The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $10 million grant for a project to develop strategies to enhance climate-smart agricultural practices across Midwest farms. Professor Douglas Jackson-Smith is the project lead and holder of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystems Management at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. 

This initiative aims to enhance climate resilience by addressing issues like soil health decline, water quality, loss of biodiversity, and extreme weather vulnerabilities. The Ohio State team and partners from Central State University, the University of Missouri, Lincoln University Missouri, and Solutions from the Land will focus on bottom-up strategies to encourage adopting practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost carbon storage, and ensure farm viability.  Byrd Center's Aaron Wilson, State Climatologist of Ohio and Assistant Professor, Ag Weather and Climate Field Specialist, is a co-PI on this project.

This project, part of the USDA's Sustainable Agricultural Systems program, aims to transform agricultural practices and educate the next generation of farmers and researchers through hands-on research and community collaboration. 

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