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Useful to Usable: Developing usable climate science for agriculture

    Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers, was a USDA-funded research and extension project designed to improve the resilience and profitability of U.S. farms in the Corn Belt amid a changing climate. Over a six-year period from April 2011 - April 2017, 122 faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students from ten Midwestern universities contributed to this interdisciplinary project. Our team integrated expertise in applied climatology, crop modeling, agronomy, cyber-technology, agricultural economics, sociology, Extension and outreach, communication, and marketing to improve the use and uptake of climate information for agricultural decision making. Together, and with members of the agricultural community, we developed a series of decision support tools, resource materials, and training methods to support data-driven decision making and the adoption of climate-resilient practices.

    Rapid Carbon Assessment (RaCA)

      The Rapid Carbon Assessment (RaCA) was initiated by the USDA-NRCS Soil Science Division in 2010 with the following objectives: * To develop statistically reliable quantitative estimates of amounts and distribution of carbon stocks for U.S. soils under various land covers and to the extent possible, differing agricultural management. * To provide data to support model simulations of soil carbon change related to land use change, agricultural management, conservation practices, and climate change. * To provide a scientifically and statistically defensible inventory of soil carbon stocks for the U.S.

      Agricultural Land Management Alternative with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) Simulation Model

        The Agricultural Land Management Alternative with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) model simulates crop growth, competition, light interception by leaves, biomass accumulation, partitioning of biomass into grain, water use, nutrient uptake, and growth constraints such as water, temperature, and nutrient stress. Plant development is temperature driven, with duration of growth stages dependent on degree days. Each plant species has a defined base temperature and optimum temperature.

        Soil and Water Hub Modeling Datasets

          The Soil and Water Hub is jointly developed by USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, part of The Texas A&M University System. Modeling dataset resources are available for download for use with software tools Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender Model (APEX), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), ArcSWAT, and related Conservation practices.

          SWAT - Soil and Water Assessment Tool

            The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a public domain model jointly developed by USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, part of The Texas A&M University System. SWAT is a small watershed to river basin-scale model to simulate the quality and quantity of surface and ground water and predict the environmental impact of land use, land management practices, and climate change. SWAT is widely used in assessing soil erosion prevention and control, non-point source pollution control and regional management in watersheds.

            Rocky Mountain Research Station Air, Water, & Aquatic Environments Program

              The Air, Water, and Aquatic Environments (AWAE) research program is one of eight Science Program areas within the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS). Our science develops core knowledge, methods, and technologies that enable effective watershed management in forests and grasslands, sustain biodiversity, and maintain healthy watershed conditions.

              Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) Model

                Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model is a cropping systems model that was developed to estimate soil productivity as affected by erosion. EPIC simulates approximately eighty crops with one crop growth model using unique parameter values for each crop. It can be configured for a wide range of crop rotations and other vegetative systems, tillage systems, and other management strategies. It predicts effects of management decisions on soil, water, nutrient and pesticide movements, and their combined impact on soil loss, water quality, and crop yields for areas with homogeneous soils and management.

                iSnobal

                  iSnobal is a physically-based distributed snowmelt model. A coupled energy and mass-balance model iSnobal is used to simulate the development and melting of the seasonal snowcover.

                  Data from: Underestimation of N2O emissions in a comparison of the DayCent, DNDC, and EPIC 1 models

                    Process-based models are increasingly used to study mass and energy fluxes from agro-ecosystems, including nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural fields. This data set is the output of three process-based models – DayCent, DNDC, and EPIC – which were used to simulate fluxes of N2O from dairy farm soils. The individual models' output and the ensemble mean output were evaluated against field observations from two agricultural research stations in Arlington, WI and Marshfield, WI. These sites utilize cropping systems and nitrogen fertilizer management strategies common to Midwest dairy farms.