CLIMATE CHANGE FARMING

CLIMATE CHANGE IS MAKING FARMING IN MAINE A WILD RIDE

BY CRYSTAL SANDS

Climate change in Maine can be seen in the temperatures and the longer duration of recent autumns. But while longer growing seasons and the ability to grow new plants that require a warmer climate may sound like good things for Maine farmers, climate change is having a profound impact on Maine’s agricultural system, creating instability and struggles that require farmers to adjust quickly and invest in resilient farming methods.

In order for Maine farmers to adjust and invest, they need strong public support.

Changes are happening more rapidly in northern climates like Maine’s. According to the 2020 Maine’s Climate Future report, “The Northeast is warming faster than any other region in the U.S.” In fact, temperatures in the northeast are expected to rise 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit when the rest of the world reaches a 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit rise. According to this same report, the growing season has increased in Maine by more than two weeks since 1950.

It may seem like it would be helpful to Maine farmers to have a longer growing season, but the reality is much more complicated.

Maine has seen an increase in temperature of about 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, as well as an increase of about six inches in average annual precipitation over the same 100 years, according to Ellen Mallory, a Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and an Extension Specialist at the University of Maine in Orono.

“So people think ‘more warmth and more water, that’s a great thing for growers,’ but the challenges are in the details,” Mallory said.

For example, in the autumn of 2021, temperatures were unusually warm and the fall frost came very late. Mallory said that this can present problems. She spoke to one farmer who was struggling because his fall broccoli crop was getting too warm and readying for harvest all at the same time.

Normally, he has been able to stagger his broccoli to sell to customers over an extended period of time.

“Suddenly, he found himself having to try to sell a lot of broccoli all at once,” Mallory said.

Mallory emphasized that a lot of the temperature increases in Maine are coming both in winter months and summer months, especially in terms of the low temperatures at night.

“The nighttime low is increasing more than the daytime high,” she said.

This affects the heat stress on plants.

Potatoes, a staple crop here in Maine, “really like cool nighttime temperatures,” Mallory explained, so “the heat stress can really impact the crop.”

Potatoes spill out of a warehouse in Limestone. Many farmers who used to rely on natural cold storage of potatoes during the fall are now investing in refrigeration to combat cllimate change.

These warmer nighttime temperatures can also stress animals — and humans, Mallory added.

Noami Brautigam of Dickey Hill Farm in Monroe has experienced the stresses associated with climate change firsthand.

“We grow snap peas in our high tunnels. This past spring, when it was so hot in early June, some of the tops of the plants cooked,” Brautigam said.

High tunnels, which are used to extend the growing season to year round, are part of Dickey Hill Farm’s growing strategy. The MOFGA certified organic farm established in 2015 has more than an acre of vegetables in production — including those in the four high tunnels.

But when the tunnels get hot too soon, it can cause a variety of problems.

“We lose production and yield, which has financial impact, but there is also an employee health impact. There can be health questions about getting staff into the tunnels to harvest in that kind of heat,” she explained.

Brautigam and her partner, James Gagne, utilize low-till production methods with a focus on promoting soil health through cover cropping and regular composting. Dickey Hill Farm also produces grass fed beef, rotationally grazing a small herd on 15 acres of pasture.

In terms of rainfall, the increased total is also problematic for farmers.

“While we’re getting more rainfall, we’re also getting more frequent and intense rainfall,” Mallory said. “The northeast has had an increase of 74 percent from mid-century to present day in extreme rainfall events (events in which there are more than two inches of rain that falls at once).”

From an agricultural perspective, this is not good news. It’s hard for the soil to absorb all of that rain at once, so while there may be more rain falling in total, it’s not benefitting the soil. Worse, it can cause harm to the growing environment when the rain runs off, taking the soil and its nutrients with it.

At Dickey Hill Farm, unusual midwinter rains caused flooring in the high tunnels because the ground was still frozen, Brautigam said.

“The bigger picture is that the lack of ability to plan for any scenario feels quite challenging. You just never really know,” said Brautigam.

Farmers can’t just shift their planting days to a different growing season, as this kind of climate instability makes it difficult to make adjustments.

Despite the increase in total rainfall each year, periods of drought are still a possibility on a local or regional level. For example, in 2016, southern Maine experienced a substantial drought that was classified as moderate on the state-wide index. In 2020, a drought occurred in parts of Maine that resulted in farmers’ wells going dry throughout the middle of the state.

At Dickey Hill Farm, water is always on Brautigam’s and Gagne’s minds.

“Access to water is one of our biggest issues, dealing with drought years. We

Several young heifers at a Maine dairy farm.

just drilled a second well, which is a big investment for our farm in terms of building our resiliency,” Brautigam said.

Becoming more resilient is key for Maine farmers who are working to adjust to farming during a climate crisis. To deal with the water issues, for instance, farmers are trying things like tile drainage and ditching that weren’t previously needed, Mallory said.

“People are also looking at ways of planting where there’s more crop residue left on the surface to protect the soil,” Mallory said.

With typical plowing, the soil is vulnerable to erosion during the first few weeks after planting, so farmers are going to low till or no till or leave as much crop residue from the previous year as possible. Diversifying crops is also a way farmers are working to become more resilient during challenging times.

Beyond this, farmers are investing. Mallory pointed to potato farmers who used to rely on natural cold storage of potatoes during the fall who are now investing in refrigeration. And, at Dickey Hill Farm, adding another well will help them handle future droughts better.

Ultimately, farmers need to figure out the best ways to continue to grow the food that feeds local families.

“Farmers are the masters of risk management,” said Mallory. “So many things are outside of farmers’ control, and weather has always been one of those things.”

The public can help farmers not just by shopping from farms, but also by recognizing the instability and challenge farmers are facing. Being aware of the climate crisis can make a difference in farmer morale.

“When we, as farmers, are out working out in the weather every day and experiencing the changes, we notice it more. When I hear the public understanding and talking about climate change, it feels good; you feel not so alone in this,” Brautigam said.