2017 Survey of Specialty Crop Growers in Ohio

Specialty crops are an important component of the economy in the upper Midwest, with the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture valuing them at $4.7 billion. The states of Michigan and Ohio produce a diversity of annual and perennial specialty crops ranging from fruits, vegetables, greenhouse and nursery crops (see box insert for definition of specialty crops). Growing specialty crops in Michigan and Ohio in the past few years has been full of both promising opportunities and persistent challenges. Growers of specialty crops have benefited from increasing interest in “local food” from consumers and food businesses, and continued emphasis from experts on the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. At the same time, weather events—including highly variable and extreme precipitation and temperatures—and concerns about human and environmental health have spurred demand for food grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals, and exerted pressure on growers to continually evaluate and update their practices.</p

Weather, Values, Capacity and Concern: Toward a Social-Cognitive Model of Specialty Crop Farmers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Risk

As specialty crop production has become increasingly important to U.S. agriculture, public and private stakeholders have called for research and outreach efforts centered on risks posed by climate change. Drawing on a survey of specialty crop farmers, this study explores farmers’ perceptions of climate change risks. Underlying cognitive, experiential, and socio-cultural factors hypothesized to influence farmers’ climate change risk perceptions are tested using structural equation modeling techniques. Results show that specialty crop farmers exhibit an overall moderate concern about climatic risks. The more capable and prepared farmers feel themselves to be, the less concerned they are about climate change. Farmers who have recently experienced more extreme weather events perceive climate change to present greater risks. In addition, farmers’ risk perceptions are also shaped by attitudes toward human exemptionalism and productivism values. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for outreach and future research.This is a manuscript of an article published as Han, Guang, Ethan D. Schoolman, J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr, and Lois Wright Morton. "Weather, Values, Capacity and Concern: Toward a Social-Cognitive Model of Specialty Crop Farmers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Risk." Environment and Behavior (2021). doi:10.1177/00139165211026607. Posted with permission.</p

2017 Survey of Specialty Crop Growers in Michigan and Ohio

Specialty crops are an important component of the economy in the upper Midwest, with the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture valuing them at $4.7 billion. The states of Michigan and Ohio produce a diversity of annual and perennial specialty crops ranging from fruits, vegetables, greenhouse and nursery crops (see box insert for definition of specialty crops). Growing specialty crops in Michigan and Ohio in the past few years has been full of both promising opportunities and persistent challenges. Growers of specialty crops have benefited from increasing interest in “local food” from consumers and food businesses, and the continued emphasis from experts on the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. At the same time, weather events—including highly variable and extreme precipitation, temperatures, and concerns about human and environmental health have also increased social and market demands for food grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals and exerted pressure on growers to continually evaluate and update their practices

2017 Survey of Specialty Crop Growers in Michigan and Ohio

Specialty crops are an important component of the economy in the upper Midwest, with the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture valuing them at $4.7 billion. The states of Michigan and Ohio produce a diversity of annual and perennial specialty crops ranging from fruits, vegetables, greenhouse and nursery crops (see box insert for definition of specialty crops). Growing specialty crops in Michigan and Ohio in the past few years has been full of both promising opportunities and persistent challenges. Growers of specialty crops have benefited from increasing interest in “local food” from consumers and food businesses, and the continued emphasis from experts on the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. At the same time, weather events—including highly variable and extreme precipitation, temperatures, and concerns about human and environmental health have also increased social and market demands for food grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals and exerted pressure on growers to continually evaluate and update their practices.</p

2017 Survey of Specialty Crop Growers in Michigan

Specialty crops are an important component of the economy in the upper Midwest, with the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture valuing them at $4.7 billion. The states of Michigan and Ohio produce a diversity of annual and perennial specialty crops ranging from fruits, vegetables, greenhouse and nursery crops (see box insert for definition of specialty crops). Growing specialty crops in Michigan and Ohio in the past few years has been full of both promising opportunities and persistent challenges. Growers of specialty crops have benefited from increasing interest in “local food” from consumers and food businesses, and continued emphasis from experts on the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. At the same time, weather events—including highly variable and extreme precipitation and temperatures—and concerns about human and environmental health have spurred demand for food grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals, and exerted pressure on growers to continually evaluate and update their practices.</p

2017 Survey of Specialty Crop Growers in Michigan

Specialty crops are an important component of the economy in the upper Midwest, with the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture valuing them at $4.7 billion. The states of Michigan and Ohio produce a diversity of annual and perennial specialty crops ranging from fruits, vegetables, greenhouse and nursery crops (see box insert for definition of specialty crops). Growing specialty crops in Michigan and Ohio in the past few years has been full of both promising opportunities and persistent challenges. Growers of specialty crops have benefited from increasing interest in “local food” from consumers and food businesses, and continued emphasis from experts on the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. At the same time, weather events—including highly variable and extreme precipitation and temperatures—and concerns about human and environmental health have spurred demand for food grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals, and exerted pressure on growers to continually evaluate and update their practices