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It’s possible the Illinois farmland will be able to start planting two full crops [0]. Their trends have tended towards more rainfall and a longer growing seaso
by wincy 4y ago
It’s possible the Illinois farmland will be able to start planting two full crops [0]. Their trends have tended towards more rainfall and a longer growing season with a later frost. By mid century they might be able to fit two crops into a year, literally doubling the productivity of the land.
[0] https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022_ClimateChangeImpactsOnIllinoisAgriculture.pdf https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022_Cl...
- UncleOxidant 4y ago> literally doubling the productivity of the land. Illinois farmland is already pretty depleted from growing corn for so many decades. This will deplete soils even faster.
- thewildginger 4y agoI did have mass climate decline on my doomsday bingo card, but not dustbowl 2. Probably not my Sunday at the bingo parlor.
- toomuchtodo 4y agoWe’ll use renewables from excess Iowa and Illinois wind power to make nitrogen and ammonia for fertilizer.
- UncleOxidant 4y agoThere are other elements required for growing crops besides nitrogen.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- steponlego 4y agoThis and now Cargill owns ALL of the phosphorus in the Ukraine. It's going to be so dirt cheap...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- wingspar 4y agoMaybe there could be a modern version of the three sisters where the 2nd crop replenished the soil for the next years first crop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)
- UncleOxidant 4y agoYeah, that would be great, but we know that in modern, corporate agriculture it's not gonna happen because in the short term thinking it doesn't pencil out.
- steponlego 4y agoSame with Iowa. Really cool stuff.