Extreme weather can hit farmers hard. Those with smaller farming operations often pay the price

By MELINA WALLING

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Following historic rainfall and flooding earlier this summer, farmers in Graves County, Kentucky sustained field damage and crop loss. That was 18 months after a tornado outbreak that killed dozens of residents — and destroyed the grain elevators many farmers relied on to store their crops. Some in the county say that farmers with smaller operations had a harder time coping with these extreme weather events, mirroring a global pattern where smallholder farmers find it more difficult to distribute their risk and more challenging to recover when disaster strikes. Many have noticed changes in weather patterns over the years, but most also see it as a part of farming and don’t have major plans to adapt their practices.