So, I mentioned a newspaper article about invasive #JapaneseStiltgrass to my hubby, which has appeared in Southern Maine recently, and wondered if we had some in our yard. He looked at some plants using the #FloraApp and they aren't stiltgrass, but #HairyCrabgrass -- which was used as a substitute for #Millet in Europe (especially #Poland) and is apparently quite #DroughtResistant. Very cool! I'll be encouraging that to grow!

https://world-crops.com/hairy-crabgrass/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/digitaria-sanguinalis/

#SolarPunkSunday #Grains #WildGrains #Foraging #Wildcrops #DroughtResistantCrop #ClimateChangeAgriculture #DigitariaSanguinalis

As #NewHampshire summers grow drier, farmers evolve to cope

by Molly Rains, September 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT

Excerpt: "Some more analog farming techniques are also crucial for drought resilience, Mathur said. A foundational element of soil health is related to how much organic material it contains, a measure boosted by additives like #compost, #manure, or #CoverCrops. In addition to adding nutrients to the soil, these materials also cling to water, helping keep soil damp and cool in times of limited rainfall, she said.

"Once organic materials are present in the soil, they can be retained for longer with methods like #NoTill farming or #ReducedTill farming, in which farmers refrain as much as possible from plowing their fields. Chewing up a field before planting a crop adds air to the soil, fueling the decomposition of the important organic matter within, Delisle said. While no-till and reduced-till farming isn’t a good fit for every crop, he added, many New Hampshire farmers have had success using the method with the common local crops of corn and pumpkins.

"Preserving the organic matter in New Hampshire’s soil is important not only in times of drought but also, Delisle said, in times of heavy rain and flooding, when farm equipment can compress fields. This compacts the soil and makes it less hospitable to plants.

" 'Soils with higher organic matter in them have the capacity to spring back once they’re pressed down, and that’s an important factor in the resiliency of that soil,' Delisle said."

Learn more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hampshire-summers-grow-drier-farmers-090040658.html

#SolarPunkSunday
#ClimateChangeAgriculture
#ClimateChange #Composting #ClimateChangeAdaptation #Resiliency

#Minnesota farmer grows #ClimateAdaptive seedlings as co-op member

Brian Ingmire’s mission to help #reforest northern Minnesota became a lot more important after the June 21 storm that leveled millions of trees in the #Bemidji area.

By Dennis Doeden
September 07, 2025 at 9:00 AM

Excerpt: "Brian is a member of the Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative, a network of small farms and nurseries that grow climate-adaptive tree seeds into seedlings, and then sell the seedlings to reforestation agencies and individuals.

" 'Minnesota has a massive need for tree seedlings,' Ingmire said. 'Something like 10 million trees are needed every year at a minimum. And we have a lot of forest disturbance, whether it’s fires or wind events.'

"Ingmire figures he has about 30,000 tree seedlings on his farm, and about two-thirds of them will be available for purchase this fall. Online orders can be placed at climatesmarttrees.com. He's also been selling seedlings at his Bemidji Natural Choice Farmers Market booth, and says having them there gives him an opportunity to talk about the project.

"New North Farm is one of 24 members of the cooperative. Ingmire is growing several varieties, including #RedOak, #BurrOak, #YellowBirch and #SilverMaple. All are collected from about 200 miles south and then started up north.

" 'I can tell you where their parent tree came from,' Ingmire said. “They should be able to handle the changes in temperature extremes. We’ve got different insect pests and #fungal pests that are putting stressors on trees just because of the temperature extremes. These trees should have the genetic ability to deal with that kind of extreme.'

"The need for #reforestation was certainly exacerbated in the Bemidji area after the June storm. It is estimated that Beltrami County lost nine million trees, and many were also downed in parts of Hubbard and Cass counties.

" 'That number exceeds a lot of the nursery capacity that we have,' Ingmire said."

Read more:
https://www.inforum.com/sports/northland-outdoors/minnesota-farmer-grows-climate-adaptive-seedlings-as-co-op-member

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChangeAgriculture
#ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation #MoreTrees

How Oregon foods are adapting to a changing climate

By Alejandro Figueroa (OPB) and Emily Hamilton (OPB)

June 26, 2025

Excerpt: "So while maybe in Eastern Oregon, where it’s likely going to get hotter and you’ll have more prolonged days of hot weather, you’ll be seeing wheat farmers, for instance, working to keep as much water in their soils as they possibly can by using cover crops.

"Those are crops that you don’t necessarily harvest. They just help the soil stay covered, and they also naturally add nutrients back into that soil.

"Or maybe you’ll see the use of more practical things like the use of #ShadeCloth or better #irrigation systems."

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/26/how-oregon-foods-adapting-climate-change/

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChangeAgriculture #ClimateChange #CoverCrops #ClimateChangeAdaptation #OregonPublicRadio #Oregon #FoodSecurity