Climate change is bringing a longer and warmer growing season to the Northeast along with heavy rainfall that can delay spring planting, says a study led by Cornell scientists. “Heavy rains not only cause disease problems, but can prevent farmers from having access to the fields to plant in the spring or to harvest in the fall,” said Cornell professor David Wolfe, the senior author of the paper.
The frost-free period has been getting longer, ordinarily a welcome change for farmers who hustle to grow their crops. The warmer climate also creates a more energetic atmosphere and, in turn, more rain. Climatology professor Art DeGaetano says the date of the last frost in the spring has gotten earlier in the Northeast, “but that pushes you against the time when rainfall increases the most.” If farmers plant before soil moisture is at the proper level, they risk soil compaction from their heavy equipment.
So far this decade, summer rainfall in the region has often been well above average. There has also been an increase in the frequency of extreme storms. Heavy rain increases the risk of foliar diseases, such as blight, and fungal problems that stress carrots and other root vegetables.