National Programs - Maryland Public Television's video: Maryland Farm Harvest: Climate Change Special

With a focus on climate change, this program looks into how agriculture is impacted. What do changes in weather, water, and atmosphere mean for our food production? First, we take a look at the effects of sea level rise, which is already being experienced by waterfront farm fields on the shore. Farmers are struggling with the dual challenges of increasingly salty groundwater and more frequent flooding. Kate Tully, a professor and researcher, is studying these impacts with the hope of finding alternative crops and solutions for farmers. Recent weather data has shown that heavy downpours are happening more often than they once did, but at the same time farmers continue to face dual challenges of summer heat waves and drought. We visit two farms to explore why crops growing in healthy soil—full of rich, organic matter—fare better in extreme weather events. Lew Ziska, a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture explains how increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere impacts crops—and weeds. Viewers also learn about cherry tomatoes grown in an unlikely location for a farm: on top of a former coal mine. Along the way we learn how Frostburg Grows is helping to heal landscapes and a community dealing with the rise and fall of coal mining.