Transcript:
In the summer of 2018, record-setting rain drenched northeastern Pennsylvania.
Krug: “We probably had thousands and thousands of dollars’ worth of crops just rot in the field because the water could no longer drain.”
Liz Krug owns Endless Roots Farm, a 10-acre vegetable and egg farm. She says as the climate warms, periods of extreme rain – which can flood fields and wash away soil – are becoming more common.
To adapt, she applies mulch and plants cover crops in the offseason, which helps her soil absorb more water.
And in one heavily sloped area of her farm where erosion is a big problem, she plans to plant blueberry bushes to help stabilize the soil and provide a new source of revenue.
But all of this costs money. And the expense can be too high for small farms that run on narrow profit margins.
Krug was awarded funds from the USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Program to help cover the costs.
But the Trump administration canceled the program, and much of the promised money never came.
She’s still doing what she can to adapt to climate change.
Krug: “But we’re kind of out here on our own, and it’s at our own dollar.”
… which makes it harder for her business to thrive as the climate warms.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media / Thanks to Pasa Sustainable Agriculture for logistical support.
