What is the climate change impact on local agriculture?

What is the climate change impact on local agriculture?

Scientists scientists tell us humans are putting high amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

They say it'ss causing the earth to warm....and our overall climate to change.

Agriculture could be greatly affected by climate change.

Tonight, storm team 10 continues to look at climate change and the wabash valley.

As brady harp talks with a local farmer.

Dwight ludwig has been farming in the wabash valley for several years.

He says climate change has gone largely unnoticed in the local agriculture industry.

Dwight ludwig: "i can't really say over my career so far i've noticed a change."

Local farmers have to be experts on wabash valley weather.

Their careers depend on it.

Now weather and climate are two different things - but - he says if climate change is impacting our area - it's getting lost in the normal ever-changing indiana weather patterns.

Ludwig: "seem like you have a winter like this where temperatures are a little more mild and a little warmer and think 'maybe it is warming up somewhat' but then next winter you could end up with 3 or 4 feet of snow."

Experts say climate change has the potential to change growing seasons for many locations on earth.

What about here in illinois and indiana?

Ludwig: "you know as far as changing crops goes i don't see that.

It would be a long time before that ever happened but you know we could move to a longer growing season."

Experts also say climate change will increase the severity of flooding and drought.

Ludwig: you know if there is more flooding that will really impact our operation.

If water levels come up it will definitely cause a problem and drought is always a problem."

The general public is becoming increasingly aware of the potential threat of climate change.

Dwight says farmers have been taking steps to protect and reduce their impact on the earth before everyone else.

Ludwig: "farmers you know.

We were "green" before green was "green."

All our equipment has new emissions stuff on it and has cleaner air coming out of it."

Ludwig gave me a close-up look of one of his tractors and described the changes made to reduce carbon emissions.

I asked him how he thinks tractors will continue to change in the future due to perceived threat of climate change.

Ludwig: "fuel economy is just going to have to keep increasing.

Emissions are going to be cleaned up even more.

I don't know how they can do it even more but of course there's the big push towards electric stuff."

Ludwig says farmers have made changes beyond their vehicles to reduce their impact on the earth.

Ludwig: "we are limiting the use of fertilizers and chemicals and we've been doing that a long time."

Farmers say public awareness over the potential impact of climate change has created a demand for "green" products from farmers.

He says even locally customers want to know ag products have had little impact on the environment.

Ludwig says local farmers do everything they can to protect the air and water of the wabash valley.

Ludwig: "every chance we get push that out.

We are trying to do things right and safely and our children drink the same water as their children."

Ultimately- ludwig says local farmers are not concerned with the long term impacts of climate change.

He says the affect of potentially changing climate will be minimal to our region for now.

Ludwig says change is a constant in his career and area farmers are ready..

Ludwig: "the agriculture industry is pretty resilient.

We will keep changing with the changing times so if climate change does start to effect us we will change to meet whatever it is we need to."

To."

It is we need meet whatever it is we need to."

Another wabash vally industry that may not be as resiliant is the coal industry.... tomorrow night, we'll look at coal and energy in