Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 12/9/19

The agriculture industry might be having a change of heart on what has long been a politically fraught topic in farm country, reports Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich . Farmers and ranchers have often bristled at those who blame certain agricultural practices for contributing to environmental problems. But producers increasingly appear interested in being part of the climate change discussion and helping to shape potential policy fixes that could affect their business.

This year's weather challenges could accelerate a shift in sentiment. Heavy rain and flooding caused historic planting delays for farmers across swaths of the Midwest. Farmers were unable to plant a record 20 million acres — more than twice the previous high watermark.

In June, industry and government leaders came together for a secretive two-day meeting in Newburg, Md., to discuss how to pivot U.S. agriculture to help combat climate change. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue attended, along with two former secretaries, lawmakers, the CEOs of major food companies, and influential farm, environmental and anti-hunger groups. The meeting was hosted by U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a group made up of the heavyweights of American ag, and the Aspen Institute.

"I think the movement is growing," said Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser, who served on President Donald Trump's agricultural advisory committee ahead of the 2016 election. "Everybody I talk to, including farmers, they say 'Yeah, we need to talk about this.' ... We're seeing things we're not used to seeing."

Farmers and ranchers across the country have formed working groups to talk about adapting to climate change, and industry groups that have long opposed legislative action on the issue have slowly but surely started dipping their toes into the discussion.

Sector by sector: Opinions on climate change can vary significantly depending on what sort of crop each farmer is raising, said Lois Wright Morton, a recently retired Iowa State University sociologist who spent her career studying why farmers make certain decisions.

For example, corn and soybean farmers tend to be less concerned about climate change than growers of specialty crops like apples and strawberries, in part because corn and soy have been bred to be more resilient to receiving too much or too little moisture, she said.