IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN KANSAS: A FOUR-CROP ANALYSIS

Most scenarios of greenhouse-gas climatic change predict a warmer drier Great Plains environment. The goal of this research was to determine the resulting change in soil moisture and to relate this to changes in agricultural productivity. Soil moisture was used in regression-based models to predict yields for the four major grain crops: wheat, corn, soybeans, and grain sorghum. The results indicate that a warmer drier climate would reduce yields for the summer crops throughout the state. The yield for winter wheat also decreased in the western part of the state but actually increased in eastern Kansas. Corn and soybeans could decline in the dry land crop mix in eastern Kansas as wheat becomes a more viable alternative. Thus, the results imply possible geographic shifts in the crop belts in Kansas. Key words: climatic change, agricultural production, soil moisture.]