Thanks for your continued interest in our project!

Sincerely, 

Dr. Linda Stalker Prokopy, U2U Project Director

Quarterly Progress Report

Throughout the last quarter, the U2U team continued to make progress on crop and climate modeling research and the first round of focus groups were completed with agricultural producers and advisors in Nebraska and Indiana. A new handout featuring selected research highlights from Objectives 1 and 2 can be downloaded here. 

Additionally, two prototype decision tools are in the early stages of development. Our Climate and Crop Data Portal (CCDP) will provide easy access to historical climate and crop yield data across the Corn Belt, and our Growing Degree Days (GDD) Tool will connect historical GDD data with critical 

corn development information for enhanced decision support. 

Watch for updates on our website and in upcoming newsletters! 

U2U co-PIs Jeff Andresen and Dev Niyogi are both lead authors on two chapters in a newly released book on Midwestern climate change (ed. S.C. Pryor). Book details are available on the Indiana University Press website and full citations for these chapters are listed below. 

U2U investigators Benjamin Gramig and Linda Prokopy have a forthcoming article in Climate Research entitled "Farmer beliefs about climate change and carbon sequestration incentives."

Abstract: As the climate in the Midwestern United States becomes increasingly variable due to global climate change, it is critical to provide tools to the agricultural community to ensure adaptability and profitability of agricultural cropping systems. When used by farmers and their advisors, agricultural decision support tools can reduce uncertainty and risks in the planning, operation, and management decisions of the farm enterprise. Agricultural advisors have historically played a key role in providing information and guidance in these decisions. However, little is known about what these advisors know or think about weather and 

climate information and their willingness to incorporate this type of 

information into their advice to farmers. In this exploratory study, a diverse 

set of professionals who advise corn growers, including government, 

non-profit, for-profit and Extension personnel, were surveyed in four states 

in the Midwestern Corn Belt. Full article.

Stuart Carlton is a postdoctoral researcher working under the mentorship of Dr. Linda Prokopy at Purdue University. Stuart recently completed his Ph.D. at the University of Florida's School of Natural Resources & Environment, where he worked with Dr. Susan Jacobson on social dimensions of climate change in coastal Florida. His research interests include environmental risk perception and communication, mass media coverage of science controversies, and public perception of environmental hazards.

Stuart joined the U2U project in January 2013. His primary responsibilities include coordinating focus  groups, conducting surveys, manuscript development, and analyzing 

social science research  findings to  inform decision support 

tool development. In his spare time, Stuart enjoys spending 

time with his family, taking photographs, and cheering for his  

beloved New Orleans Saints.