Reliance on farm income relates directly to all socioeconomic factors in this region. Main street businesses feel the impact of declines and advances of farm income, this is especially true in smaller urban centers.

As the farm landscape changes so does the economic landscape, loss of farm revenue due to climate change and variability will impact the rural areas to the greatest degree. Once stable farming regions will experience loss of goods and services at the local level, creating the necessity to travel long distance for these services. Production cost will increase as distances to fertilizer, fuel, and labor increase. Increases in farm inputs is not always offset by market value of products sold, thus decreasing net farm profitability. Decreases in net farm revenue, however temporary, increases financial risk. What degree will climate change and variability contribute to an already vulnerability system is question yet to be answer.

Agricultural production has allowed the United States to enjoy a stable and affordable food supply and provided valuable resources for foreign trade. Increased pressure on agrarian based systems to compete on the world market, coupled with increased risk due to climate change and variability could be the biggest challenges the ever changing agrarian based society of the Northern Great Plains has faced. Sound scientific information on the climate, it’s change and variability over time, will provide the necessary inputs to minimize the economic impact of this region.