Agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world — and it’s heavily dependent on the weather. Everything from sunshine to rain to extreme weather events plays a role in the agriculture industry. And the relationship between weather forecasting and agriculture has implications for everyone, not just farmers.
Essential Weather Elements for Agriculture
All weather can positively or negatively impact crops and livestock. The main elements that affect agriculture are temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind.
Temperature
Different types of crops and livestock have different optimal temperatures for growth and survival. Generally speaking, crops can be divided into cold-season and warm-season crops.
Cold-season crops, such as broccoli, grow best when the temperature is between 60°F and 70°F (15°C-21°C). Warm-season crops, like tomatoes, prefer to grow in temperatures ranging from 70°F to 85°F (21°C-29°C).
When crops are forced to grow in temperatures outside their optimal range, this can affect quality and yield. Heat stress on plants can cause dehydration, causing them to age faster than they should. Extremely cold temperatures and frost can even kill some crops, especially fruits like strawberries, citrus fruits, and squashes.
Temperature also affects the length of the growing season. The term “growing season” refers to the period between the last spring frost and the first fall frost. The growing season changes every year based on climate change, rising temperatures, and normal seasonal fluctuations.
A longer growing season lets those in the agriculture industry grow a larger variety of crops, allowing for multiple harvests and larger crop yields.
Precipitation
Since precipitation is the primary source of water for plants, understanding weather and rainfall predictions is beneficial for farmers.
Each plant needs a specific amount of water to thrive and produce crops, and rainfall helps ensure those needs are met. For example, vegetables and most grains need between 0.2 and 0.25 inches of water daily. Irrigation is necessary for agricultural production due to droughts and periods of low rainfall, which affect most areas throughout the year.
Short droughts can allow time for crops to recover, but long-term droughts can lead to lower crop yields, increased risk of pests and diseases, and poor pasture conditions for dairy cows and other livestock. Poor pasture conditions can lead to poor milk production.
While crops need rainfall to thrive, excessive rainfall and floods can be just as detrimental as droughts. Excessive rain and flooding can cause waterlogged soil, suffocating plant roots or even washing out seeds and crops. Flooding can also cause soil erosion, removing nutrient-rich topsoil.
Sunlight
All plants require food, and they get their food from the sun through photosynthesis. Therefore, having access to sufficient sunlight is necessary for crop production. How much sunlight crops need varies, but excessive cloud cover can negatively impact agriculture.
During the flowering and fruiting growth stages, sunlight is vital, helping crops develop and ripen properly. Too little sunlight can lead to slower plant growth, smaller yields, and lower-quality crops. Farmers in regions with long periods of overcast skies may invest in artificial lighting to supplement sunlight, particularly through greenhouse farming.
Wind
While it may seem less obvious than other factors, wind also plays a role in agricultural production. Mild winds can benefit seed dispersal and pollination for many crops, like corn, but strong winds can damage or even destroy crops by breaking stems, uprooting, or even damaging agricultural structures and equipment. As with excessive rainfall, wind can also cause soil erosion by stripping away topsoil, leading to a loss of soil fertility.
Extreme Weather Events and Their Impact
Outside of traditional weather events, many agricultural lands face extreme weather events, which can have negative impacts on farms, leading to crop failure and food insecurity.
Droughts
Droughts are prolonged periods of insufficient rainfall. When agricultural areas experience a drought, the soil begins to dry out, making it harder or impossible for crops to grow.
But lack of rainfall doesn’t just affect crops — it can also create dangerous conditions for livestock, such as food and water insecurity. Droughts can also increase the risk of wildfires, which can kill crops and damage anything in their path.
Because they’re a natural occurrence, it’s impossible to prevent droughts from happening — but with more reliable weather forecasting, farmers can prepare for them more effectively.
Some mitigation strategies include:
- Drip irrigation
- Mulching to help with soil moisture retention
- Implementing water management practices
- Using drought-resistant crop varieties
- Utilizing storage facilities to increase water availability
Floods
Flash floods occur due to excessive rainfall, causing rivers and other bodies of water to rise and flood surrounding areas. River floods happen due to excess rainfall and snow melt, causing rivers to overflow. Not all floods are catastrophic events, but they can still pose significant risks to agriculture. Flash floods are the most dangerous because they tend to come on suddenly and move quickly.
When floods strike, they can submerge crops, leading to rot. The prolonged lack of oxygen can hinder crop development or wipe out crops completely. Floods can also have a major impact on soil conditions, impacting future growing seasons.
Floods also cause soil erosion, spread diseases and pests to plants, and make the growing season more difficult.
Agricultural mitigation strategies for flooding include things like:
- Innovative drainage systems
- Planting cover crops
- Building levees
Heatwaves
Heat waves are long periods of unusually high temperatures. Excessive heat can cause heat stress to crops and livestock and potentially damage plants.
As temperatures rise and stay higher than normal, it increases the water demand for crops. This puts a strain on irrigation requirements and can lead to water shortages if not managed correctly. Crops will lose their quality, and livestock can suffer from heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses.
