Increasing Extension Expertise to Assist Agriculture Adaptation to a Changing Climate

This webinar featured Daren Mueller, Associate Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist at Iowa State University. Mueller is the coordinator of the ISU Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program which, among other things, develops several publications about field crop pests, leads the ISU Field Extension Farm and is involved in several STEM education projects. In this webinar, Mueller explores how climate change and changing management practices can affect corn and soybean diseases.

Rising temperatures, greater variability, shifting precipitation patterns, and more extreme rain events due to climate change pose current and future challenges for cities. Impacts permeate across many aspects of municipalities – infrastructure, health, recreation, utilities, emergency operations, etc. Proper adaptation requires a knowledge and understanding of climate projections and how future changes will influence specific municipal concerns. This webinar featured Dr. Martha Shulski of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and discusses the Climate for Cities program which aims to enhance decision-making and increase capacity of both small and large communities to effectively plan for change.

2019 saw record-setting flooding across many parts of the North Central Region, and many areas are continuing to deal with excess water. This is especially top of mind as we head into the spring. This month’s webinar featured Kevin Low, river forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Missouri Basin River Forecast Center, who summarized the operations of the National Weather Service Missouri Basin River Forecast Center and provided a briefing on the 2020 Spring flood risk across the basin.

COVID-19 has drastically impacted our nation’s people, economy, and politics.  This webinar features David Ripplinger of North Dakota State University Extension who discussed the current social, economic, and political situation as it pertains to biofuels and ecosystem services and what you can expect moving forward.

Slide deck at https://northcentralclimate.org/files/2020/04/Ripplinger-Bioenergy-and-Ecosystem-Services.pdf?x24082. 

Tile drainage is widespread throughout the Midwest.  As weather patterns continue to shift toward more precipitation outside of the growing season and less precipitation during the growing season, water management will need to continue to adapt to provide resilience. Conservation drainage is a concept that incorporates methods of storing water or treating water in the landscape or edge-of-field to increase resilience and improve water quality while maintaining the agronomic benefits of tile drainage.  This webinar will cover some of the recent research in conservation drainage, how they can be incorporated into new and existing practices, and what the future of conservation drainage might look like.

The University of Nebraska Extension has developed a program in which farmers are certificated at different tiers for their use of practices science knows to promote resilience to extreme weather events.  This webinar featured a discussion of the development of that curriculum, current issues, and related resources for use by those in other states.

The Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate (AACC) project was conducted with the goal of building capacity among Extension professionals and other livestock advisors to address climate change issues. The AACC project team learned some pivotal lessons early during the multi-regional project that were foundational to the development of key products and delivery of regional and national programs to over 1400 professionals. This webinar highlights lessons learned along with program deliverables and impacts. It also discusses the issue of methane production in beef cattle and some specific techniques that either increase or decrease production per day, per body weight, and per production outcome (like weight gain).

This webinar highlighted a recent project engaging specialty crop growers in the Midwest to better understand the seasonality of their decisions and drought information needs. The project has resulted in graphical decision calendars for grape, apple, cranberry, and irrigated potato production. Decision calendars describe the timing of management practices and decisions that are made throughout crop planting, growing, harvest, and dormant seasons, along with the climate-related concerns that impact the outcomes of management decisions. Decision calendars can help identify opportunities for inserting climate information into a decision process. This webinar discusses how decision calendars can be used to communicate and improve the usability of drought/climate monitoring and prediction science.

Climate change across the eastern Corn Belt Region (ECBR) is projected to bring higher temperatures, more variable and extreme levels of precipitation, and longer growing seasons. While these possibilities imply opportunity for increased production in the ECBR, managing change sustainably is increasingly challenging.

The Agroecosystem Resilience Project is engaged in research that will elevate the capacity of decision-makers in the ECBR to adapt to a variable climate. Their approach is to identify how changing seasonal and extreme precipitation patterns induce changes in land use and management patterns driven by heterogeneous farmer adaptations. To assess multiple goals related to agricultural production, conservation, and societal well-being, they are building an integrated set of models of the climate system, regional economy, and agroecological outcomes and use this to evaluate policies and programs by projecting their impacts on the sustainability and resilience of this regional agroecosystem under varying futures.

