The culture of the Northern Great Plains has it’s roots in agricultural production. The last two decades has seen extensive urbanization of a once predominantly rural population. Increases in the average farm size is directly related to the overall decrease in farms, particularly family farms. We can imagine that if results of climate change and variability in the Northern Great Plains results in greater extremes in severe weather, the ability of farmers cope with this added uncertainty will result in larger migrations from farming as a principle occupation.

Uncertainty in local or regional models to predict where and to what degree the agricultural society is affected provides fertile ground for speculation. If, as some models predict, the mid latitudes will suffer a 10 - 30% decrease in yields we could see further decreases in farmland under cultivation. This will cause a ripple affect throughout the socioeconomic structure of our farming communities.

Changes that are abrupt, dramatic, and long lasting force an immediate response in cultural fabric of our region. This is the nature of our culture when you consider the need to adapt to extreme weather as it affects agricultural production. One of the major problems associated with climate change and variability is the slow nature of change. It is much easier to ignore slow, imperceptible change over years when you are forced to deal with extreme variability in climate from year to year. This can help promote a complacent attitude toward climate change and variability, making it difficult to generate the dialog necessary to develop a long term, common sense approach to mitigating the affects of climate change and variability on the Northern Great Plains.