Integrating climate change research and outreach in the Midwest: lessons from the social sciences – February 2023
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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.
National Climate Assessment and Climate Tools – December 2022
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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.
Enhancing Soil Health – Opportunities for Climate Mitigation & Adaptation – October 2022
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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.
Managing Nutrients and Water in a Changing Climate – August 2022
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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.
The power and perils of partnership: volunteer monitoring histories as complex spatial networks – June 2022
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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.
Strength in Numbers: Assessing the Impact of New and Emerging Field Crop Diseases – April 2022
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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.
Climate Change 2021: A Summary of the IPCC’s 2021 Physical Science Basis Report – October 2021
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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 5th Assessment report, and explores the regional implications of this report for the United States, with a focus on the Midwest and Northern Great Plains.
Drought Decision Calendars for Specialty Crops – December 2020
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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.
Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate – October 2020
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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).
Weather-Ready Farms: An Extension Resilience Resource – August 2020
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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.
Conservation Drainage: Managing Water for the Future – June 2020
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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.
Bioenergy and Ecosystem Services – What’s Next? – April 2020
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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.
Missouri River Basin Flood Outlook – February 2020
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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.
Climate for Cities: Increasing the Capacity for Cities to Effectively Plan for Climate Change – December 2019
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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.
Climate Change’s Impact on Field Crop Diseases – October 2019
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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.
Adaption Resources for Agriculture: A tool for assisting agriculture producers in adapting to climate variability and change – August 2019
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This webinar featured Mike Wilson, Senior Scientist at NRCS and one of the authors of Adaptation Resources for Agriculture, a publication by the USDA Climate Hubs (USDA Hubs Publication). The workbook is designed to allow extension specialists, technical service providers, and others to guide producers through a five-step process to better understand the short and long-term impacts of climate on their production system and how they can meet their land management goals while considering climate variability. Processes in this workbook are key to creating an open dialogue for discussing producer motivations and developing an action-based response.
Why Climate Matters to the Health of People in the Northern Great Plains – June 2019
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Dr. Jesse E. Bell is the Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His research explores the relationships of climate and extreme weather on natural and human processes. He served as a lead author for the U.S. Global Change Research Program report “The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment” that was released by the White House in 2016.
Understanding and Interpreting Climate Outlooks – April 2019
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In this webinar we hear from Jon Gottschalck of NOAA’s, National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center. Jon provides an overview of the types of information included in the Climate Prediction Center’s long lead climate outlooks, how these outlooks should be used and interpreted as well as some of the science used in preparing these operational products and services.
Climate Change and Human Health – February 2019
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Whether it is heat stress, air pollution, or the risk of vectorborne diseases, changes in climate and an increased frequency of extreme weather events impact public health. Tune in to our February webinar and hear from Elena Grossman with the UIC School of Public Health and Colleen Moran of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as they discuss the connection between human health and climate change. Elena and Colleen will overview the CDC’s Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (or BRACE) Framework for helping communities prepare for the health effects of a changing climate, and explore various tools and resources helping local communities prepare for extreme weather events.
Highlights from the 4th National Climate Assessment – December 2018
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This webinar features Martha Shulski, one of the Contributing Authors on the Northern Great Plains chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which was recently released on November 23rd. Martha serves as the State Climatologist for Nebraska and is an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Starting the Conversation at Home: The Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment – October 2018
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Melissa Widhalm of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC) discusses how scientists and decision makers from across the state are working together to elevate the conversation about climate change issues through the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA). Widhalm explains the assessment’s process and participants, including their approach to involving stakeholders and dissemination efforts.
The Impact of Wind Energy on Rural Communities – August 2018
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Sarah Mills of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, presents data from surveys of 3,200+ landowners in 10 Michigan townships with windfarms to provide insight on the effects of wind turbines on local communities — not just on how the landscape looks, but the effects of wind turbines on farm incomes, local government services, and relationships with neighbors.
Understanding Climate Information’s Impact on Farm Decision-Making – June 2018
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Tonya Haigh, Rural Sociologist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, discusses the results of a farmer and advisor survey administered across the US Corn Belt on the climate information’s influence on farm decision-making.
Understanding Climate’s Impact on Soil – April 2018
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South Dakota State University Extension Soil Field Specialist Anthony Bly discusses the climate’s impact on soil properties and what this means for producers, educators, and advisors.
Regional and Local Climate Services through Partnerships Across the North Central Region – February 2018
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Doug Kluck, NOAA Regional Climate Services Director for the Central Region, overviews regional and local climate services across the region and outlines current and future opportunities for information delivery and engagement.
Midwestern Regional Climate Center Tools and Grain Storage Calculations – August 2017
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Beth Hall with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center presents tools for agricultural producers and extension personnel and Kenneth Hellevang with North Dakota State University discusses weather impacts on grain drying and storage.
Crop Hail Research and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) – August 2017
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Justin McMechan with the University of Nebraska discussed research performed on crop response to hail damage and Nolan Doesken with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network discusses the CoCoRaHS program and its benefits.
Drought Impact Report – July 2017
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Tyler Williams with University of Nebraska Extension introduces speaker Kelly Helm Smith who discusses the Drought Impact Reporter and it’s potential uses by and for Extension.
Communicating Climate Change – June 2016
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Dennis Todey, South Dakota State Climatologist, introduces Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, recent Ph.D. graduate from Iowa State University, and Julie Doll, Extension Specialist at Michigan State University who share research on the communication of climate change.
The Effect of Climate Change on the Economics of Conservation Tillage – May 2016
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Dr. Juan Sesmero, Purdue University Agricultural Economist, presents his research findings on the economics of conservation tillage now and under a future incorporating climate change parameters.
Climate Impacts on Beef Cattle Selection and Grazing Management – April 2016
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Matt Reeves of the U.S. Forest Service and Megan Rolf of Oklahoma State Extension discuss research findings of interest to graziers and beef producers.
Climate Impacts on Water Management in the North Central Region – March 2016
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Jonathan Aguilar of Kansas State University and Jane Frankenberger of Purdue University discuss the various water management techniques for agriculture around the region and their relation to climate change and variability.
Preparing for Climate Extremes in the North Central Region – March 2016
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Professor Gene Takle of Iowa State University discuss climate and weather extremes in the North Central United States. University of Nebraska Extension Educator Tyler Williams facilitates.
Understanding Climate – January 2016
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State Climatologists Jeff Andresen (Michigan) and Dennis Todey (South Dakota) discuss climate and climate change.