Birkel, Fernandez talk with Civil Eats about climate change’s impact on farmers

Ivan Fernandez, professor with the Climate Change Institute, told Civil Eats —  a news source about the American food system — that 2020 has borne out a pattern of longer, drier summers punctuated by more intense precipitation events. “We’re living with a bit of whiplash this year, with both drought as well as extreme precipitation and they’re not very predictable,” he said. Research assistant professor Sean Birkel said overall the state is getting warmer and wetter. Much of the warming is occurring in the winter, with more rain, less snow, and nearly two weeks of additional frost-free days than in 1930. The combination of drought and intense rains complicates land management for farmers. Our Daily Planet used Fernandez’s quote about drought and extreme participation from the article in Civil Eats about farmers adapting to climate change.