Farmers say weather is their second biggest challenge, after labor costs and availability, according to a new report from AEM.
Among farmers, 57% are concerned about how climate change is impacting agriculture, with many noting they’ve been challenged by drought, high temperatures, increased winds, hail, flooding, wildfires and more.
Weather impacts are getting costlier, too. Smaller farms reporting losses of over $1,000 due to weather increased last year, with more than 60% losing anywhere between $1,000 to more than $10,000. Among large farms, 83% had weather costs that exceeded $10,000.
Many farms might be lacking crop insurance to help with those costs. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, while 74% of larger farms (500 or more acres) are insured, only 32% of mid-size farms (180 to 499 acres) and 23% of small farms (50 to 179 acres) are insured. Among farms of less than 50 acres, just 9% have insurance.
The slideshow above highlights four of farmers’ biggest weather-related concerns or costs, according to the AEM report.
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