New York Times quotes Calderwood in report on crops affected by climate change
Lily Calderwood, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension wild blueberry specialist and assistant professor of horticulture, was interviewed by The New York Times for the article, “From apples to popcorn, climate change is altering the foods America grows.” Higher temperatures and altered growing seasons are making new crops possible in places where they weren’t before, but that same heat is also hurting traditional crops, according to the article. Early rains, unexpected droughts and late freezes leave farmers uncertain over what comes next, NYT reported, citing 11 everyday foods from around the country that are facing changes. The wild blueberry has long been an essential player in Maine agriculture, but unpredictable weather is challenging the 44,000 acres where the commercial low-bush berries grow. The season has stretched out four weeks longer, and summers are becoming warmer, the article states. Temperatures last year reached an unprecedented 95 degrees, according to Calderwood. Frosts are becoming erratic, too. A frost in the spring can kill blossoms that would have become fruit. “We didn’t used to have these unpredictable events,” Calderwood said. “We could rely on gradual and reliable growing seasons. Now it’s all starting to skip around, and these frost events come out of the blue.” Many smaller growers, some tending fields that are 100 years old, don’t irrigate, but that expensive step may be necessary as drought becomes more of a problem, according to the article.