Climate change already felt by farmers: Column

Jon Tester | USATODAY

I am a third-generation farmer from north-central Montana. My wife, Sharla, and I farm the same land homesteaded by my grandparents a century ago, continuing a Montana tradition of making a living off the land. We've farmed this land for nearly 40 years.

For the average American, particularly those of us from rural America, the political conversation about climate change seems worlds away. For us, warmer winters and extreme weather events are already presenting new challenges for our way of life.

It's an experience with climate change that too often goes unreported and overlooked. But as a nation we must start paying attention, because the experiences of America's farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen and women will change the debate if policymakers start listening.

Scientists tell us that climate change will bring shorter, warmer and drier winters to Montana. I see it every time I get on my tractor.

When I was younger, frequent bone-chilling winds whipped snow off the Rocky Mountain Front and brought bitterly cold days that reached -30 degrees. Today, we have only a handful of days that even reach 0 degrees. Changes in the weather are forcing Sharla and I to change how we operate our farm. It's now more difficult to know when to plant to take advantage of the rains.

Some might say the end of bitter winters will be a boon for Montana's economy. But with milder winters, we've seen the sawfly come out earlier to destroy our crops before they can be harvested. Montana's deep freezes also used to kill off the pine bark beetle, which today kills millions of acres of trees across the American West.

Those dead trees -- many of which litter our National Forests -- combined with historic drought to make 2012's record-setting wildfires possible. Last year's blazes, which burned Colorado suburbs, National Parks and more than 1 million acres in Montana, will become commonplace as the West continues to heat up. And I fear that epic droughts and floods will continue to be regular stories in the national news.

Montana's economy depends in part on the natural beauty of our state. Our outdoor economy generates nearly $6 billion each year. But decimated forests, wildfires and lost wildlife habitat put our outdoor economy at risk.

Our economy also depends on our state's number one industry: agriculture. Montana's farmers and ranchers feed our state and our nation, but back-to-back years of record flooding and drought are testing even the hardiest of our producers.

Montanans already understand that climate change is affecting our daily lives. The argument isn't whether the world is changing, it's how to respond.

History will judge us based on what we do next. In the Senate, I am pushing to develop more sources of renewable energy. I still fill up my tractor with diesel fuel because there are no better options available, but by encouraging the development of wind, water, next-generation biofuels and other renewables, we will create new jobs as we cut the emissions that warm our planet and increase our energy options. That's why I introduced my Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act to streamline the permitting for renewable energy projects on public lands.

I've also proposed my Forest Jobs and Recreation Act. For decades, conservationists and loggers fought to control Montana's forests while our trees became fodder for fire and infestation. My bill brought Montanans together to set aside some lands for recreation while requiring logging in others. By better taking care of our forests, we will reduce the growing threat of wildfire.

These are important steps, but achieving a comprehensive solution to climate change and energy development and use will require all Americans to work together before it's too late. Last year was the hottest year on record in the United States. We are increasingly victims of strong and frequent natural disasters that leave us struggling to pay for both prevention and recovery efforts.

Folks in rural America are already adapting to the new realities brought by climate change. For farmers like me, it means erratic weather is putting my ability to make a living off the land and produce food at risk.

But for folks devastated by Hurricane Sandy or picking up the pieces from last year's wildfires, the ongoing political debate over climate change is even more frustrating. They know action is needed. They're calling for change. The only question is when we are going to listen.

Jon Tester is the junior Senator from Montana. He and his wife, Sharla, still farm the 1,800 acres his grandparents homesteaded in 1912.

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