Comment Re:Where are the farmers? (Score 1) 987
Farmers tend to be quite politically conservative for a number of reasons. I suppose part of it is because things like property rights and gun rights are a lot closer to home. When all you own is a home in a lot in suburbia, neither issue is really that meaningful to you. Also, as with most people, farmers' own experiences tend to be given more credence than just about any other force, including science. So a farmer who sees his entire year wiped out by a hail storm has a hard time understanding how man has any influence at all over nature; he seems too puny. This kind of puts farmers in a tough spot, when it comes to public opinion. On the one hand they want the public to learn about the science behind herbicides (IE many herbicides are quite safe), but when they deny climate science it doesn't look good. Also some farmers might think they'll even benefit from a warmer, wetter climate. But in many parts of the world, the very poorest of all (including farmers) are going to suffer with flood and famine.
The way to get farmers on board is explain climate change in terms they can understand. Increased likelihood of droughts, increased likelihood of storms, increased chances of weather extremes (hot and cold). Farmers in my area look outside at the spring snow and say, haha told you so, while nervously hoping warm weather comes soon so crops can be planted. They don't understand that climate change is going to make things like spring more and more unpredictable.