To understand how Ulster County has been pummeled by rain recently, start with the numbers. In August and September, Ulster County saw 14.67 inches of precipitation fall. This rainfall level was 6.28 inches above the average of 8.39 inches of precipitation that fell in the two summer months from 1901-2000, data from the National Centers for Environmental Information shows. Ulster County and the Hudson Valley region have not only experienced much more precipitation, but more single-day extreme precipitation events have happened.
No one needs to tell farmers we’ve gotten much more rain, at times in heavier one-day hits (and unfortunately for farm markets and events, much of the time on weekends). Dealing with extremes is part of a successful farmer’s makeup.
Yet how can farmers prepare for this reality? Climate change is intensifying the weather globally and causing unprecedented heat, storms, precipitation, and drought.
John Kelder, owner of Kelder’s Farm, a 200-year-old family farm operation in Kerhonkson, recalls that 2022 brought a drought. This season, he and other farmers are dealing with loads of rain. Whereas in 2022, Kelder’s used irrigation a lot more, with a drip irrigation system that delivers water and fertilizer. With much more rain this season, the farm had to use a dry fertilizer, which is more labor-intensive. “Evey year is its own thing,” Kelder says. “We try to keep every tool in our toolkit.”
The need for farmers to be solution-oriented and make their farms and livestock operations more climate-friendly and resilient is crucial to their businesses and lives, the health of the agriculture sector, and to the planet. In November, a two-hour workshop for farmers will focus on how farmers and livestock producers can learn more about the increasing risks of flooding to their own farms and animals, address these risks, and obtain resources and support. The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County will host the workshop on November 2 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the CCEUC office, 232 Plaza Road (Hannaford Plaza), Kingston. The presenters will include floodplain and livestock experts from CCEUC, the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program, and the Ulster County Departments of Emergency Services and the Environment. The workshop is free. Organizers have asked those interested to register by October 31 on the Eventbrite page.
In her frequent visits to Ulster County farms, Kathryn Brignac, CCEUC’s Livestock and Natural Resources Educator, says she is having many conversations with farmers about the increased rainfall; the impacts on their farms such as dealing with more standing water; and what farmers and livestock producers can do. The farmers want specifics on how to prepare, how to moderate flood risk, and whether they can apply for funds and how.
The workshop will center on education, tools, and resources that range from using floodplain maps to creating natural, science-basedstrategies. Participants can learn how to use FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) on which FEMA delineates areas of high- and moderate- to low-risk of flooding and gain an understanding of what these zones mean.The presenters will also go into the real definition of a “100-year flood,” a term that people often misunderstand, as Brignac notes, and why it matters. As a chance that a specific flood might occur once every century, it means there is a 1 in 100 (1%) chance that the flood could happen in any given year. As the National Weather Service explains, if a 100-year flood occurs, it does not mean that people are safe for another 99 years.
Yet a key principle of the workshop is that farmers can do a lot to ease flooding risk. Topics encompass a range of resources, information, and counsel from specialists that CCEUC and others offer on climate-smart farming that helps manage the risks prompted by extreme and erratic weather occurrences. The workshop will impart how farmers can adopt varied environmentally sound strategies, such as improving soil health, establishing riparian buffers, and restoring streams. Participants will learn how Ulster County’s agencies can aid farmers in approaches to enhance soil health, which can significantly reduce flood risk. Soil that has more organic matter holds more water and increases water infiltration, which slows runoff.
Riparian buffers — strips of vegetation (grass, trees, and shrubs) that are planted near streams, lakes, and wetlands — help protect against flooding by absorbing excess water, slowing runoff, and reducing erosion, among many benefits. Such an approach “works with the natural flow of water,” Brignac says.
The workshop will spread the word to farmers about assistance, expertise, and funding that are available for a variety of scenarios, including preparations for a worst-case scenario of flooding and post-disaster recovery support available. This includes counsel and funds available to develop an agricultural emergency management plan. For livestock producers, Brignac explains, the plan would entail an evacuation plan for farm animals, if necessary. The plan provides information for “how to keep animals safe so that everyone on the farm knows what to do,” she says. It means concentrating onvarious scenarios of feeding and tending the animals, whether evacuating or sheltering in place.
Ulster County farmers understand well the vicissitudes and setbacks brought on by extreme weather events. Floods caused by Tropical Storm Irene ravaged farms in the Hudson Valley in 2011. In 2021, Tropical Depression Henri and the remnants of Hurricane Ida resulted in severe flooding, crop losses, and damage.
This workshop is aiming to ensure that farmers know and make use of the resources, approaches, and financial support available to mitigate flood risk. The trend of heavier rain in recent months and the role that climate change is playing in exacerbating extreme and erratic weather makes this workshop timelier than ever for the region’s farms.
Register at the Eventbrite page for “Managing Flood Risks for Farmers in Ulster County,” hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County. Questions should be directed to Kathryn Brignac via email at klb339@cornell.edu.
Join the family! 
