Location: Rangeland Resources & Systems Research
2024 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1: Enable climate-smart decision-making by developing science-based, region-specific information, tools and technologies for agricultural and natural resource managers, and provide assistance where possible to enhance adoption and implementation of the same. The work will be conducted as the Northern Plains USDA Climate Change Hub and will be coordinated with NRCS, FS, and other USDA and non-USDA organizations in accordance with guidance found in the USDA Climate Change Hubs Charter, and Terms of Reference.
Objective 2: Expand and enhance each Hub’s research and communication capacity and ensure integration of ARS research outcomes from across the region into Hub outreach assets.
Objective #3: Provide capacity to expand and enhance the hub’s climate-science, social-science, and economic-science resources and tools via enhanced collaboration with ARS research teams and other research partners to ensure impactful integration of ARS research outcomes from across the region into Hub outreach assets.
Approach
The climate hubs relate directly to the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Research National Program (NP216) Action Plan (2018-2022), Component 3. Achieving Agroecosystem Potential and these problem statements: Problem Statement 3a. Sustaining Intensified Production; Problem Statement 3b. Enhancing ecosystem services; and Problem Statement 3c. Enabling decision support for sustainability.
Progress Report
The USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub’s efforts are guided by its three Objectives. Objective 1: Progress continued on enabling climate-smart decision-making among agricultural and natural resource managers in the Northern Plains via science synthesis, tool support, and outreach. Progress towards science syntheses to translate and deliver relevant information included submission of a synthesis on climate vulnerability of grasslands within Thunder Basin National Grassland for a U.S. Forest Service general technical report. Progress towards tool development and support for climate-informed decision-making included Grass-Cast grassland production forecasts, (https://grasscast.unl.edu) and invited presentations on these forecasts including to Native rangeland managers. Progress towards outreach to facilitate engagement, discovery, and exchange included a virtual climate conversation on climate trends, impacts on agriculture, and climate-smart practices for Natural Resource Conservation Service leadership and field staff in Wyoming.
Objective 2: Progress on expanding the Hub’s research and communication capacity included mentoring an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) science communication participant.
Objective 3: Progress on enhancing the Hub’s resources and tools in collaboration with research partners included selection of a postdoctoral fellow.
Accomplishments
1. Inspiring the next generation of agro-climate scientists and leaders. Complex food and agroecosystem challenges and opportunities demand that we inspire the next generation of diverse, creative, eager, and informed agro-climate scientists and leaders. Staff from the Northern Plains Climate Hub led three full-day, climate-themed workshops in Fort Collins, Colorado, for 190 high school students and 20 adults from the Science, Technology, Environment, Agriculture, system Design (STEAD) school in Commerce City. Students engaged in hands-on curriculum to learn about climate-smart advances in water, soils, crops, grasslands, genetics, and beef production. Memorable student feedback included “I could work here!” and “Science is cool!”