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Missouri Smart Agriculture: Exploring a Path for Agricultural Resiliency in Missouri a Solutions from the Land Facilitated Dialogue

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Missouri Smart Agriculture: Exploring a Path for Agricultural Resiliency in Missouri a Solutions from the Land Facilitated Dialogue PHOTOS: CHARLIE RAHM OF THE MISSOURI USDA NRCS OFFICE. Work Group Missouri SmartAgriculture October 2018 Facilitated Dialogue A SolutionsfromtheLand Missouri Resiliency in for Agricultural Exploring aPath Agriculture: Missouri Smart MISSOuRI SMART AGRICulTuRE: ExPlORInG A PATH fOR AGRICulTuRAl RESIlIEnCy In MISSOuRI* TOC: October 2018 As the nation’s - and Missouri’s - agriculture and forestry sectors prepare Missouri Agriculture and to meet the food and fiber demands of a global population expected to Climate Trends .....................................2 approach or exceed 10 billion people in 2050, crop, livestock and forestry Pathways to Enhanced Resiliency ......3 producers will face numerous challenges. These challenges will include, among others, global market structures, changing consumer preferences and Changing Conditions ............................3 regulatory uncertainty. Many of these challenges will be exacerbated by the Soil Health – A Solution for impacts of shifting markets, extreme weather events and changing climatic Agriculture (and the Climate) ............5 conditions. Earlier this year, a collaboration of producer-leaders from Missouri’s Additional Insights ................................5 agriculture and forestry sectors, along with business, academic, research and Consumer Expectations ......................6 government partners, were invited to come together as the Missouri Smart Agriculture Work Group. The Work Group’s mission was to assess the Soil Solutions .........................................7 challenges that changing climatic conditions and extreme weather events Conclusion .............................................9 will pose to agriculture and forestry production in the state, examine basic adaptation opportunities, and determine the need and proper pathway for References ..............................................9 constructing an adaptation strategy to ensure that Missouri farms, ranches Appendix I: Missouri Smart and forests remain resilient, productive and financially sound. Agriculture Working Group ............10 Over the course of two in-person meetings, multiple phone conversations and numerous electronic mail exchanges, the Work Group’s farmer, rancher Appendix II: Missouri Climate and forester volunteer-leaders gave generously of their time. They provided Trends ..................................................11 valuable advice that helped chart a path for solutions that reduce and/or mitigate the impacts of not only changing climatic conditions but that of evolving market conditions driven by consumer expectations. Solutions from the land is pleased to present Missouri Smart Agriculture: Exploring a Path for Agricultural Resiliency in Missouri, and invites you to review the information contained herein as well as follow the links to the many resources that informed the Work Group’s findings. Please join us in sharing this case study with agriculture and forestry P stakeholders. H O T O : C H Sincerely, A R L I E R A Ernie Shea H M O President F T Solutions from the Land H E M I S S *For the purpose of this report, O SOLUTIONS FROM THE LAND—is a non-profit entity focused on land based U R the general terms “Agriculture” and I solutions to global challenges. SfL identifies and facilitates the implementation U S “Agricultural” include production of integrated policies, practices and projects at a landscape scale that will D A result in land being sustainably managed to produce food, feed, fiber and and raising of commodity crops, N energy while enhancing biodiversity, protecting and improving critical R C specialty crops, livestock, dairy, S environmental resources and delivering high value solutions to combat O forests and forest products. F climate change. F I C E . Solutions from the Land 1 www.sfldialogue.net MISSOuRI SMART AGRICulTuRE: ExPlORInG A PATH fOR AGRICulTuRAl RESIlIEnCy In MISSOuRI MISSOuRI SMART AGRICulTuRE: ExPlORInG A PATH fOR AGRICulTuRAl RESIlIEnCy In MISSOuRI A Solutions from the Land Facilitated Dialogue Missouri Agriculture and Climate Trends producing areas. The rich deep soil, abundant rain and warm temperatures of the Bootheel section in south - Missouri has a great agricultural tradition. According to eastern Missouri have made possible a highly intensive the latest national Agricultural Statistics Service, the kind of farming. The major crops in this region are Show Me State is home to 97,300 farms, covering cotton, corn and soybeans. The area also produces a 28,500,000 of the state’s total 44,613,900 land acreage large share of the cash value of all crops in Missouri each and