The impact on New York?
New York state used to be considered too cool to grow soybeans. In 2013, farmers planted a record 320,000 acres of the protein- and oil-rich beans. “The Upstate New York farmers didn’t think they could grow soybeans and now they can,” says David Wolfe, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
The state is the nation’s third-largest grape producer, and the Finger Lakes region is becoming prime wine-grape-growing country. The area’s historic climate was too cold for European wine grape varieties, because winters often got below the 12 degrees that kills vines.
“But since the 1970s, we’ve had a reduction in the frequency of years since we’ve had that cold a winter,” Wolfe says.
Warmer winters are a problem for some farmers. Many fruits require an extended period of cold. Studies show that apple yields in New York state are lower in years when winters are warmer than average.