Heatwaves tend to hit during the middle of the growing season, so mitigation strategies must be in place to help preserve crop quality and livestock.
Some of these strategies include:
- Planting heat-tolerant crop varieties
- Providing shade and cooling systems for livestock
- Increasing irrigation efficiency
Cold Spells and Frosts
As temperatures drop, sensitive crops can suffer. When frost creeps into the structure of a plant, this can damage the plant’s tissues, reduce yields, and even lead to crop loss.
Some of the most common ways farmers mitigate frost damage include:
- Using wind machines to circulate air
- Covering plants with frost blankets
- Planting frost-resistant crop varieties
- Planting after frost risk has passed
- Harvesting fall crops before frosts strike
Severe Storms (Hail, High Winds, Tornadoes)
Severe storms can cause major damage to farmlands, infrastructure, and food supply. This can include anything from thunderstorms to tornadoes.
Hail can cause physical damage to crops by bruising them and tearing leaves, reducing the quality and sale value of the crop. When high winds or tornadoes strike, they can rip crop roots from the ground, destroy farming structures and equipment, and make conditions dangerous for farm workers.
The good news is that forecasters can predict the most severe weather as well as the conditions known to produce these severe weather events.
Farmer can help reduce the impacts of severe weather by:
- Using protective structures like hail nets and greenhouses
- Adding windbreaks to slow wind speed
- Securing farming equipment and buildings
- Developing an emergency response plan
Long-Term Climate Change and Agriculture
Climate change is affecting agriculture worldwide, and it will continue to cause changes into the future. As temperatures rise and growing zones change, the agricultural industry will have to adapt to ensure crop production remains high.
Let’s look at some climate impacts on agriculture.
Shifting Growing Zones
As warmer temperatures start to appear for longer periods, growing zones are beginning to shift — but climate change means more than just warmer temperatures. It means different precipitation patterns, too. This means farmers will have to adapt their crop selection and farming practices by diversifying crops and using agroecological practices to boost sustainability.
Increased Frequency and Intensity of Extreme Weather
Climate change also increases the strength and frequency of extreme weather. Amidst increased droughts, floods, heatwaves, and storms, farmers need to be prepared.
Some ways to handle extreme weather as climate change intensifies storms include:
- Investing in strong infrastructure
- Practicing sustainable land practices
- Enhancing soil health
Rising Sea Levels and Coastal Agriculture
Another way climate change is impacting agriculture is by raising sea levels. As hot temperatures cause glaciers and ice caps to melt, ocean waters rise, which negatively impacts arable land.
Saltwater can intrude onto land, contaminating the freshwater farmers use for their crops and livestock. When saltwater seeps into farming soil, it can dehydrate crops and make it harder for them to grow.
Some ways farmers are combating the changing climate and rising sea levels are by developing salt-resistant plant varieties, building barriers to prevent saltwater intrusion, and developing desalination techniques that don’t harm plants.
Technological Advancements and Weather Forecasting
Agricultural producers are looking to technological advancements in weather forecasting to help them better produce crops and decrease food shortages. When meteorologists provide more accurate and reliable forecasts, farmers can better plan their mitigation strategies for inclement weather and adapt their agricultural practices to optimize yields.
Precision Agriculture and Weather Data
Forecasters use a variety of sensors and technology to analyze weather data, allowing them to provide better forecasts. Precision agriculture leverages this data from weather stations and sensors to improve and optimize farming practices.
When farmers have real-time weather information, they can adjust their irrigation schedules when necessary, like when dealing with extreme heat. They can also apply fertilizers with more strategy and manage pests that might pose a threat to crops.
Taking advantage of precision agriculture allows farmers to use water conservation practices by basing irrigation on rainfall predictions and temperature estimates. They can also use remote sensing, satellite imagery, and drones to better assess crop and soil conditions.
Weather Forecasting Tools and Models
Everyone in the agricultural industry relies on accurate and timely forecasts. They’re vital for planning irrigation and planting schedules, crop rotations, and more. When farmers have a reliable forecast, they can make better decisions about their crops, soil, and livestock to ensure high yields.
With climate change and global warming increasing the frequency of severe weather events, large- and small-scale farmers alike rely on early warning systems. These help them better prepare for floods, droughts, tornadoes, and more, and reduce potential losses.
Climate Modeling and Scenario Planning
Climate modeling and scenario planning are vital for future growing seasons. With climate change causing rising temperatures, agricultural producers need to be aware of the potential issues crops and livestock face, as soon as possible.
When policymakers and farmers better understand long-term weather trends, they can develop strategies to reduce crop failures, improve pest control, and more. Climate models allow farmers to assess the risks of climate change to achieve greater sustainability and resilience.
Summary
Weather is one of the largest factors influencing agriculture. From crop growth to livestock health and the productivity of the farm, weather has a huge impact. That’s why understanding the relationship between farming, climate change, and weather patterns is so important.
Farmers and agricultural policymakers can use an API, like the one from Visual Crossing, to access agriculture weather data and assess short-term and long-term weather patterns, improving the health and vitality of the agricultural industry and food supply.