Readers can learn to identify management steps that will improve the resilience of their farm or ranch to changing climate conditions while allowing them to achieve other sustainability goals. Although it can be difficult to determine the exact influence of weather variability on year-to-year productivity and finances, this document helps readers understand the climate risk to their operations by assessing their vulnerability to changing weather patterns and extreme events.
This document includes data on the observed and expected changes in weather by U.S. region. There is information on crop and livestock sensitivities. This document explains how changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, coupled with increased levels of atmospheric CO2, affect plants and animals.
The document also includes the effects of climate change on the incidence, population levels, and competitive ability of weeds, insect pests, and diseases. The document addresses other climate sensitivities for farms such as management, operating, and maintenance costs.
The document discusses cultivating recovery and/or transformation capacity for climate resilience. There is information on how to manage natural, social, physical, and financial resources and why each is important. Readers can also learn how to get started with exploring their risks and assessing their options for making their farms more resilient.
Throughout the article are real-life examples of how farmers are incorporating resilience into their practices.
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