Resiliency Series Session 2: Preparedness in Agriculture

Resiliency Series Session 2: Preparedness in Agriculture

Trends toward warmer, wetter, and more humid conditions provide challenges for agricultural field work, increased pressure from disease and pests, and reduce agricultural yields. These challenges may reach the extent that they can be only partially overcome by technology. These trends also amplify the effects of existing stressors such as invasive species, insect pests, and plant disease on the region’s natural resources. Natural resource managers are taking steps to address these issues by increasing the diversity of trees and introducing species suitable for a changing climate.  Source: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/midwest/topic/midwest-us-climate-resiliency-toolkit.

Our presenter for this session will be Dennis Todey, the Director of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, IA.

Dennis Todey is the Director of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, Iowa. He is a native Iowan with his BS and PhD from Iowa State in Meteorology and Agricultural Meteorology. He has spent two stints in South Dakota, first completing his MS at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and most recently as Associate Professor and State Climatologist for South Dakota at South Dakota State University. He is well known regionally as a speaker and media source on various climate issues and is the former president of the American Association of State Climatologists.

Information on the Community Resiliency Discussion Series:

The Morris Model plans to bring together our community leaders and members to discuss resiliency every 4th Tuesday of the month from 6-7 PM virtually. Resiliency is the ability of a system or a community to survive disruption and to anticipate, adapt, and flourish in the face of change.

The Morris Model is proud to announce for Morris Model Resiliency Discussion Series that will occur this year.  Continuing on the momentum of the Rural Climate Dialogues in 2014 and the creation of the Morris Model Strategic Plan in 2018, the Morris Model team will be facilitating a series of seven monthly, hour-long online discussions with regional experts on the importance of incorporating resilience-minded strategies and forward-thinking, cost-effective investments to improve the readiness of the community for future predicted impacts to the following aspects of the community:

1. Agriculture
2. Outdoor recreation and natural resources
3. Community Health
4. Infrastructure and utilities
5. Business/industry/finance
6. Culture and community identity

Visit www.morrismodel.org/resiliency-series to view the upcoming meetings and to learn more about the discussion series, and reach out to morrismodelinfo@gmail.com with any questions.