Climate change topic of session
On June 2, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) will host a farmer-to-farmer exchange event on farm biodiversity and climate change at Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia.
This field day will provide a full day immersion into the subject of climate change, its impacts on the farming system, and strategies to effectively adapt to climate change through increasing biodiversity on the farm.
Field day hosts, Art and Dave King of Harvest Valley Farms, will discuss their farm and demonstrate some of their own sustainable farming practices, including a highly diversified crop production system, use of beneficial insects, crop rotation, cover cropping and rye straw mulch.
Event participants will explore how these practices can help make a farm more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
PASA’s Director of Educational Programs, Franklin Egan says: “Pennsylvania’s future under climate change is full of uncertainties, and it can be overwhelming for farmers to form a strategy to adapt to shifting weather patterns. Fortunately, strategies that many Pennsylvania farmers have already been implementing — soil cover, living roots, crop diversity, and limited tillage — remain sound principles for adapting to a changing climate.”
Guest speakers will also contribute their expertise, including John Taylor, assistant professor of sustainable agroecology at Chatham University; Lee Stivers, Penn State Extension educator in horticulture, and Heather Manzo, Penn State Extension educator in ag entrepreneurship and community economic development.
Topics covered will include larger scale impacts of climate change and farmscale adaptation strategies, the importance of cover crops, crop rotation and crop diversification within the context of climate change, and resources available through various U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies to help make these adaptation strategies financially viable.
PASA’s “Field Day on Farm Biodiversity & Climate Change” will be June 2 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia. The cost is $30 for PASA members and $45 for nonmembers.
Details and registration can be found online at
