Growers and Grocers

America’s agriculture is heading north, according to The National Arbor Day Foundation’s map of plant hardiness zones. If you compare this map to the USDA’s 1990 map, you can see that temperature is moving on up along with the “hardiness zones” for various trees.

Environmental change isn’t just about losing the trees for the forest. Expect agricultural centers to shift north while those in the south try to coax our beleagured water supply to give more to irrigation ditches. Local crops will shift as well; the phenomenon is well-documented in the wine world as delicate grapes suffer in areas where they used to thrive.

Thanks to The Flaming Grasshopper blog for the link.