2024-25 Adapt Your Farm to Climate Change Series

Each year, CISA’s Climate Program organizes the Adapt Your Farm to Climate Change workshop and webinar series with a focus on practical measures and resources that can help farms respond to extreme weather events that are becoming the norm these days.

The 2024-2025 series focused on the impacts of increasing temperatures throughout the year on specific parts of our food system, including soils, weeds and pests, farmworker health and safety, heat tolerant crops, urban farms, and others.

Through webinars and on-farm workshops, participants in this year’s events will learn about adaptation practices and how to implement them, hear from technical assistance providers, and converse with farmers on their experiences making changes on their farms.

Contact CISA’s Climate Coordinator, Stephen Taranto, with any questions about the workshop series or the Climate Program.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2023-70027-40447.

See upcoming events below, or visit CISA’s events page here.

Webinar Recordings:

Impacts of Increasing Annual Temperatures for New England Farms

This event took place on May 13th, 2024. Sara Kelemen shared climate and temperature data from New England and discussed examples of how temperature change will impact agricultural operations. Click here to view the event recording.

Planning and Adapting for Heat and Other Climate Impacts at Farmers’ Markets

This webinar provided farmers’ market managers and vendors with examples of practices that will help reduce the impacts of extreme heat and climate change on farmers’ market operations. Staff from CISA and Mass Farmers Markets shared an overview of how climate change can affect infrastructure, produce availability and quality, and how to make sure vendors and customers are comfortable and safe. Click here to view the event recording.

Selecting Heat Tolerant Crops and Seed Varieties

This workshop provided farmers and technical service providers with guidance on the selection of heat tolerant crop varieties and practices adapted to climate trends and increased temperatures. Sue Scheufele from UMass Extension and Emma Golonka of Johnny’s Seeds shared new insights into heat tolerant crop varieties and strategies for incorporating climate considerations into seed selection. Click here to view the event recording.

Soil Management for Climate Resilience

In this webinar, Caro Roszell of American Farmland Trust discussed the impact and associated risks of increasing year-round temperatures and extreme heat on soil moisture, nutrient levels, and other elements of soil quality. The workshop examined the potential threats of heat to the long-term productivity of Massachusetts farms, and highlighted practices that can be employed to maintain, manage and improve soil health to safeguard against rising temperatures. Click here to view the event recording.

Climate Resilience on Urban Farms: Adapting to Extreme Heat

In partnership with UMASS Urban Agriculture staff and featuring a panel of growers, this webinar focused on how growing practices are being adapted, how tools like green infrastructure are being used to increase vegetative cover and conserve water, and how to reduce heat stress on workers and the public that may visit sites. Click here to view the event recording.

Protecting your Farm Team from Heat-Related Illness

This webinar covers strategies for monitoring heat risk, providing effective training, communicating with employees, and responding in an emergency. Sarah Janes Ugoretz of University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension explained newly proposed OSHA guidelines for heat safety and provided practical guidance and examples of best practices. Click here to view the event recording. Additional heat safety resources are available on CISA’s website here.

Past In-Person Events:

*We do not have recordings of the following in-person events. If you have questions about the content covered or would like to access resources from the events, please contact climate@buylocalfood.org

Water & Climate Change Twilight Meeting at Bardwell Farm

This event included presentations from UMass Extension staff and Harrison Bardwell, covering impacts of climate change on ag water quality, irrigation practices, and vegetable pests, including discussion of an on-farm trial for managing Phytophthora blight in peppers hosted by Bardwell Farm. This event was not recorded.

Twilight Meeting: Climate Impacts on Weed Management and Soil Health

This event featured a tour of UMass Extension field trials and a discussion with Extension staff about considerations for soil health, and the impact of climate change on soil quality. The event explored various cover cropping strategies, changes observed in weed pressure due to climate change, and what current trials reveal about the success of cover crop varieties and practices to manage weeds and improve soil quality.

Food Safety & Storage in a Warmer New England at Kitchen Garden Farm

During this event, Lilly Israel and Max Traunstein gave a tour of Kitchen Garden Farm’s postharvest and food production facilities, and discussed how the farm is considering climate change and food safety in its operations. Chris Callahan of UVM Extension discussed precooling resources, sizing CoolBots and coolers, condensation management, and guidance on sorting/culling product for storage. Lisa McKeag of UMass Extension gave an overview of potential climate impacts on food safety.