Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers.

U.S. corn and soybean production accounts for over one-third of the global supply, and contributes more than $100 billion annually to the national economy.  Weather and climate patterns are a driving force behind the success or failure of these cropping systems, making the agricultural industry vulnerable to climate variability and change.  U2U is an integrated research and extension project that aims to improve the resilience and profitability of farms in the Corn Belt amid variable climate change through the development and dissemination of enhanced decision support tools, resource materials, and training.  

The U2U team is composed of a uniquely qualified group of climatologists, crop modelers, agronomists, economists, and social scientists from Midwestern ten universities.  Over the span of five years, we will address five objectives to improve the usability of climate information and increase the sustainability of farming operations.  First the team will examine the contributions of anomalous weather to crop productivity and implications for future farm management options (objective 1), and conduct complementary research to understand how producers and advisors are likely to use this information (objective 2). Based on these findings, decision support tools (DSTs) and training materials will be developed to effectively deliver climate information to stakeholders (objective 3).  Next, DSTs will be piloted in a four-state region to help improve tools and evaluate effectiveness (objective 4).  After several iterations with stakeholders to ensure the usability and utility of resources, the program will be extended to all twelve states in the region (objective 5).  Overall, we strive to transform existing climate information into actionable knowledge for more effective decision making.