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2024 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 series focuses 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 2024 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.
Planning and Adapting for Heat and Other Climate Impacts at Farmers’ Markets
September 16th, 2-3:30pm
This webinar will target farmers’ market managers and vendors and will provide examples of practices that will help reduce the impacts of extreme heat and climate change on farmers’ market operations. Join staff from CISA and Mass Farmers Markets as they provide 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 for more details and to register!
Twilight Meeting: Climate Impacts on Weed Management and Soil Health
October 8th, 4-6pm @ Crop & Livestock Research & Education Farm
How are climate change and hotter temperatures affecting our soils? Often, practices like reducing tillage and cover cropping are recommended to improve soil health, reduce risk of topsoil loss and enhance resilience to drought and flood—practices that can also affect weed management. UMass Extension will discuss general impacts of climate change on soil health and highlight current research on updating recommendations for planting timing and overwintering survival of cover crop species in MA. Maria Gannett, UMass Extension Weeds Specialist, will relate these strategies to how they can impact weed management.
Click here for more details and to register!
Food Safety & Storage in a Warmer New England
October 15th, 4-5:30pm, Kitchen Garden Farm
Join UMass Extension, CISA, and UVM Extension for a climate-themed twilight meeting at Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, MA! Lilly Israel and Max Traunstein will give a tour of Kitchen Garden Farm’s postharvest and food production facilities, and discuss how the farm is considering climate change and food safety in its operations. Chris Callahan of UVM Extension will discuss precooling resources, sizing CoolBots and coolers, condensation management, and guidance on sorting/culling product for storage. Lisa McKeag of UMass Extension will give an overview of potential climate impacts on food safety.
Click here for more details and to register!
Soil Management for Climate Resilience
December 3rd, 4-5:30pm, Remote
In this webinar, Caro Roszell of American Farmland Trust will discuss 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 will examine the potential threats of heat to the long-term productivity of Massachusetts farms, and will highlight practices that can be employed to maintain, manage and improve soil health to safeguard against rising temperatures.
Selecting Heat Tolerant Crops and Seed Varieties (TBD)
This workshop will provide farmers and technical service providers with guidance on the selection of heat tolerant crop varieties and crop planting schedules adapted to increased temperatures.
Heat Impacts and Risks to Urban Farms (TBD)
This webinar will target urban and suburban farm managers, farmers, and technical service providers from the urbanized areas of Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee MA. The presentation will provide an overview of how the increasing temperature and extreme heat events uniquely impact urban farms.
Protecting your Farm Team from Heat-Related Illness (TBD)
This workshop will target farm owners/operators and technical assistance audiences to provide guidance on protecting themselves and their employees from extreme heat. The workshop will provide an overview of the health risks posed by heat and discuss compliance with relevant employment laws.
Past Events:
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.
Water & Climate Change Twilight Meeting at Bardwell Farm
This event took place on August 2nd at Bardwell Farm. The 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. Please contact climate@buylocalfood.org for more information about the content covered in the event.