Farmers scramble as unpredictable weather impacts harvest: 'You never really know'

Farmers across Massachusetts are experiencing a year of mixed fortunes due to increasingly unstable weather conditions.

What's happening?

The Athol Daily News reports that peach growers in the Pioneer Valley Region are coming to terms with uncertainty caused by unseasonal weather. 

In February 2023, a vicious cold snap plunged several northern states into Arctic-like conditions, an extreme weather event that had a knock-on effect on that year's harvest. 

Many farms suffered huge losses as a result; peach trees at lower altitudes were all but wiped out in some counties. Fortunately, things are looking a little better for this year's harvest. 

"You never really know until you get it picked and in the barn, but looking at the trees, the peaches look very clean. They look beautiful," Courtney Basil, owner of Apex Orchards said. 

For peach growers in New England, the issue is the inverse of challenges faced by farmers in the south. While Georgia's peaches are suffering from a lack of cold weather, New England peaches are threatened by too much of it. 

Why is extreme weather such a concern for farmers?

Ultimately, the harmful emissions of dirty energy are exacerbating extreme weather events and creating significant uncertainty for farmers, impacting many pantry staples worldwide. 

Several key crops require specific weather conditions to prosper, and even small fluctuations wreak havoc on yields. 

For example, coffee can only grow in the so-called coffee belt, and increasingly prevalent droughts are causing the price of beans to skyrocket. 

Similarly, banana growers face a deeply uncertain future amid rising global temperatures. 

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What's being done to make farming yields less volatile?

In Massachusetts, some peach growers are planting at higher altitudes to act as a safeguard against future cold snaps. 

For farmers in areas blighted by drought conditions, using innovative, less water-intensive methods has shown promise. 

Some sustainable farming methods have been around for centuries; no-tillage farming facilitates healthier soil and boosts crop outputs. 

It's a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach to secure future food supplies. Staying aware of climate issues and taking local action are important. 

Making smarter shopping choices and supporting brands committed to sustainability also helps to tackle these problems.

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