ZANESVILLE - Corn likes it cool.
That's the message a group of concerned officials and
representatives with Environment Ohio were delivering at a press
conference Thursday morning at Paul's Farm Market on Ohio 60.
"Global
warming is raising temperatures in Ohio and across the nation," said
Katy Kiefer, a field organizer with Environment Ohio. "Hotter fields
will mean lower yields for corn, and eventually, the rest of
agriculture."
Kiefer said a new report on Ohio's corn shows that global warming could cost corn growers more than $50 million a year.
"That
ranks Ohio eighth for the highest damage estimates," Kiefer said. "We
expect these costs to go up unless Congress and the president take
decisive action to repower America with clean energy and reduce global
warming pollution."
Not only is corn being affected, according to Jim Wentz, a member of the League of Ohio Sportsmen.
"Our
fish, our deer, all our wildlife, our trees are all being affected by
global warming," Wentz said. "Widespread drought is causing problems
for fishing, our birds are changing their migration patterns and I just
found out this week that the whooping crane, which is on the endangered
list, has lost 20 percent of their population."
Marvin Paul, owner of the farm market, said he believes Environment Ohio needs to be heard by legislatures everywhere.
"Storms
are coming later each year and when that happens, the planting gets
done later or the storms wipe out the planting that has already been
done," Paul said. "I'm concerned with what the future holds. Health
problems, pests, diseases are all playing a large part in what is going
on and we all need to be concerned and see what we can do to help."
Paul believes the farming community is part of the solution.
"We,
as farmers and growers, need to help prevent the negative impact global
warming has," Paul said. "We need climate friendly farming practices
and clean energy. We need to stop being so dependent on fossil fuels.
We need to take action."
Kiefer said clean energy sources,
including wind turbines and distributed generation such as on-site
solar panels, can provide farmers like Paul an independent source of
electricity or income while reducing global warming pollution.
Some wind developers are offering $4,000 to $8,000 a year per turbine to farmers that allow them to be installed on their land.
Zanesville
Mayor Butch Zwelling was in attendance and said while he concurs that
wind and solar energy are ways to go, Zanesville is actively doing its
part in global warming and saving energy.
"We are the first city to have lights that reduce the CO2 being shot into the atmosphere and also saves energy.
"We
already have one of these lights on Maple Avenue and we plan on putting
in six more in the city," Zwelling said. "There are hundreds of tons
less of CO2 being put into the atmosphere because of these lights and
we're proud that we're the first city to utilize them."
Paul said an impact on his crops means an impact on the consumer wallet.
"One
thing we've done is build a tunnel house for tomatoes," Paul said.
"It's a covered greenhouse and helps control the growing process. The
insects, which we are seeing insects that we've never seen before,
don't get in and ruin the plants and they don't get diseases because of
the extra cover."
The tunnel house makes for a longer crop and could be used in home gardens, Paul said.
"We're just learning to improvise by trial and error," Paul said. "We are battling everyday to adapt to the climate changes."
This
spring the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with
Representative Zack Space, will consider a bill answering President
Barack Obama's call for comprehensive clean energy and global warming
legislation. The full House is expected to consider the bill this
summer, Kiefer said.
kthompson@nncogannett.com
