Climate resilience resources for vegetable growers in Minnesota

Maintaining and improving soil health while using practices that support water quality are key strategies for climate resilience. Healthier soil with more organic matter may be able to better withstand drought and floods while reducing reliance on external inputs. Protecting water, both in terms of quality and quantity, improves the resilience of our food systems and natural ecosystems into the future. 

Cover crops

Cover crops keep living roots in the soil and help to prevent erosion and nutrient runoff while improving water infiltration and retention in the soil.

• Cover crop selection for vegetable growers
• Soil health for small farms videos (Cover crop planting, termination and management)

Reduced tillage

Our guide to reducing tillage intensity in vegetable crops covers strategies for reducing compaction, managing residues and cover crops, preparing fields for planting, and incorporating fertilizers without tillage. 

There are opportunities for vegetable growers to participate in on-farm research related to reduced tillage, and to learn from other farmers using these practices. The Climate Resilient Organic Vegetable Production Community of Practice meets regularly throughout the winter and is a place to stay connected to ongoing research. 

Nutrient management

Nutrient management is a key part of sustaining soil and water. Research on 100 Minnesota vegetable farms in 2023 showed that most vegetable farms are over-fertilized. Many farmers are likely spending more money on inputs than is necessary, and these levels of inputs may pose problems for the health of lakes, rivers and streams.

Developing a nutrient management plan for your farm is important for the long-term health of freshwater ecosystems and our water supply. Nutrient management for specialty crops has resources to support growers in interpreting soil test results and developing a nutrient management plan.

Farmer videos

The following videos highlight farmer resilience practices and were developed in collaboration with the Land Stewardship Project for climate resilience farmer forums.

These videos highlight farmers doing innovative work to sustain soil and water on their farms: 

• No-till at Racing Heart Farm
• Scaling up soil health at Featherstone Farm
• Using livestock with cover crops at Cala Farm

Winters have been warming and are projected to get warmer, increasing the risk of conditions favoring certain pests in Minnesota. While drought intensity is projected to increase during the growing season, the number of heavier rainfall events and the amount of precipitation in the spring and fall are projected to increase, which can contribute to plant disease development.

Finally, an extended frost-free season gives weedy species a leg up on annual crops. So developing pest management plans is a climate resilience strategy.

Scouting for and identifying plant problems

The following videos show growers how to scout for plant problems, and how to distinguish between insect, pathogen or abiotic stressors.

• Scouting for problems on vegetable farms
• Diagnosing plant problems on vegetable farms

When you’ve identified a problem on your farm, you can use the tools below to figure out the culprit.

• Common diseases in Minnesota vegetable crops
• Common diseases and insects in Minnesota fruit crops
• Common insects in Minnesota fruit and vegetable crops
• Send plant samples to the UMN Plant Disease Clinic or reach out to your local Extension educator for support with insect and disease ID.

We post weekly updates throughout the growing season in our Fruit and Vegetable News blog, where we discuss issues we’re seeing around the state. These updates will alert you to any major trends we’re seeing in fruit and vegetable fields with tips for managing common problems. You can also track degree day models for common insect pests on the VegEdge and FruitEdge websites.

Planning ahead

We encourage growers to develop pest and disease management plans before the season begins. This process looks different at different farms, but one option is to make crop calendars that list the major problems you anticipate, and strategies for managing them proactively.

Review the pages linked above in the scouting section to learn more about common insects and diseases we tend to see most years in Minnesota for each major crop that you grow. If there are diseases that you have struggled with in the past, choose vegetable varieties with resistance to the pathogens causing them. Once you’ve become familiar with the major weed species at your farm, you can develop targeted weed management strategies.

• Disease-resistant vegetable varieties (Cornell University)
• Manage weeds on your farm (SARE)
• Planting habitat for beneficial insects (Xerxes Society) is a long-term strategy for preventative pest management on your farm.

Minnesota is projected to have warmer summers with increased drought severity. Planning for hotter summers can include adjusting the timing of the growing season, succession planting, and choosing better-adapted varieties and crop types. 

Water management

Without making major infrastructure investments, growers can improve their water use efficiency through tools like drip irrigation and soil moisture monitoring systems.

Variety selection

Some species and varieties are better adapted to hot weather than others. Resilience may look like choosing a more heat-tolerant variety of a crop you already grow or shifting away from crops that are not working anymore. 

• Broccoli has become increasingly challenging to grow in Minnesota due to warmer nighttime temperatures. While we have identified varieties that are better suited to our changing climate conditions, many growers have moved away from broccoli and instead grow broccolini or sprouting broccoli.
• When choosing varieties, consult with your seed company representative and ask about heat stress tolerance. When looking at seed catalogs, look for terms like “heat tolerant” and “resistant to bolting.”
• Review the Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports periodically to see updated reports from vegetable variety trials in the region. This is where our fruit and vegetable team posts our variety trial results. 

Adjusting the timing of the growing season

Many Minnesota specialty crop farmers have already begun adjusting the timing or location of on-farm activities through season extension practices. These adjustments can reduce risks from events like heat waves and droughts and can improve the balance of labor and cash flow throughout the season. 

