Climate Change Concerns, Beliefs, and Information Needs of Midwestern Producers.

Climate-based decision support tools can help producers cope with future climatic uncertainty.  However, little is known about farmers’ willingness to use such tools, their information needs, or their ability to incorporate this knowledge into existing decision processes.  Furthermore, it is unclear how farmers perceive climate change and their ability to adapt to more variable conditions.  Understanding all of these factors will allow for the development and dissemination of practical tools that increase farm resilience and profitability in a changing climate as part of the USDA NIFA-funded project entitled Useful to Usable (U2U). 

In partnership another USDA NIFA-funded project, Climate Change, Mitigation, and Adaptation in Corn-Based Cropping Systems (CSCAP), we have conducted an unprecedented survey of corn producers in 22 HUC6 watersheds across the Corn Belt.  Producers were asked about the type and timing of farm management practices, the role of climate information in decision making, risk management beliefs and strategies, climate change concerns, and influential information sources.  Preliminary results from this survey will be presented.