This webinar discusses the project, their approach, progress to date and outcomes. For more information, please visit Agroecosystem Resilience Project.

Climate change across the eastern Corn Belt Region (ECBR) is projected to bring higher temperatures, more variable and extreme levels of precipitation, and longer growing seasons. While these possibilities imply opportunity for increased production in the ECBR, managing change sustainably is increasingly challenging. We are engaged in research that will elevate the capacity of decision makers in the ECBR to adapt to a variable climate. Our approach is to identify how changing seasonal and extreme precipitation patterns induce changes in land use and management patterns driven by heterogeneous farmer adaptations. To assess multiple goals related to agricultural production, conservation, and societal well-being, we are building an integrated set of models of the climate system, regional economy, and agroecological outcomes and use this to evaluate policies and programs by projecting their impacts on the sustainability and resilience of this regional agroecosystem under varying futures. Join us as we discuss the on-going progress of this project. For more information, including project and team descriptions, video overviews, and outcomes, please visit Agroecosystem Resilience Project.

Windy Kelley described and promoting this site promoting research-based information:  https://usdaars.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=410928c38df9402aa1167235fdc2781b. 

This webinar summarized some of the key take-aways of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” with Dr. Heidi Roop. Roop is the Director of the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and an Assistant Professor of Climate Science at the University of Minnesota. Heidi discusses the broader global picture, discussed the scientific advances made since the 2013 5^th Assessment report, and explores the regional implications of this report for the United States, with a focus on the Midwest and Northern Great Plains.

Are your dreams of a White Christmas likely to come true? What is the snowiest month of the year? How far into spring do you need to keep that snow shovel handy? This webinar will look at past snowfall and winter weather data for the north central US, share tools and resources to help you track current and past winter conditions, and provide the latest seasonal weather outlook.

The North Central Climate Collaborative hosted a FREE advanced climate change virtual conference June 8-10th, 2021. The conference featured sessions on climate modeling, climate and its impact on communities, and the intersection of climate, agriculture and water.  We were excited to feature a keynote address by Dr. Marshall Shepherd, a leading international expert on weather and climate and author of “The Race Awakening of 2020: A Six-Step Guide for Moving Forward”.

Schedule in Brief

Tuesday, June, 8th from 9AM – 12PM CT

• 2020 New Climate “Normals” with Trent Ford with the Illinois State Climatologist Office  – View the Recording
• Climate Projections and Models with Martha Schulski with the Nebraska State Climate Office – View the Recording
• Climate Assessments with Melissa Widhalm of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center – View the Recording
• Behind the Climate Projection Center Outlooks with Jon Gottschalck with the National Weather Service – View the Recording

Wednesday, June 9th from 9AM – 12PM CT

• Keynote presentation from Dr. J Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia on Climate Justice – View the Recording
• Community Climate Risk and Planning with Lisa Graff and Rebecca Leitschuh of the Illinois State Water Survey – View the Recording

Thursday, June 10th from 9AM – 12PM CT

• Climate indicators on Agriculture with Dennis Todey with the USDA Climate Hubs – View the Recording
• Adaptation through Conservation with Linda Prokopy of Purdue University – View the Recording
• Climate’s impact on Habitat, Conservation, Wildlife and Fisheries with Sam Fuhlendorf of Oklahoma State University – View the Recording

The COP26 meeting in Glasgow operated at many interacting levels ranging from formal negotiations between the “parties” (countries) to spontaneous conversations among the tens of thousands of participants. David will present selected highlights of COP26’s official outcomes, give some sense of how the formal negotiations frame climate work that is done at the subnational level, and share a few of his own experiences from attending the first week of the Glasgow event.

