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More extreme weather more often

A climate scientist says farmers need to prepare for more extreme weather events.

Aaron Wilson with Ohio State University Extension tells Brownfield more intensive agricultural production has played a role in more extreme weather events over the last century.  “We’ve got more crops on the land, more irrigation that’s leading to more evaporation.  You get more moisture in the atmosphere and that does two things: it caps those maximum daytime highs, so you get cooler overall maximum highs, but then you have more moisture for precipitation.”

He says the number of extreme precipitation events has significantly increased in the region which can have a dramatic impact on farmers.  “That leads to these heavy intense downpours and then of course the agricultural related impact from that: soil erosion, nutrient runoff and the associated harm algal blooms perhaps.”

Wilson says practices like incorporating fertilizer and using no-till can help build soil health and keep nutrients in the field.

AUDIO: Interview with Aaron Wilson during the Ohio Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference in Ada.