Was that it? Is winter over? From the past few weeks we have been having in the New York it feels like it might be drawing to a close. And while many are reveling in the warmth and sun, which I am not complaining about either, I still cannot get the nagging worry out of the back of my mind. And that is what will happen to our small agricultural businesses?
If this year continues the way it has been agriculturalists will likely lose a large portion of their crop, especially in spring produce and stone fruit, for a second year in a row. This happens because, like this year and last, it gets unseasonably warm for a significant stretch of time so plants put out buds thinking it is spring. But then, since it is still winter, we get a killing frost and all the buds die. No buds, no flowers; no flowers, no produce.
So what is the big deal? We can just import produce from California, right? Not exactly, New York is among the top producing states in Agriculture. In a recent report composed by the New York State Comptroller New York ranked first in the nation in the production of cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt, second in wine, apple, maple syrup, and cabbage production, third in grape, corn for silage, and Italian cheese production, and fourth in the production of milk, tart cherries, and pears. New York is an important agricultural state for America.
More over, New York's average farm size is smaller then 200 acres, that is less then half the national average. This fact especially makes the predicament we are in very concerning. Since the majority of New York Farms are small businesses they do not have the financial resources to withstand big hits to their production, that “Big Agriculture” might have. Thus if they are facing a second year in a row or poor production they are really struggling. If this trend continues to much longer our small agricultural businesses will start to go under, thus lowering the national amount of produce on the market.
The second part of that is that our small businesses (who typically support more sustainable farming practices, a lower use of harmful pesticides, rodenticides, herbicides, and so on, and a lower use of GMO seeds) will start to sell out to “Big Agriculture.” Do you like your organic produce form Wegmans? You can thank our small businesses, but not for too much longer is this trend of weather keeps up. But climate change is “a bunch of bunk.” Or is it? I urge you to consider adopting even just a few green practices into your every day routine, for some ideas please go here. Climate change is not this far of thing happening elsewhere. It is happening in our own back yard, it is time to start caring.
