Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming climate variability and change information for cereal crop producers

Agricultural crops contribute about $150 billion annually to the U.S. economy, most of which comes from the intensely cultivated Midwest (USDA-ERA, 2010). The viability of this industry is affected by increasingly variable climate patterns. This project, Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers, seeks to improve the resilience and profitability of farms amid variable climate changes by providing stakeholders with better decision support tools (DSTs), such as predictive climate models, delivered more effectively. The project team will produce research on the biophysical and economic impacts of different climate scenarios on corn and soybean yields in the North Central Region and conduct complementary research to understand how producers and advisors are likely to use this information. Based on findings, the team will develop DSTs and training materials to deliver climate information to our various stakeholders. The team will pilot these DSTs, evaluate their effectiveness and continue to improve the tools and training materials in four states. After several iterations with stakeholders to ensure the usability and utility of the tools, the team will extend the program to all twelve states in the region and develop additional resources for 4-H programs. These DSTs, along with training products, surveys, feedback mechanisms and collaborative social tools, will be supported using Purdue's HUBzero™ technology.