Module 3: Climate Adaptive Strategies
7. Strengthen Adaptive Management
Setting up a farm for success and adapting to challenges is critical to climate informed agriculture. Accounting for weather extremes and climate trends, flexibility in management practices and operations choices is necessary for economic success. Exploring financial opportunities, creating an assessment plan for new implemented tactics, and if possible, exploring large-scale infrastructure options will build farm success and adaptive capabilities.
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Explore financial options to protect income and find goals
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Implement a plan with measurable outcomes to assess tactic success
If possible, plan for large-scale infrastructure built for likely climate conditions
Adaptive Management Key Points
Implement Long-Term Responses to Disturbances and Risks
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Reassess severely impacted areas and areas at risk of repeat disturbances for less vulnerable commodities such as perennial forage or native plantings
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Align severely affected management areas to future conditions through shifts in plant and animal commodities
Explore Financial Options
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Explore insurance options to protect farm production such as the Dairy Margin Coverage program
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Apply for grant funding to implement a new project
Assess New Practices to Learn From Outcomes
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When implementing new tactics, plan and monitor for specific outcomes in a reasonable time period
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Use outcome results to maintain, improve, or eliminate tactics on a goal list
Explore Long-Term Infrastructure Options, If Possible
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Incorporate controlled environment agriculture using hoop houses, high tunnels, or greenhouses to extend the growing season, diversify operations, and decrease weather risks
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Increase energy efficiency in existing greenhouses to reduce heat loads and heat stress in summer months and increase insulation in winter months
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Maintain or improve infrastructure such as roofs, runoff structures, culverts, lanes or roads, and waste storage facilities to adapt to more extreme precipitation
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Integrate on-farm renewable energy generation such as manure and biomass conversion and combustion, wind, or solar
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If beginning a new farm, fully explore resources for barn, crop management, and livestock management designs which are well suited to expected changes