The Farm Journal recently covered the precautions some producers are taking for variable weather, especially extreme weather events, in "Climate change creates new farming risks."

Each ton of soil eroded in the Pacific farm production region has a negative economic impact of $0.53. —David Steury

As many of you and your clients consider crop insurance purchases before the sales closing date, here is some REACCH research, conducted by Professor of Agricultural Economics Kate Painter and her 2013 University of Idaho REACCH summer intern David Steury, on the dilemma of prevented planting acres and soil conservation.

REACCH scientist John Abatzoglou explains why July and August were so hot.

Aside from a few locations in mid-latitudes, July and August are the warmest months of the year. However, the northwestern US experienced extraordinary warmth over the past 6-8 weeks with most locations 2-3 degrees C (3-5 F) above normal adding to the crescendo of the hottest time of the year.

I had an amazing experience this summer! I had the chance to work as an undergraduate intern with  REACCH Extension Specialist, Kristy Borrelli. Coming from the city of Chicago, I was in awe of the rolling hills in the Palouse but did not know much about grower practices, much less precision agriculture. Over the nine-week period, I researched precision agriculture equipment and practices in the inland Pacific Northwest.

Precision Agriculture

The AgTools^TM software uses a suite of programs to evaluate the profitability and feasibility at the individual farm level of different management decisions and cropping systems. Integrating environmental accounting into AgTools^TM aims to take into consideration the economic and environmental impacts of agricultural practices at the farm level. The intention is to encourage practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and discourage practices that degrade the environment.