Quote Originally Posted by Sigurd View Post
It is quite a difference between managing grain crops and sheep fodder. I believe Greenland can't sustain any type of grain today as it couldn't after the 1300s. Not using this in any way to disprove global warming. Right should be right.
Greenland's artic summers aren't long enough for grain to mature and be harvested.
Greenland's summers are about the same length as the summers in Northern Norway, another area not known to be packed with grain farms. Of course, all the grain grown in Northern Norway is used for animal fodder, as the quality is quite inferior. But then again, nearly all the grain grown in Norway is used for fodder as opposed to human consumption. With Greenland's climate being a little worse combined with fertile areas being much rarer, it makes absolutely no commercial sense whatsoever to grow grain on Greenland today. It doesn't in Northern Norway(really, almost all of Norway) either, but our tendency to throw billions at anyone seen driving a tractor makes it a bit more viable.

But back in the viking days, it wasn't about producing a viable and profitable product; it was simply about getting something you would otherwise not have. If those conditions were present today as well, I'd bet we'd see a grain patch or two on Greenland. Remember, the grain grown was only a supplement to a diet based on other types of food and intended for an extremely tiny population.