Protecting Crops from Adverse Weather
As a grower, protecting your precious harvests from the adverse effects of weather is critical. Unfortunately, due to the highly unpredictable nature of hazardous weather, natural disasters have continually challenged agricultural production throughout the world. From earthquakes to hurricanes to floods and everything in between, crops have suffered tremendously from the damages of natural disasters. Even in relatively “normal” weather, crops are at the mercy of climate changes, water availability, and overall weather conditions. Agriculture is continually looking for a way to protect their harvests against the threat of bad weather.
The most commonly seen effe3cts of natural disasters for agriculture, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are as follows:
- Loss of harvest
- Loss of livestock
- Contamination of water bodies
- Destruction of irrigation systems
- Increased vulnerability to diseases
- Destruction of other agricultural infrastructure
After a bad storm, heavy rain, or any other type of adverse weather occurrence, the agricultural production is inevitably hindered. From forest growth to arable lands to crop health, being able to protect your harvest from these issues is paramount of productivity and profitability for any grower. The most commonly seen weather hazards for crops are as follows:
- Drought
- Black Rot
- Rust
- Frost
- Hail
- Pests
- Disease