Global climate change already affecting grain yields

by Rich Heffern

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The Midwestern corn and wheat belt in the United States, Canada and northern Mexico have experienced relatively small temperature trends, in contrast to other grain producing areas in the world. So complacency or skepticism about global warming has set in. A new study suggests that would be a mistake. Global warming is likely already taking a toll on world wheat and corn production, according to a study led by Stanford University researchers.

"It appears as if farmers in North America got a pass on the first round of global warming," said David Lobell, an assistant professor of environmental Earth system science at Stanford University. "That was surprising, given how fast we see weather has been changing in agricultural areas around the world as a whole."

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