It’s not the weather forecast farmers want to hear. But global warming is likely to intensify spring floods and extreme summer heat in the Great Lakes region.

An increase in storms and floods during the planting season could hurt yields, while a longer, warmer growing season may lead to more pests, diseases and crop losses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

A recently revised report from a team of leading scientists from Midwest universities and experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that the negative impact of the climate change is likely to be greater than they expected back in 2003, when the report was first published.

“New findings include the fact that extreme heat events are occurring more frequently as are heavy precipitation events,” says Donald Wuebbles, University of Illinois, Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He co-authored the report with George Kling, University of Michigan, Department of Ecology and Biology.

“The combination of high heat and flooding is especially lethal to corn and soybeans with soybeans being the most vulnerable to climate variability,” says Michelle Wander, University of Illinois. “We also found that the greatest damage to crops occurs in mid-summer when peak accumulated ozone concentration levels coincide with peak crop productivity.”

Perennial crops, such as fruit trees and vineyards are especially vulnerable to storms and floods because adjustments cannot be made to the crops easily, putting long-term investments at risk.

You can read the report by clicking on the following link: Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

View a specific publication detailing the affects of climate change on agriculture here