b'S T R A T E G Y A featured segment designed to help you in the realm of retail seed sales. Climate Change and the SeedAs the Biden Administration pushes a more climate-friendly agenda, Seed World takes a look at climate strategies around the globe.Alex MartinONCE A BUZZWORD, climate change is not something that is merely talked about, it is some-thing that needs action on. Immediately.In the U.S., with the Biden Administration more than six months into their mandate, sustainability and climate change in agriculture have been hot button topicsassociations like the American Seed Trade Association have even added new pillars into their strategy on the subject of sustainability.Kurtis Baute.Marc Zienkiewicz. Marcel Bruins.Climate change, according to NASA, is a change in the usual weather found in a placeWhats the Big Deal?or region. As an example,Kurtis Baute, a science educa- now sooner rather than later,Well have longer seasons, NASA says climate changetor dedicated to teaching andits going to be hugely benefi- and in North America, were can be something as simple astalking more about climatecial in the long run. looking at drier summers how much rain a region getschange and its effects onBaute says one otherand wetter springs, as well as in a year, or it can be as com- agriculture, says to think ofmisconception about climatelonger periods of drought and plicated as a change in theclimate change like you wouldchange comes in the form ofso on, he says. There will be usual temperature for a monthCOVID-19.a misunderstanding of themore extreme weather condi-or season.We failed to listen to thewarming around the globe. tions, such as hurricanes and While knowing the basicsexperts, who were saying forWhen we talk about 4 Cfloods. Its important to think: of climate change is all goodthe last several decades thatwarming around the planet,Oh, its going to be warmer, and dandy, how does thata pandemic was imminent,thats not a general warming.but also think more broadly affect agriculture, and moreand that we globally werentIts not uniform around theabout it. importantly, the seed prepared, Baute says. Guessplanet, he says. The oceansIn terms of food produc-industry? what happened? COVID-19arent going to warm as muchtion, Baute says one thing In our latest Seed Worldcame, we werent prepared,as it will on land, and on land,people often dont talk about Strategy Webinar, we invitedand we failed to act. its variable. Different placesis when carbon dioxide levels Germination Editor MarcBaute says in the samewill warm differently thanrise, plants can actually grow Zienkiewicz, European Seedway, this is true for climateothers. more rapidly due to soaking Editorial Director Marcelchange.In addition, Baute saysup more carbon dioxide levels. Bruins and Science EducatorThe faster we act, the moreits not just a warming thatWhat that means ulti-Kurtis Baute to teach us aboutprepared we are and the betterpeople need to worry aboutmately is that plants become climate change and how itsthe outcome will be, he says. its overall, a more extremeless nutrient dense, which is impacting the seed industry. If we can reduce our emissionsweather.a big concern, Baute says. 52/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2021'