I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
A major report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the effect of global climate change was issued today, and much like its predecessors, it portends a gloomy future for residents of the arid Southwest.
Focusing on agriculture, land and water resources, the report is the most extensive yet on expected effects of climate change on ecosystems in the United States, the USDA news release says.
But while some ill effects can be expected from rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns, at least one New Mexico agriculture expert says many farmers and ranchers here may be spared — by irrigation.
“Climate change that affects temperature and precipitation won’t have that great an effect (on New Mexico agriculture) as long as irrigation water is available,” said Brian Hurd, an associate professor of agricultural economics at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
The USDA report, with nearly 40 authors, takes a nationwide look at the effect of climate change. Among the findings:
· Grain and oilseed crops will mature more rapidly, but higher temperatures will increase the risk of crop failures.
· Horticultural products such as tomatoes, onions and chiles will be more sensitive to climate change than grain crops.
· Higher summer temperatures will increase livestock mortality and reduce the productivity of livestock and dairy animals.
· Weeds will proliferate as carbon dioxide levels rise and be less sensitive to herbicides.
As earlier reports have stated, climate change is expected to cause more severe drought, bigger forest fires and the spread of invasive species, and the Southwestern United States may be particularly stressed by water shortages.
How that plays out in New Mexico’s $2 billion agriculture industry remains to be seen, but the state’s system of dams and reservoirs should help mitigate some of the effect of climate change, Hurd said.
Crop farming makes up about half the value of New Mexico’s agriculture, he said, and the highest-value crops — pecans, chiles and the alfalfa and hay used by the state’s enormous dairy farm industry — rely on irrigation rather than rain. As long as the ditches keep running and the wells keep pumping, the farmers should have enough water for their crops, he said.
Ranchers in eastern New Mexico and elsewhere who require summer rains to produce range grass for their animals are more likely to feel the effect of prolonged drought, Hurd said. “Those folks depend a lot on the quality and quantity of vegetation on rangeland,” and their future may hinge on how the summer monsoons are affected by climate change.
Temperature may also play a role in the future of New Mexico agriculture, he said. Pecans, for example, need a cold snap every winter to develop properly; warmer winters could eventually doom pecan farms around Las Cruces, or perhaps drive them north.
On the other hand, those traditional cold snaps are the only thing preventing southern New Mexico from having a citrus industry, Hurd said.
Sandra Ely, the energy and environment coordinator for the New Mexico Environment Department, said she hopes today’s report from the USDA draws attention in the state’s agricultural community. “If we can get ag interested in this, they’re a great ally,” she said.
The report should help landowners and resource managers make better decisions regarding the risks of climate change, said USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber.
