US farmers scramble as heavy rains devastate key crops: 'It's going to be rough'
CBS News shared Dan Yarnick's story; his field of sweet corn was submerged, and 40 of his 250 acres were flooded.
What's happening?
Pittsburgh has received 22.66 inches of rainfall this year compared to its year-to-date average of 20.36 inches, according to RainDrop. May received 5.73 inches, and June received 6.30.
Farmers throughout the region have been struggling with the extra rain. Jim Lindsey told the Herald-Standard that his farm ran behind schedule this year because of all the rain.
Mark Duda told the Herald-Standard that "It's been the complete opposite of last year and it's been incredibly challenging."
These challenges impact not only the farmers' livelihoods but also international food supplies.
Why is extreme weather important?
Human-caused climate change is exacerbating extreme weather conditions around the world.
Scientific consensus agrees that human activity, particularly the pollution of the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, has led to unprecedented changes in the climate. These changes can supercharge extreme weather events and natural disasters.
Farmers worldwide have been struggling with the effects of extreme weather on their crops.
These phenomena have struck Italy's cherry crops, Turkey's seasonal fruits and vegetables, and Brazil's citrus crops. Those are just a few elements of the food supply that are suffering from the impacts of climate change.
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When these crops fail, farmers cannot sell them, putting their income in jeopardy. It also raises the cost of groceries, as there are fewer of these items.
What's being done about climate change?
Many governments around the world signed the 2015 Paris Agreement, which expressed the countries' pledges to limit pollution and try to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.
Governments are also implementing programs to help farmers who lose crops to natural disasters. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture offers the Disaster Set-Aside Program, which allows farmers to move repayment dates on loans to avoid some of the financial burden while they focus on recovering from a failed crop.
According to Earth.org, farmers are adopting all kinds of strategies to adapt to the challenges of climate change, including modeling tools, new water management strategies, and sustainable and climate-resilient crop varieties.
Farming was already a tough profession, and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier.
"It's going to be rough," Yarnick told CBS News. "We need some sunshine. We all need it, and the crops need it."
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