Texas farmers have had to alter their crop mixes in recent years as they try to adapt to a changing environment, including drought conditions in the state and throughout the U.S. Drought’s over the past decade have caused crop failures.

Altering commodity production mixes could lead to changes in the way grains are transported, according to researchers.

In Texas, traditional portfolios of crops grown are beginning to change because of the environment, swings in prices paid for specific crops and the supply and demand outlook.

“Cropping shifts have occurred in Texas with additional land moving out of crops into grazing use and possible northward shifts in locations of cotton and sorghum,” said Dr. Bruce McCarl, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow and Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University.

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McCarl recently co-authored, “Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Grain Transport,” which was published recently in the journal, Nature Climate Change. The journal article is available online at http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v3/n7/full/nclimate1892.html

Read more about McCarl’s research and other issues here.

Also of interest:

Never say too late for rain

Drought to continue through rest of year

Reservoir levels poised to reach all-time lows