Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Rangeland Resources & Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336423
Title: Climate change & livestock health on the U.S. Northern Plains; Actionable economic insights & needs

Author
item Peck, Dannele

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2017
Publication Date: 7/12/2017
Citation: Peck, D.E. 2017. Climate change & livestock health on the U.S. Northern Plains; Actionable economic insights & needs. Meeting Abstract. Aviemore, Scotland, #ISESSAH2017, http://www.isessah.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ISESSAH-Conference-proceeding-20170712.pdf.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Climate change will impact livestock health through numerous direct mechanisms and indirect drivers. Examples of direct mechanisms include climate-driven changes in the biology of pathogens, and the distribution of vectors. Indirect drivers may include changes in environmental factors, land-use, and agricultural practices. Relatively little attention has been paid to the potential implications of climate change for livestock pests and diseases in the temperate U.S. Northern Plains. The proposed poster will summarize the current state of knowledge for this region, focusing on the role and contributions of economics thus far. The production path of cattle and sheep, from extensive rangelands to feedlots, will be the primary emphasis. It will identify gaps in our knowledge and opportunities to generate actionable insights about climate-driven impacts and adaptations to livestock pests and diseases. As new Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Northern Plains Climate Hub, this poster will provide an avenue to combine my expertise in livestock health economics with our Hub's expertise in climate-change science. The Northern Plains Climate Hub's mission is to translate climate-change research into usable information and tools for agricultural producers and knowledge-transfer partners. The proposed poster will therefore identify practical adaptations that livestock managers in the U.S. Northern Plains might consider implementing, in response to climate change, to optimize animal health. Current understanding of the economic costs and benefits of such adaptations, and remaining needs for actionable economic and climatic information will be illustrated.