Climate change brings longer growing season, but risks

By Dave Dawson REPORTER

Thirty years ago, west-central Illinois farmers would be ready to get into the fields at the end of April. Because of the effects of climate change, many are ready to plant during the first week of April.

The condensed version of the story is the growing season has extended as winter and spring havebecomewarmerandwetter. But it’s not as simple as going intothefieldsandplantingearlyas there are risks associated with getting into planting mode too soon.

Some Morgan County farmers were prepared to head into the fieldsinearlyApril.Universityof Illinois Extension State Master Naturalist Duane Friend of Jacksonville said they would be fine as long as heavy rains didn’t muddy their plans.

“The soil is ready for planting now. Climate change has extendedthegrowingseasonandplanting is taking place earlier,” Friend said April 3. Severe stormspredictedthefirstweekof April failed to produce an overabundance of rain.

“We have seen a move to get crops planted earlier,” Friend said. “But more rain means you needtoworkquickerbecausethe planting window can be shorter because it takes more time to dry outfields.That’sareasonyouare seeingmorefieldtilegoingin.It’s to help dry fields quicker.”

Even if precipitation works in farmers’favor,thereisalwaysthe threat of frost, one of which occurred overnight on April 6. While average minimum low temperatures are higher, the threat of frost still exists. Temperaturesat28degreesorlessfor a few hours can be lethal to corn plants.

“Illinois’ climate has changed over the last100 years, and it has hadadirectandvariedimpacton agriculture,” said Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford.

“Warming has been concentrated in meteorological winter and spring, causing the average low temperatures to be warmer, but not necessarily the average high temperatures,” Ford said.

A 2021 assessment by the Nature Conservancy found average daily temperatures have increased by one to two degrees over the past120 years. Precipitation has increased by five inches, with the number of days with at least two inches of rain increasing by 40% over the past 120 years.

The biggest challenge presented by climate change, according to Ford, is the decision calendar farmers use. He said the impacts are acute and chronic, but the bigger issues are acute.

“Think about individual health issues. If I broke my leg, it is acute, and if I have lupus, it is chronic. Acute problems are precipitation and frost. Wetter springs compress the ability to work in the fields in the spring,” Ford said.

“While we are having a larger freeze-free window, there is less time to plant because it’s been historically wetter. This spring, southern Illinois has seen a lengthy delay because of the amount of rain they’ve received, andfieldsareflooded,”Fordsaid.

“Statisticsshowearlierplanted crops do well. Producers have to go by what maps say are the latest average frost dates,” Friend said.

“OneofthethingsImentionis there are a lot of climate and weather tools people can use to see what may be coming, such as the potential for late freezes, or rain,” Friend said.

“There are good forecasts that tell what is coming for the next monthortwo,basedonwhathas happened over the last 20 to 30 years. It helps farmers make decisionsonwhentoplant,whatto plant and what kind of cover crops are called for. People just needtofindthetools.Wewantto help direct people to find the right tools,” Friend said.

Chronic issues such as elevated temperatures can affect matters such as integrated pest and weed management.

“It’s about what has an effect on the plants. With a warmer winter and spring, some insect pests are spreading north. Some pests that we might not expect until later in the season are showing up early and the treatment needs to be started earlier,” Ford said.

“As we continue with warmer weather, it means the timing of applying pesticides shifts. Same thing with weed management. It provides a challenge of adjusting the way in which we approach problems, but the methods stay pretty much the same,” Ford said.

The climate shift has not affected yields or changed the nature of farming in the area, Friend said, which continues to be heavily weighted to corn and soybeans.

While the changes have been subtle, both men say it is something farmers need to pay attention to and adjust accordingly.

“It’snotassimpleassayingit’s getting wetter or it’s getting hotter, and things will change. The simplistic narratives don’t do the problems justice,” Ford said.

“We’re not trying to breed indifference or cause overreaction. But it is important to talk about thesethingstogettheproducers’ perspective on how the circumstancesarechangingbecauseitis a complicated problem,” Ford said.