Project News
Climate Ready Midwest is a multi-state partnership working to increase the impact of climate-smart agriculture across the region. Our goals are lofty with long-term change in mind. We will be updating this blog routinely with updates on project work, events, and news. So, be sure to check this page periodically for the latest project news, or sign up for our project updates to get updates directly in your inbox!
Leaving Bread Crumbs for Continued Climate Engagement at Extension
Drawing on 3.5 years of work, the project team offers recommendations for Extension colleagues, Extension leadership, and USDA partners on how to sustain climate programming at Extension. We hope these serve as practical guideposts to inform and strengthen Extension’s climate-related efforts in the years ahead.
Charting the Course: A Roadmap for Climate-Ready Programing in Extension
What does it take to make Extension’s ag programming climate-ready? After years of collaboration and insight from across the region, the Climate Ready Midwest Roadmap is here—with five focus areas to guide Extension into a climate-informed future. Whether you’re an educator, leader, or partner, this roadmap shows where you fit in—and where we go next.
More questions than answers: The current legal landscape of carbon markets and sequestration programs in the U.S.
The past year has brought many changes to carbon markets in the United States, leaving farmers in the familiar position of questioning whether or not to engage in carbon programs that pay farmers to adopt carbon sequestration practices. Read on for a summary of the many questions and legal issues in need of resolution.
Climate, Water, and Equity Workshop Fosters New Collaborations
This post was originally posted on the North Central Region Water Network blog. It has been modified and re-posted here. Climate, water, and equity issues are complex topics that can be sensitive to discuss, especially forRead More…
Extension and USDA Climate Hubs Work to Build a Climate-Resilient Midwest
Three projects operate within the Midwest to build partnerships, relationships, and collaborations for agricultural resilience in the face of climate change. Funding for these projects is intended to foster new ideas and collaboration, especially between Extension and the USDA Climate Hubs, and comes from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Learn more about these projects and how they compliment each other’s efforts to build a climate-resilient Midwest.
The Extension Road to Resilience: Insights from the North Central ANR Program Leaders Meeting
The Climate Ready Midwest team recently attended the a meeting with Extension program leaders in agriculture and natural resources across the 12-state north central region. The CRM team was invited to share project findings exploring climate programming in Extension and relevant regional and national partnerships and resources.
Climate and Agriculture Conversations with Extension at Historically Black Land-Grants in the Midwest
The Climate Ready Midwest team has been busy connecting with Extension colleagues at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Midwest. Team members traveled to Ohio and Missouri to host workshops with our agricultural educator and specialist counterparts, and their close partners, at both Central State University (CSU) and Lincoln University (LU). Continue reading to learn more about the workshops.
Integrating NCA5 into Extension Programming: An Interview with Aaron Wilson
Explore the role of the 5th National Climate Assessment (NCA5) in Extension programming through this interview with the Lead Author for the Midwest Chapter. This post highlights authoritative, timely, and transparent NCA5 materials, including region- and topic-specific chapters and an Art x Climate gallery. And – don’t miss the Midwest Chapter webinar on February 20!
Navigating the Climate Challenge: Insights from Extension on Climate in Agricultural Programming
In the first round of Climate Ready Midwest project data collection, Extension personnel at 1862 institutions weigh in on barriers to integrating climate-informed recommendations into their agricultural programming. Explore some of the main themes that emerged in this blog post.
Guest Post: Maggie, Climate Ready Midwest Summer Intern
Our team is so excited to invite our summer intern, Maggie, to the Climate Ready Midwest team! We invited Maggie to create a reflective blog post about her involvement in the project. Read on to hear about her and her work!
Introducing Climate Ready Midwest: Empowering Extension Professionals in Climate-Smart Agriculture
Hello! And welcome to the Climate Ready Midwest project blog. We are a multi-state partnership working with the USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub to increase the impact of climate-smart agriculture here in the Midwest. You can learn more about our project and team here.
Our stated goals are to:
-help define what climate-smart agriculture means to the midwestern Extension agricultural community, and
-to empower Extension professionals to lead climate-informed agricultural programming across the Midwest.
These are lofty goals, so let’s dig in a little.