and potentially increases production in the process. This is especially true in areas where cold temperatures now limit crops. For some regions, that positive outcome gets negated by the pressures placed on the water supply due to the heat.
"A potentially negative effect of warming will be increased incidence of drought," the CAST report wrote.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program modeled out temperature changes in mid-century based on increased emission levels. If greenhouse-gas emission levels aren't curbed, temperatures nationally will increase about 3 degrees Fahrenheit over most of the continental U.S. by 2050, bumping 8-11 F higher in some parts of the country by the latter part of the century. Under lower emission scenarios, much of the country sees 1.5-2 F temperature increases at mid-century, and 4-6.5 F rises at the end of the century.
Follett describes the need to rethink managing some crops because planting and harvest dates will shift. An intense rain could dramatically shut down not just a farm operation but also an entire region. Follett describes a friend in western Nebraska who was harvesting hay in the spring, got it cut, but rain devastated the cut crop's quality with mold.
"He said normally, if it was for his livestock, he would have burned it, but it sold for $200 a ton," Follett said. "Hey, this is having an impact, and he felt really badly about it. But he's in to make a living, so we have to think about our agricultural producers and what they are up against."
Follett's story highlights two points. One, a good hay crop could be devastated quickly from a poorly timed downpour. Yet, even poor crops could sell if drought forces livestock producers to pay whatever it takes just to get some forage for their cattle.
A key finding for mitigating climate change and adapting is to focus heavily on putting more organic matter into the soil. Crop residue, no-till production, perennial crops and cover crops all sink carbon into the ground while increasing the organic profile of the soil over time.
Further, "a particularly important strategy for decreasing emissions of nitrous oxide is to improve the efficiency of production inputs (especially nitrogen fertilizer)," which lowers use of fossil fuels and nitrous emissions.
These kinds of strategies reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff into the waterways, soil scientists highlight. Soil erosion and nutrient pollution are two of the biggest environmental problems -- and regulatory issues -- facing farmers today.
http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com
Posted by Colvin & Co. at 11/9/2011 5:30 AM 
Categories: Food Security
Tags: agriculture farmland corn farming wheat Weather Harvest food water Drought Flood Livestock irrigation
Categories: Food Security
Tags: agriculture farmland corn farming wheat Weather Harvest food water Drought Flood Livestock irrigation
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