Prairie farmers expected to benefit from global warming by growing corn, soy
BANFF, Alta. — Farmers on the Canadian Prairies are “literally” the only agricultural winners on the planet as a result of global warming, according to an economist studying global food supply.
Lutz Goedde, a partner with McKinsey and Co. in Denver, told the Global Business Forum in Banff on Friday that rising temperatures and longer growing seasons mean that ever-increasing areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will be able to switch to corn and soybeans from wheat and canola.
“I think Canada is in a unique situation with the corn and soy belt basically moving north,” he told reporters after his speech.
“The planet is heating up and there is an opportunity for Canadian farmers — and they have been executing on it — to convert wheat land to corn and soy production.”