Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center Scientist and OSU Extension Climate Specialist Aaron Wilson, in collaboration with Central State, University of Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue, have teamed up with the Midwest Climate Hub in a $1.5 million endeavor from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). This award is part of an initiative by AFRI to fund climate research and bolster the connections between Extension and USDA’s regional Climate Hubs.

The 3-year project will strengthen the climate science infrastructure through a formalized Extension-Midwest Climate Hub partnership. The team will develop shared roadmaps of climate-informed strategies in traditional row, integrated livestock, and specialty cropping systems to enhance training and outreach throughout the region. The project will amplify perspectives of Black and Indigenous communities, focus on Extension training opportunities in the areas of climate adaption and carbon sequestration, and develop climate curriculum for 4-H youth programming. For the full USDA announcement, please see https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/01/12/usda-invests-9m-expand-reach-and-increase-adoption-climate-smart.