Farmers Discussing Operational Modifications Related to Climate Change

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Recently the topic of climate change has made its way into agricultural group discussions, drawing questions on whether or not, producers are concerned about climate’s impact at the farm level and if they are making changes in response to those concerns. While much research has been conducted on consumers’ attitudes towards climate change, little research is available on producers’ perspectives on the issue. As a result, two climate-related questions were added to November’s Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer survey. Early responses will be used to confirm whether producers are concerned and making changes as well as monitor whether their perceptions change over time. In the first question, producers were asked if they worried about climate change. Nearly eight out of ten respondents said they were either “not at all worried” (47 percent) or “not too worried” (31 percent) about climate change. On the other end of the spectrum, just over two out of ten respondents said they are either “fairly worried” (18 percent) or “very worried” (4 percent) about climate change. Respondents were also asked whether they had made any changes to their farming operation in response to climate change. Just over 77 percent of producers said they had made no changes in their farming operation in response to climate change whereas 22 percent of respondents had made changes.