Wrong, Associated Press, Farmers Are Thriving Without a Government ‘Climate Shield’
By
Anthony Watts
April 2, 2025
A recent Associated Press (AP) article, titled “Scientists shielding farming from climate change need more public funding, but they’re getting less, has been published by numerous media outlets in the past few days. The AP’s claim is false, being flatly contradicted by actual agricultural performance data. Evidence clearly shows farmers aren’t being overwhelmed by climate change, rather, the vast majority of crops are benefitting from longer growing seasons, higher CO₂ levels, inducing record-setting crop yields.
The AP’s article suggests that climate change is outpacing farmers’ ability to adapt, and that the only solution is more federal funding for speculative research. That assumption is refuted by real world data. As outlined by Climate At A Glance and supported by USDA data, U.S. farmers have repeatedly broken production records in recent years. Corn, soybean, and wheat yields have all shown long-term upward trends—despite the supposed ravages of climate disruption. This isn’t a matter of opinion; it’s directly measurable, as seen in the figure below.
Meanwhile, as indicated by the graph, while record cereal grain production and yields grew, land-use for cereal grains was declining, proving that agricultural innovation has markedly improved yields.
https://climaterealism.com/2025/04/wrong-associated-press-farmers-are-thriving-without-a-government-climate-shield/