Climate Adaptive Farming

Farming has always been a profession of adaptation, but in recent years, farmers in the FRESHFARM network have seen a changing climate bring about more drastic shifts than ever before. In response to unpredictable rainfall, extreme temperatures, and erratic seasonal patterns, farmers have to adjust their practices to support crop and livestock health in a rapidly changing environment. We checked in with local farm operators to get firsthand accounts of how farmers adapt to climate change.

Catastrophic Crop Loss

Jennifer Glenister, operator of Certified Organic New Morning Farm, has seen these shifts during her 15 growing seasons. “The soil temperature out in the fields was warm enough to plant sweet corn 20 days ahead of schedule in 2024,” she shared. But these warming trends aren’t uniform—seasonal unpredictability has become the norm. “We eliminated some of our plantings that seemed too risky,” Jennifer said, noting that erratic frosts and heat waves make early outdoor plantings untenable. Instead, they have moved toward later plantings, tunnel-grown crops, and sometimes opting not to plant certain crops at all. The traditional weather cycle has been replaced by unpredictable long stretches of drought or relentless rain, making it difficult to manage both irrigation and weed control, especially in an organic operation.

The unpredictability of extreme heat events poses another growing concern. Jennifer recalled how a period of extreme heat last June caused major setbacks. “It was the first time I’ve seen our field tomatoes lose their blossoms due to heat stress,” she said. “This put our harvest behind by three weeks, which represented the lost sales of over 100 flats of cherry tomatoes.” The consequences of a changing climate and resulting extreme weather events go beyond delayed harvests; they threaten farmers’ livelihoods.

Endangered Orchard Yields

For tree fruit farmers, these shifting weather patterns bring another set of challenges. Early warm spells followed by sudden freezes can be devastating, turning what should be a thriving orchard into a season of losses. Fredi Schulteis, part of the Quaker Valley Orchard team, has observed bloom and harvest times creeping earlier over the years, increasing the risk of frost damage. “If we experience a 25°F weather event during full bloom, we can lose close to 90% of the blooms on a tree,” she explained. And without the blooms, trees can not bear fruit. A single unexpected freeze can decimate an entire season’s worth of apples or peaches. To combat this, they have diversified Quaker Valley’s offerings, planting a wider variety of fruit with staggered bloom times, providing a safety net against climate-related losses. “If our early peach varieties are exposed to a frost, we can rely on our later season varieties to fill the demand at market,” Fredi shared.

Unstable Feed Sources

The effects of a changing climate extend beyond plants and trees, reaching into the pastures that sustain livestock. For dairy and livestock farmers, maintaining consistent feed sources and ensuring animal welfare proves an increasingly difficult balancing act. Melanie Dietrich, operator of Keswick Creamery, described the difficulty of managing pastures for her dairy cattle under erratic rainfall. “The last five to six years, we can’t expect the rain to come as it previously has,” she said. Hot, dry summers reduce pasture feed growth, forcing Keswick to buy more hay for their cattle to keep milk production stable. What’s more, unseasonably warm spells followed by extreme heat can also be harmful to young livestock, whose coats cannot withstand such temperature swings.To stabilize her feed source, Melanie has begun purchasing her needed hay from FRESHFARM peer, Pecan Meadow Farms, a nearby operation that produces both hay and pasture-raised meats.

Despite these mounting challenges, small farmers are not standing still. By adjusting and innovating, they find ways to push forward. The hallmark of small farm operations is simple, Melanie reminded us: “Our ability to adapt and remain resilient is built in.”