Adaptation to the changing environment, natural and manmade, can create unforeseen results. The Northern Great Plains greatest natural asset is the highly productive agricultural land that produces this nation’s food for internal and external markets. While it can be argued that this may not be the best possible use of the land, none will argue the necessity for a stable, low cost food supply. Highly productive land is only one ingredient for food production success, you also require a skilled, motivated, and resilient work force.

The current migration trend in the Northern Great Plains is from the rural areas to the urban centers as a consequence farms have been growing in size. Recent studies have indicated that there will be a shortage of qualified farm operators in the near future. Some of the reasons for this trend are: lack of social amenities, lack of opportunity to farm, increased risk of farm failure, high cost of entry into farming, and recent technology increases. This trend cannot be directly related to climate change and variability, but we can speculate that the agrarian socioeconomic system of the Northern Great Plains will undergo addition stress related to out migration of potential farm operators.