Changes in climate and production practices have led to new and emerging diseases in corn and soybeans. Assessing the impact of new diseases across a broad geography has traditionally taken extensive time. However, the formation of the Crop Protection Network, a multinational group of university research and extension pest management specialists, has created a platform for information exchange about these diseases. The Network has developed interactive yield loss tools to assess the impact of new diseases and more effectively link causal issues, such as climate, to these losses. This webinar features Kiersten Wise, Professor in the department of Plant Pathology at the University of Kentucky, who explores these tools.

In powers and perils of partnership Liam F. Bean, a Master’s Student at Montana State University, discusses the life cycle and network development of three different volunteer water monitoring programs in the state of Montana. This webinar highlights how trust in volunteer data are formed and how data are used (or ignored) in the complex water governance processes in a headwaters state. Liam presents his actor network theory inspired approach to unpacking the complexities surrounding the development of trust in science beyond the deficit model of science education.

In the middle of the North American continent, Minnesota sits in an interesting and dynamic climatic region.  At the edge of the humid-to-dry climate transition, and with long, harsh winters that are warming faster than almost anywhere else in the United States, it faces some unique challenges and opportunities as the climate changes.  In this webinar, University of Minnesota Extension Educator Greg Klinger discusses some of these potential challenges related to agricultural management of water and nutrients.

Soil health has received heightened interest because of its association with long-term agricultural sustainability and ecological benefits. Yet, questions remain regarding soil health’s role in climate mitigation and adaptation within row-crop agriculture. This webinar featured Christine Sprunger, Assistant Professor of soil health in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. Dr. Sprunger explored three key aspects of soil health and climate change: 1) Soil health in the context of climate mitigation via soil carbon sequestration, 2) Soil health responses to climatic stress and 3) Insights into best management practices for enhanced soil health and climate adaptation.

The last North Central Climate Collaborative webinar of the year covered slightly different topics, both in the realm of climate.  Dr. Aaron Wilson provided a brief introduction to the draft version of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), now available for a 12-week public review and comment period and Dr. Laura Edwards discussed climate tools available for use in the Midwest, with a focus on mesonet capabilities in South Dakota.

Adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change is a technical, social, and political challenge that will require significant changes across all aspects of society. This is particularly the case in the Midwest, which is expected to receive an influx of climate refugees over the coming century. In this talk, Stuart Carlton, Assistant Director of the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program, reviewed his research to share lessons on climate change beliefs, communication, to discuss how scientists, policymakers, and outreach and Extension personnel can work together to build a climate-ready future.

In this talk, Brenda Hoppe, environmental epidemiologist, climate resilience researcher and proud descendent of Wisconsin dairy farmers, discusses 1) the state of knowledge around the soil health-human health nexus, 2) the advantages of public health for soil science research and stewardship, 3) considerations of farmers and ag-based economies, and 4) opportunities for advancing cross-disciplinary research, public awareness campaigns, and climate resilience actions to save our soils and fortify public health.

In this talk, building on the recently published The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions for Everyone, Dr. Heidi Roop, Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and an Assistant Professor of Climate Science and Extension Specialist at the University of Minnesota, showcases the many opportunities we each have to leverage our strengths, skills, and passions to chart an impactful climate solutions journey. Climate solutions surround us. Where will your climate solutions journey take you?

Hydroclimatology is a field which encompasses both the terrestrial and atmospheric components of the hydrologic cycle. This webinar featured Dr. Zack Leasor an assistant professor in climate science at the University of Missouri where he serves as the Missouri State Climatologist and Director of the Missouri Climate Center, who explored how hydroclimatic data can be used to better understand land-atmosphere interactions and improve climate prediction and drought monitoring.

This webinar featured Marilyn Thelen, who retired from MSU Extension after serving as the associate director for the MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute. In her presentation, she looked back over her career and discussed the adaptations that allowed her to gain knowledge, understanding and leadership skills. She discussed her journey with climate and how our changing climate impacted both her career and farming operation. Finally, we discussed how extension can play a role in affecting producers’ understanding and adaptation to a changing climate.