Farmers across the U.S. are noticing impacts of changing climate conditions on their production systems. Heavier rain events, warmer winters, and more frequent droughts are some of challenges they face. To help educate farmers and agricultural professionals on climate change and agriculture topics, we have developed two resources as products of a North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) professional development grant.
- A Resource Handbook with materials that cover topics ranging from climate basics to communicating about climate change. The handbook includes science-based information on climate change relevant to sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on field crop agriculture.
- A Curriculum on sustainable agriculture and climate change that can be used with clientele, such as farmer groups. This curriculum is a PowerPoint presentation and may be adapted to suit your needs and your region of the country. It contains a written script in the notes section. It has general information relative to all types of agriculture and a few specific resources for field crop agriculture. To help you evaluate the effectiveness of this curriculum with your clientele, we have included an evaluation form that you can distribute after your presentation.
We hope these resources are useful and effective for you and your audiences. Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Dr. Julie E. Doll
Kellogg Biological Station
Long-term Ecological Research Program
Michigan State University
Dr. Tapan B. Pathak
Specialist in Climate Adaptation in Agriculture
UC Merced - Sierra Nevada Research Institute
University of California Cooperative Extension