Climate bill doesn’t understand agriculture

To suggest that the President Obama climate change bill would be good for Iowa agriculture is foolish. Most farm magazines and writers talk of the extreme financial cost to farmers. Even Sen. Tom Harkin admits the hardships it will place on Midwest farming, but he indicates he will vote for it anyway.

The argument that the carbon dioxide increase or global warming will increase weed problems but not increase crop yield is a violation of common sense. The similar argument that corn yields will drop 3 to 4 percent due to global warming is interesting. Since the 1950s, corn yields have tripled from about 60 to 180 bushels per acre. In 50 years of greenhouse effect with a yield increase of about 300 percent, why in the world would they suddenly drop?

Jerry Hatfield, director of the USDA National Soil Tith Lab, in his “Changing Climate Changes Ag” article, discussed different views on how the greenhouse effects might affect agriculture. His conclusion was great. “Climate change has always changed agriculture. We adapted to climate changes in the past. We will adapt to it again.”

Hopefully our Senate will use the same common sense.

Larry Conrad

Walker