supporting many of the state’s top agricultural year. 3 Missouri’s varied terrain also allows the state to commodities, including soybeans, corn, cotton, cattle produce many different and unexpected crops including and calves, hay, hogs and turkeys. The total value of pecans, apples and several unique grape varieties that are 1 agricultural products sold is $9.16 billion. The state of used to make flavorful Missouri wines. Missouri boasts more than 14 million acres of forest Over the past several decades however, a noticeable land. Of those 14 million acres, private landowners own shift in climatic conditions and trends has created new 85 percent. Harvesting and processing trees into wood challenges for managing Missouri’s working lands. Mis - products gives thousands of people jobs and contributes souri’s State Climatologist has documented the following: 4 about $3 billion each year to Missouri’s economy. 2 . • Missouri’s more recent warm annual temperature E C I F On average, Missouri farms are trend began in the mid-1980’s and most notably, since F O 1999, where 15 out of the past 20 years have been S about 293 acres and nearly all are C R above normal. Missouri winters and springs have N family owned and operated. A D experienced the greatest warming trend. S U I R Missouri is the ideal state to explore the impact • Summer and autumn minimum (nighttime) temperature U O S trends have been notably warmer over the past few S of climate change because the various combinations I M of climate, terrain and soil in Missouri have facilitated decades. E H T several major types of farming. In the prairies of northern • Over the past 20 years, the median last spring frost F O and west-central Missouri, a combination of grain and M date is occurring about a week earlier and the median H A livestock is most common. In the Ozarks, forest products R first autumn frost date is occurring about a week later, E I are prevalent and farms are usually small and quite varied L compared to long term data. R A in the products they produce. In the southwestern H C • Since the early 1980s, an unprecedented wet period : O region, there are numerous dairy, fruit and vegetable- T has evolved in Missouri with 22 out of 37 years O H P Solutions from the Land 2 www.sfldialogue.net MISSOuRI SMART AGRICulTuRE: ExPlORInG A PATH fOR AGRICulTuRAl RESIlIEnCy In MISSOuRI experiencing above normal precipitation. All four major crops, livestock and forestry production, as well seasons have demonstrated above normal precipita - as agricultural service sectors, were joined by numerous tion. Missouri has witnessed an above normal trend in technical experts and natural resource professionals heavy (>1”) and extreme (>3”) daily rainfall events from academia, extension, federal agencies and the compared to the long-term average. private sector. These stakeholders came together to • Snowfall trends have been declining. learn and discuss the latest information on what science is saying about changing climatic conditions, its impact • Extended dry and wet patterns can change abruptly. on agriculture and forestry in the state, and adaptation Missouri has experienced these changes. solutions and strategies that will help Missouri’s farms, ranches and forests achieve a resilient, productive, and Pathways to Enhanced Resiliency profitable future. The Missouri Smart Agriculture Work As the state’s agriculture and forestry sectors prepare to Group offered a facilitated forum for discussing and meet the food and fiber demands of a global population evaluating adaptation measures including conservation expected to approach or exceed 10 billion people systems, risk management tools, infrastructure modifica - by 2050, Missouri producers will face challenges that tions and research priorities, among others. The individuals include, among others, global competition, changing who comprised the Missouri Smart Agriculture Work market structures and regulatory uncertainty. Many Group are listed in Appendix I. of these challenges will be exacerbated by the impacts of extreme weather and changing climatic conditions. Overall, climate change could make it more difficult to grow crops, raise animals and produce trees in the same ways and places as they have been produced in the past. The impact of technology changes will further challenge Missouri producers as they attempt to adjust to the effects of a changing climate. How prepared is Missouri’s agricultural and forestry sectors to meet the changes and challenges that climate scientists are forecasting for the coming decades? What tools, practices, technologies or programs are needed that would help producers adapt, manage and respond to these risks and improve the resiliency of their operations? These are questions that a group of Missouri agricul - Changing Conditions tural and forestry leaders, along with their academic, P The inaugural meeting of the Missouri Smart Agriculture H business,
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