ITHACA (AP) -- A Cornell University crop and soil science professor says a warming climate could present a profitable opportunity for farmers in northern New York: soybeans.
Professor William Cox says soybeans aren't labor intensive and they're commanding a high price. He recently released results of field trials to help growers decide which varieties to plant in 2012.
New York has been a marginal region for soybean cultivation because of the cold climate. But Cox says that's changing.
Soybean acreage in New York increased to almost 300,000 acres in 2011 from about 40,000 acres in 1990, with big growth in the Finger Lakes, western New York, and northern New York.
Cox says more dairy farmers are looking to grow their own soybeans and process them for feed.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
