During the USDA’s recent Ag Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., three state ag leaders shared their perspectives on the future of U.S. agriculture and the challenges that producers are facing.
Tim Boring, Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), discussed some of the roundtable discussions he’s held with farmers around the state and said weather was a consistent concern.
“Extreme weather continues to create a lot of challenges for us in Michigan, whether it’s too much rain, at inopportune times or these short-term flash droughts. Temperature swings are a big thing in a state like Michigan, where we’re dependent on trees budding out of the proper time in the spring so that they don’t get nipped by frost,” he explained. “The continued challenges the producers have of dealing with the effects of climate change.”
He said all the weather challenges have something in common.
“All of this is kind of under this umbrella of resiliency and diversity of how you build out resilient systems. And to me that’s one of the true values of the work on the Climate Smart Commodities Program,” he said. “How do you incentivize soil health practices in the way that’s focused on outcomes to get us where we need to go to mitigate the effects of climate change, ultimately reverse some of these drivers of it?”
He said he’s optimistic as he looks forward to future developments in climate change mitigation efforts that may reward farmers. Another high priority for Michigan producers was water quality.
Boring was joined on stage by Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate and Maine Agriculture Commissioner Amanda Beal.
