Natural disasters increasingly impact nation’s food supply

Salisbury, Md. – According to a study published on May 11 by food supply software company, Trace One, sharp changes in climate and extreme weather are increasingly affecting how food is grown.

According to Trace One, Wicomico County farms are expected to lose a total of about $4.6 million per year to natural disasters. The Maryland Farm Bureau says farmers statewide are having difficulty adjusting to such drastic changes in weather. According to MFB Director of Communications Jeb Burchick, an internal survey about frost damage across the state revealed an estimated two thirds of crops from survey responders have been lost.

“So that is a a huge economic loss for our farmers, especially crop producers, which is, you know, fresh fruit, vineyards, orchards, things like that,” he said. Burchick also mentioned how Maryland farmers are also experiencing a drought, which is drastically impacting their growing season.

He also said despite the challenges, Maryland farmers are also leaders in more resilient agricultural practices.

“I give Maryland farmers a lot of credit in this area, we’re national leaders in precision agriculture,” he said. “A lot of the things that we have done to protect the Chesapeake Bay, like instituting no-till or cover crops, has also shown that it creates a more resilient crops, and all of that stuff goes to help the farmers and the environment.”

However, he acknowledged farmers are experiencing hard times and encouraged people to support farmers by buying from them.

“Given that farmers are going through a tough time, it’s super incumbent for the consumers out there to support their local farmers,” Burchick said. “Yes, prices may be a little bit higher than they are in the grocery store, but that means so much to the farming community if people continue to support them during a difficult time like right now.”