Reinventing Farming for a Changing Climate
27:28 minutes
Scientists say climate change could increase pests and weeds, lengthen growing seasons, and turn dry soil to dust. Farmers are already on the offensive, adopting no-till cropping methods to conserve water and experimenting with different seeds. And scientists are using a technique called gene silencing to develop new crops—without tinkering with the plants’ DNA.
Segment Guests
David Nielsen
David Nielsen is a research agronomist at the Central Great Plains Research Station at the Agricultural Research Service (a division of the USDA) in Akron, Colorado.
Sally Mackenzie
Sally Mackenzie is a plant science professor at the Center for Plant Science Innovation at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska.
David Wolfe
David Wolfe is climate change leader at the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and a horticulture professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Meet the Producer
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.