climate and farming

I found a great website that lays out the recent research about how climate change will affect agriculture in the Northeast.  

www.climateandfarming.org  

Some basic ideas I took from it are: 

1. Plants might grow faster & have a longer time to grow in between frost dates, but weeds will grow much faster.

2. Pests & diseases will increase.

3. More frequent intense storms will increase potential erosion.

4. Hot spells will stress livestock.

5. Varieties & even species grown commonly in the NE might have to change.

6. Irrigation systems might be more necessary.

I need to research & learn creative ways to deal with these challenges...  we will see how the years play themselves out.  I think one of the most important principles I plan to follow with my future farm is to grow a large diversity of crops.  So that if one fails, another may succeed, in this unpredictable weather.