Succession planting

Adjusting the timing and location of activities can include succession planting—the practice of planting smaller quantities of each of your crops at regular intervals vs. all at once. For example, by planting a smaller amount of broccoli every week instead of planting all of your broccoli at once, or by using varieties that mature at different times, you are more likely to avoid a catastrophic crop failure if there is a heat wave during head formation. 

When succession planting, do not use the same variety throughout the season. Choose cold-tolerant, fast-maturing varieties for spring and fall, and heat-tolerant varieties for summer.

The table below shows common vegetable crops, the number of days to maturity, how often you should plant for continuous harvest and cold hardiness.

Growing in controlled environments

Using high tunnels or greenhouses can expand production into the spring, fall and winter.

• Selecting and building a high tunnel for your farm
• Minnesota high tunnel production manual
• Growing raspberries in high tunnels
• Deep winter greenhouses

One of the anticipated impacts of climate change in Minnesota is more extreme weather events, including heavier rainfall events. The approaches listed here are shorter-term strategies for dealing with the aftermath of extreme weather. For a more long-term approach, review strategy 5.

Insurance options for specialty crop growers

Most diversified specialty crop growers in Minnesota do not have crop insurance due to the lack of affordable options. Below are some programs that you may find useful in navigating your operation’s financial risk:

Micro Farm

A new whole-farm revenue insurance program from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) shows some promise for diversified growers. Micro Farm policies protect revenue from a mix of enterprises on a farm just like the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program.

Micro Farm, in contrast, requires less information to apply—only total revenue for 3-5 years from a Schedule F is necessary. Furthermore, Micro Farm policies can insure value-added products but are limited to operations with less than $350,000 in annual revenue.

Extension collaborated with the Minnesota Farmers Market Association in 2023 to test this new insurance option with diversified operations in Minnesota. Extension found that insurance costs ranged from 1.6% to 2.2% of sales. While this option is better tailored to diversified farms than other crop insurance options, many of the growers who participated in the 2023 pilot program felt that changes were necessary to make this option affordable and useful to producers.

Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)

The NAP program covers individual crops for natural disasters. Due to the focus on individual crops, it is not tailored for diverse operations like the Micro Farm policy, but some growers still use it, particularly when growing wholesale crops on a larger scale.

The program premiums are $325 per crop and qualifying farmers (beginning, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged) receive a premium reduction.

Since the program is based on yields, there are reporting requirements with your local FSA office. Learn more about the program from the USDA or at your local FSA office. 

USDA support for emergency relief

Apart from insurance, USDA has multiple emergency relief programs to support farmers in financial distress due to natural weather events. Some are targeted such as the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) for orchardists, whereas others are more general such as the Emergency Loan Program, triggered by a declaration of natural disaster by the Secretary of Agriculture. Some emergency programs like the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) are temporary. 

Specialty crop producers can be eligible for USDA programs. Any operator must register with their local FSA office and continue to monitor for opportunities for which they may be eligible. See a listing of current USDA programs.

Planning for flooded fields

Some growers have shifted lower-lying lands out of vegetable production and opted for more disease-tolerant crop varieties.

• Disease-resistant vegetable varieties (Cornell University)
• Food safety for flooded fields
• Your local Extension educator or UMN Plant Disease Clinic can work with you to identify disease problems on your farm.

In addition to the targeted water management approaches discussed under Strategy 4, managing farm landscapes for resilience can include maintaining or restoring natural ecosystems, promoting biological diversity across the landscape, and enhancing landscape connectivity.

Managing trees and natural landscapes on your farm

Perennial vegetation can provide wind protection; it also absorbs water and prevents erosion during heavy rainfall events. Caring for woodlands, wetlands, prairies, and other natural areas on your farm is therefore foundational to climate resilience.

Extension’s agroforestry team has developed resources for incorporating perennials into farm landscapes. Recently, they published regional guides for woodland plants that will be well suited to the future climate of Minnesota. Another University of Minnesota project on forest-assisted migration has resources for growers looking for opportunities to plant and even sell tree seeds and seedlings sourced from further south that will be better adapted to our future climate.

Other landscape modifications such as installing berms and swales, or restoring wetlands can also improve water storage on the landscape.

• Agroforestry
• Climate-ready woodlands
• Forest-assisted migration

Habitat for pollinators

High temperatures and intensified drought threaten many pollinators. Incorporating habitat into your farm for pollinators and other beneficial insects is part of managing your farm as part of a broader landscape. The Xerces Society has many publications to help you support pollinators on your farm. Review the Xerces guides to native plants for pollinators and beneficial insects for the Great Lakes Region and the Northern Plains Regions.

• Planting pollinator-friendly cover crops
• Soil health practices that support invertebrates
• Nesting and overwintering habitat in uncultivated areas of your farm
• Riparian buffers, field edges, hedgerows and ditches

Buffers

Buffers around fields and water bodies keep pollutants out of our lakes, rivers and streams, and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Buffers can also provide benefits to farmers including habitat for pollinators. They can even be planted with edible perennials like berries, nuts and medicinal plants.

