Perceptions of Risk from Climate Change: Perspectives of Midwestern Corn Farmers and Advisors

Climate change and associated increases in weather variability pose a significant challenge to agriculture in the U.S., which produces about 40% of the world supply of corn and soybeans. The Useful to Useable (U2U) project seeks to understand the attitudes and behaviors of Midwestern farmers and those who advise them regarding climate change, variability, and the use of weather information to foster improved adaptation in agriculture. As part of U2U, two surveys were conducted in the spring of 2012 with farmers across the Corn Belt (n=4778) and several advisory groups (n=2530) including Certified Crop Advisors, University Extension agents, Agricultural Bankers, Natural Resource Conservation Service employees and others. This poster will focus on the responses of these groups regarding their beliefs about climate change, perceptions of risks to agriculture from climate and weather, the need for agricultural adaptation, and the types of adaptations being considered and implemented. In general, farmers and their advisors believe that climate change is happening, but opinions vary on what is causing the climate to change. Midwestern farmers' and advisors' beliefs about climate issues, information, and adaptation in agriculture vary. Implications for outreach and the dissemination of climate change adaptation information are discussed.