Midwest Climate Hub

The USDA Regional Climate Hubs offer climate adaptation tools, strategies management options, and technical support to farmers, ranchers and forest land owners. The Hubs direct land managers to USDA agencies that can provide program support to enable them to implement climate-informed management practices. The Midwest Climate Hub works with the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota.

The Midwest Hub is focused on understanding and reducing climate impacts on: Croplands, Forestlands, Grazing Lands, and Livestock. The Hub’s website provides links to many Regional Climate Assessments in the Midwest, regional data and research, and educational materials on climate change.

The Objectives of the Midwest Climate Hub as stated on the site are to:

  1. Assemble research information on crop and livestock production systems across the Midwest to determine their response to weather and climate variation
  2. Assemble research information on soil and water resources of the Midwest to determine the natural resource response to weather and climate variation
  3. Conduct stakeholder meetings with different commodity groups to gather information on their potential use of weather and climate information in agricultural decision making
  4. Partner with research, education and extension to develop strategies for the identification of adaptation tools and delivery of information to producers and agribusiness across the Midwest
  5. Provide information to producers which will increase climate resilience of agricultural systems across the Midwest

Recent research at the Midwest Climate Hub is primarily focused on how climate change is affecting the amount of time producers have to conduct their farming operations in the spring. One of the critical aspects of this for the Midwest is water management - and the Climate Hub affiliates are investigating:

  • increasing spring precipitation on subsurface drainage amounts;
  • the potential for water management in drained soils to increase the amount of water stored in the soil profile; and
  • soil management and conservation practices which can increase soil organic matter content to increase water holding capacity and protect the soil from erosion events.

 

The Climate Hubs were established in 2014 to deliver science-based knowledge, practical information and program support to farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and resource managers to support climate-informed decision-making. Key partners in this effort include the public and land grant universities, Cooperative Extension, USDA researchers, the private sector, state, local and regional governments, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Interior regional climate change experts, and non-profits engaged in providing assistance to landowners. 

 

 

 

Publication Date: 2014

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