Climate Matters: Earlier spring affects growing season and brings more bugs and allergies

Spring has sprung quickly as temperatures warmed double digits above average into early March but this swift change of seasons has its consequences. An earlier spring affects the growing season and brings more bugs and allergies as people head outdoors.

The growing season doesn't typically begin in Central Missouri until mid-April, but the climate has changed in recent decades. In Columbia, the growing season has grown by 5 days on average in the last 50 years, almost an additional week in just a half-century. The picture is even greener in St. Louis, where Climate Central reports the growing season stretches over three weeks longer.

This shift of seasons inevitably affects growers in Central Missouri. Susan Nagel, the owner and director of The Mother Farm, primarily grows fruit and says she has seen erratic changes in spring weather patterns, especially with the last frost.

A rogue cold snap in late spring caused Susan to lose her peaches last year. "We actually even had a frost at our farm on May 2nd which is crazy." Susan says, "There were no peaches here in Central Missouri because of a very warm February and a very cold March."

While cold can kill plants in the spring, the heat can be dangerous for the rest of the season. For Susan, heat is the worst impact of climate change. "It's desiccating." she says, "Heat stress on plants is very real, and that seems to be getting worse."

Other farmers have different concerns that take precedence over climate change. Ryan Poston is the County Commissioner for Montgomery County and works as a cattle farmer. He says that regulations and economic uncertainties are more difficult to deal with than climate change.

"The regulations probably hurt more," Poston says, referencing restrictions on fertilizer and other agricultural practices. "Now we're talking about tariffs and everything else and trying to fix all the stuff that's been going on for years to kind of level the playing field." These issues are much more pressing for Poston than what he sees as inevitable changes in Mother Nature.

Ryan also notes how agricultural practices have changed over the years to improve output and reduce environmental impacts. "Cover crops, no tilling, rotational grazing the cattle, we've changed a lot of practices and cleaned up the environment."