
@nick_routledge @OrchardNotes @ProjectOrchard @ValenzuelaJohn Here's telling ag intel from a professional seed grower and nearby ASN cohort relating to climate impact on crops and cropping strategies, fast-developing just now, including a vital insight into the place of applied diversity as an immediate, essential, resilience-bulwark.

Image description
Original X alt text
Copy of post to ASN FB group, here: A truly significant report from Chris Hardy a seed grower and ASN collaborator close to Ashland in S. Oregon, just now: "Though some of our staple crops continue to produce loads of blossoms, they are failing and aborting their fruits. Cucumbers, melons, peppers, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, even reliable heat thrivers winter squash have been dropping fruit, some (not all) nearly ceasing fruit-set at our three field locations. "...I have spoken to a number of local growers who shared that high temperatures and pest pressures were causing failures of entire crops on their operation, and that they no longer planned to produce those crops."

Here's an example of community-based 'applied biodiversity' in Cottage Grove, OR, this past weekend, as we enlarged our 'neighborhood rootstock diversity' planting. Rootstocks, if you didn't know, hold up our food systems. With potluck around the fire-pit to follow, of course.
