Abstract #M208

# M208
Perceptions of climate change by Quebec’s dairy producers.
A. L. Bellavance1, S. Fournel*1, V. Ouellet1, G. Bélanger2, G. Tremblay2, B. Koraï1, É. Charbonneau1, 1Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada, 2Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec City, QC, Canada.

Climate change will affect dairy production in Quebec, but the perceptions of producers on this issue are not well understood. An online survey with multiple-choice and open questions was conducted among Quebec’s dairy farmers to: (i) establish the existing and anticipated practices to attenuate the effects of climate change on forage crops and cows, and (ii) verify their perceptions of climate change. The respondents (194) were divided into 2 climatic zones: a corn growing zone (CZ) in southwestern Quebec and a non-corn growing zone (NCZ) in eastern Quebec. In the CZ, an average of 3.2 annual forage cuts are currently taken in most fields of the respondents’ farms, which is higher (P < 0.001) than in the NCZ (2.5 cuts/yr). In both zones (P = 0.31), half of respondents have increased their number of annual forage cuts in the past 15 years. A greater proportion of NCZ respondents than of the CZ respondents expect to increase their number of annual forage cuts in the next 15 years (44 vs. 27%; P = 0.02). More respondents of the NCZ tended to perceive an increase in winterkill of their forage crops in the last 15 years than in the CZ (51 vs. 35%; P = 0.07). Nevertheless, 51% of respondents in both regions (P = 0.24) expect a winterkill increase with climate change. In both zones (P = 0.38), 69% of respondents’ barns are equipped with tunnel ventilation, which may explain that only 46% of respondents use recirculation fans during summer. Most respondents in both zones (P > 0.36) do not use other cooling technologies (79%) and do not intend to introduce new ventilation or cooling systems in the next 5 years (61%). Crops are considered the farm sector at greatest risk of being impacted by climate change by 77% of respondents in both zones (P = 0.70). Most respondents (74%) believe that climate change will only have negligible effects on animals, but more respondents in the CZ than in the NCZ expect the productivity of their cows to be reduced (23 vs. 8%; P = 0.01). Although producers generally show little to no interest in modifying their practices to face climate change, they are aware of the vulnerability of their crops and they feel that their barn is adequate to keep their cows comfortable.

Key Words: survey, forage, cows