Guest “Gizmodo must be Latin for ‘stupid as a shoe'” by David Middleton
EARTH
EXTREME WEATHER
The US wheat crop is in trouble
Spring wheat could produce some of the lowest wheat yields in decades due to widespread drought and heat.
Molly taffeta
Yesterday 12:10 p.m.
Wheat farmers across the country are facing lower yields as 98% of the country’s wheat harvest comes from drought areas.
In the Northern Plains, the Department of Agriculture announced Monday that farmers are expected to harvest their smallest crop of spring wheat in 33 years – planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.
[…]
In the Pacific Northwest, the ground temperature rose to 63 degrees Celsius during the heat wave exacerbated by climate change earlier this month, with the worst in the wheat-growing parts of Washington and Oregon.
[…]
This summer’s wheat problems are a look at how crop yields are starting to spit more regularly, despite the fact that agriculture is making technological advances. Ortiz-Bobea co-authored a study published earlier this year in Nature Climate Change that found that climate change has already made global agricultural productivity 21% lower than it could have been – the equivalent of a seven-year increase in productivity .
[…]
“It will be more common,” he says. “Climate change is already slowing productivity worldwide. It’s already happening but we don’t see it because this is a bad year compared to the previous one. We compare today with yesterday because we don’t think about what could have been.
Molly taffeta
Writing on Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Big Oil / Big Gas / Big Everything for Earther. Formerly the Center for Public Integrity & Nexus Media News. I am very tall and have a very small dog.
Gizmodo
US wheat production has actually been in decline since 1981 … Mainly due to the fact that world wheat production has skyrocketed, which has reduced demand for US exports.
Wheat data in plots including 2021 are mid-year figures.
U.S. wheat production peaked in 1981 (Peak Wheat)
Figure 1. US Wheat: Harvested Area, Yield and Production (USDA).
US wheat exports peaked in 1981 (peak exports)
Figure 2. US Wheat: Production, Exports, and Year-End Stocks (USDA).
World wheat production has almost doubled since 1981
Figure 3. Wheat production worldwide and in the United States (USDA).
Wheat seems to like warmer weather
Figure 4. Global wheat production likes global warming (USDA and Wood For Trees). Yes … I managed to misspell “weather” in the chart title … I’ll correct it tomorrow morning when I’m back in the office.
Wheat seems to like plant foods
Figure 5. Wheat + Plant Food = More Wheat (USDA & Wood for Trees)
If not climate change …
This summer’s wheat problems are a look at how crop yields are starting to spit more regularly, despite the fact that agriculture is making technological advances. Ortiz-Bobea co-authored a study published earlier this year in Nature Climate Change that found that climate change has already made global agricultural productivity 21% lower than it could have been – the equivalent of a seven-year increase in productivity .
Gizmodo Figure 6. “Climate change has already made global agricultural productivity 21% lower than it could have been …” Really? (Our world in data)
Mr. Data likes to laugh at Gizmodo and Earther articles
David Middleton
Writing about Climate Change, Reliable Energy, Gizmodo Articles, and Geology for Watts Up With That? Currently part of the climate destruction industry. I’m pretty small and we have 10 very small dogs … although the corgis think they are legless German Shepherds.
5
12th
voices
Item rating
Like this:
Loading…
Comments are closed.