The University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative is developing a variety of perennial crops that can be used in riparian buffers or along berms and swales. Some of these crops include Kernza, hybrid hazelnuts and elderberries. Forever Green invites growers to participate in trials and stay current with University research.

Support for conservation practices

Growers can get financial and technical support for incorporating perennials, buffer strips, berms, swales, and other water management tools on their farms through:

• Natural Resources Conservation Service centers
• Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program
• Working with NRCS at Threshing Table Farm — This video highlights a vegetable farm that successfully worked with their local NRCS office to update their irrigation system and install prairie habitat on their farm.

While there are specific approaches to managing conditions like heat, drought, floods and storms, diversifying management overall can be a powerful strategy for climate resilience. This can include diversifying crop or livestock species, varieties, breeds or products, and switching to better-adapted crops or farming systems.

Cottage foods and value-added products 

Some growers diversify their income streams through the sale of cottage foods and other value-added products, such as licensed foods and food products. It can be especially useful to have backup products and income streams during periods of crop failure or delays.

• For food entrepreneurs: information for people who make and sell baked goods, canned goods or other foods, or who process produce from their farms and gardens.
• For food processors: information for people who want to start food processing businesses.

Fruit crops, livestock and woody plants

These resources can help growers who are interested in expanding perennial fruit production or adding livestock:

• Minnesota fruit growing guides
• Animals and livestock
• Beekeeping

Many growers have small woodlots on their farms. Find strategies for selling timber as an additional income stream.

Diversify your business strategy

Assessing your marketing strategy and how much time you’re spending vs. the payoff for different marketing channels may help you build resilience into your business model. Assess your current markets and consider alternatives.

• Marketing mix analysis for farm operators
• Recordkeeping for specialty crops
• Direct marketing farm products

Infrastructure investments can be an important climate resilience strategy, though typically these are the most expensive approaches, and may also be very specific (they may only provide resilience to a specific aspect of your farm).

Water systems

While many growers may benefit from simply switching to drip irrigation or using soil moisture sensing to better manage irrigation, others may need to scale down their production to meet the capacity of their well or scale up their well.

• Irrigation set-ups for specialty crops
• Irrigation strategies for vegetables
• Digging or expanding a well

This video from Spring Wind Farm highlights updates to an irrigation system on a diversified vegetable farm in Minnesota.

Controlled environments

High tunnels and greenhouses are one approach to providing more environmental control in your production system. Additional infrastructure to consider include shade cloth, shade structures or air-conditioned breakrooms, and workrooms with air filtration systems for dealing with poor air quality.

When building new infrastructure like high tunnels and pack sheds, consider the longevity of these investments and their resilience to storms. Our guide to selecting and building a high tunnel for your farm outlines ways to improve the structural integrity of high tunnels beyond what is available with a prefabricated high tunnel kit.

Renewable energy

Many growers have become concerned about how to keep greenhouses heated or coolers cold following storms or periods of increased demand on the electric grid. Some have invested in generators, and others have looked for on-farm renewable energy solutions.

Extension’s Clean Energy Resource Teams provide free technical assistance to farmers who want to take advantage of renewable energy opportunities and find ways to save energy on their farms. Read case studies from farmers who have worked with CERTS to implement clean energy projects on their farms.

While the USDA Adaptation guide does not include a section on people and community, it’s increasingly important to include people and community-scale resilience in adaptation planning. 

Working safely in hot and smoky conditions

Hotter days and wildfires will become more common with climate change. High heat and wildfire smoke can create unsafe working conditions for anyone working outdoors. Developing a heat and air quality safety plan can help keep your team safe while improving employee and volunteer morale.

In addition to knowing the signs of heat stress and having first-aid plans, farmers should develop proactive policies to prevent heat stress or smoke inhalation in the first place. The following resources were developed to help you do this: 

• Farm Safety Check: Heat Illness (UMASH)
• Heat and air quality safety plan

Engaging community members in climate resilience

Many farmers want to more meaningfully link their farms to their local communities. These two videos highlight farmers who are doing this in different ways:

• Incorporating volunteers and work-share members into the farm at Shepherd Moon Farm
• Incubating beginning farmers at Dawn2Dusk

Retaining employees

Having a dedicated team of people who understand your farm, can manage complex tasks and operations, and participate in climate planning relieves stress from farm managers and helps to balance the stress and work of running a farm. Our colleagues in Wisconsin developed a guide in 2023 about strategies for retaining workers on diversified vegetable farms, based on surveys and interviews with farm workers and farm owners in the Midwest. 

• Farming into the future by centering farmworkers (U Wisc.)

Climate change and mental health

Beyond the physical impacts of a changing climate, acknowledgment of the stress, fear, anger and anxiety that result from dealing with an uncertain future is important.

One of the most effective ways to maintain your mental health in a changing climate is to get involved in climate change action. We encourage you to stay connected to the farmers in your community and continue this work.

• Climate Change and Mental Health (USDA)
• Farm and rural stress