USDA Regional partnerships-

Examples from the Climate

Hubs

Dealing with extreme weather through research, resources and outreach

Clay Pope-Coordinator, Southern Plains Climate Hub

Caiti Steele –Coordinator, Southwest Climate Hub

Climate change

THE PROBLEM IS REAL

USDA Climate Hub Network

Mission: To develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies for agricultural and natural resource managers that enable climate-smart decision-making and provide assistance to enable land managers to implement those decisions.

The Climate Hubs link USDA research and program agencies in their regional delivery of timely and authoritative tools and information to agricultural producers and professionals.

USAPI

SOIL HEALTH EDUCATION

• Developed soil health curriculum in partnership with NRCS and Soil Carbon Coalition.

• Originally designed for FFA and 4-H but can be used by anyone at any age.

• Can be used to create a youth soil health course, for adult education or to supplement existing lesson plans.

• Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards, and Agricultural Education Standards for ease of use in U.S. schools.

• Available free from the Climate Hubs or the Soil Carbon Coalition.

• Downloaded by individuals in 50 countries and over 40 U.S. States

SOIL HEALTH EDUCATION CONTINUED

• Soil Health is a primary “building block” of USDA Climate Change action

• Partner with NRCS, Local Districts and State Conservation Agencies on soil health events

• Providing research on soil health and the multiple benefits generated by soil health practices

• Facilitating soil health partnerships

AgRiskViewer

Open datasets are available from all USDA agencies

But they are not always in a format that is easily accessed

At the SW Hub, we have the capacity to take these datasets and build online tools to improve the data’s accessibility

AgRiskViewer

What can historical crop insurance data tell us about weather and climate impacts on agriculture?

• Identify most common / damaging events, where they impact more acreage, when they occurred

• Guide decisions on crops and conservation measures

• Guide agency focus on commodity-type and location

• Inform future RMA programs

Tennessee

Macon County, TN

Macon County, TN

Lake County, TN

Lake County, TN

Grass-Cast: A Springtime Forecast of

Grassland Productivity

William Parton1, Melannie Hartman1, Maosi Chen1, Stephen Del Grosso1,2, Susan Lutz1, Justin Derner2,

Brian Fuchs3, Alan Knapp4, Darin Schulte5, Bill Smith6, Dana Larsen7, Rafael Guerrero7, Dannele Peck8

1Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University2U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services3National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln4Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University5North Central Climate Science Center, Fort Collins, CO6University of Arizona7USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service8USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub

FUNDED BY:

All Spring, Ranchers Wait & Watch…

Will there be enough grass this summer?

Making Weather Info Usable for Ag

What IS

this &

what

does it

MEAN for

me as a

rancher?

Grassland Productivity Forecast“Grass-Cast”

“Based on observed weather this spring & past years + seasonal

wx forecast… we expect grassland

productivity in your county…

to be X% higher or lower than the county’s

30-year average.”

Grass-Cast process

Experimental Grass-Cast

for the 2017 Growing Season

(% change compared to 30-yr mean lbs/acre)

June 30, 2017June 12, 2017May 8, 2017

Grass-Cast is updated every 2 weeks

Actual vs. Grass-Cast

2002 (Dry Year)

Actual(NDVI)

Grass-

Cast

78%

ac

cu

rate

76%

ac

cu

rate

Actual vs. Grass-Cast

2009 (Wet Year)

Grass-

CastActual(NDVI)

Grass-Cast accurately predicts

“% difference” categories

✓NO predictions were

“completely” wrong:

It NEVER suggested above-

normal when it was actually

below-normal or vice-versa.

But users distrust forecasts, so…

We replaced the “one-map”

May/Jun/Jul forecast

with 3 possible scenarios:

above-avg,

average,

or below-avg

May/Jun/Jul precipitation

Instead of using a forecast, provide three “What if” scenarios…

If precip Above-avgIf precip Average

If precip Below-Avg

Keep an Eye Out for

Grass-Cast this Spring!

• Grass-Cast Websitehttp://grasscast.agsci.colostate.edu

• Ag Newspapers• NRCS/CD Newsletters

• Extension EventsFUNDED BY:

Partnering with the National Drought

Mitigation Center

THANK YOU!

Please drop by our booth to learn more about the AgRiskViewer, GrassCast, other Climate Hubs projects and the chance to win a CoCoRaHS gauge!