Agriculture in a Changing Climate: What the Future Holds for Iowa—

To continue the task of the Work Group and open the conversation to more stakeholders, the Iowa Smart Agriculture Initiative hosted a special forum on climate change in partnership with the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This event explored the impacts that extreme weather events and changing climatic conditions are having on the state’s agriculture sector and the solutions that Iowa producers can sustainably deliver from the land.

More than 80 farmers, academics and members of the agriculture supply chain in Iowa Nov. 25 learned they all can make valuable contributions to efforts to stem the extreme climate variability that is taking a brutal toll on growers in the state.

With an encompassing agenda, a forum co-sponsored by Solutions from the Land (SfL) and Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences prompted the assertion that a balance must be found among the various aspects of Iowa agriculture, with the goal ultimately being to provide nutritious food, clean energy, and ecosystem services such as water filtration and carbon sequestration – all while maintaining profitability.

Iowa Forum Addresses Role Ag Can Play In Dealing with Changing Climate

As highlighted by the members of the science panel that opened the forum, the increasing frequency of erratic, extreme-weather events and climate variation pose unprecedented risks to the sustainability of Iowa agriculture, as well as numerous challenges to sustaining and enhancing crop productivity, livestock health, and the economic vitality of rural communities.