USDA official describes agency's climate research plans

Outlining new federal research initiatives to support sustainable agriculture, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official met with California Farm Bureau Federation policy experts in Sacramento last week to discuss steps the agency is taking to address various aspects of climate change.

Ann Bartuska, USDA deputy undersecretary for research, education and economics, said the agency has established "regional hubs" to research risks of climate variability, such as wildfires, invasive pests, floods and droughts, on a regional basis. Known as Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, the operations have now been established at seven locations around the country, including a "sub hub" at the University of California, Davis.

Bartuska said the research centers will help translate science and research into information that farmers, ranchers and forest landowners can use to adjust their operations to shifting climate conditions. The Davis center will focus on specialty crops and on Southwestern forests.

"Unpredictability of the weather is shaking out to be a significant piece in farming," Bartuska said. "There are a lot of emerging issues that researchers are looking at, including drought in the West."

Referring to activities related to climate variability, Bartuska said USDA wants "to find out what practices can be used, as well as ways to increase efficiencies and reduce natural resources uses."

Cynthia Cory, CFBF environmental affairs director, said she welcomed the opportunity to work with federal researchers to prioritize sustainability efforts and help farmers and ranchers continue their work to incorporate new findings. Cory suggested better integration of research across federal agencies would be helpful to agriculture, compared to using a "silo approach."

"We're trying to make the case for better integration of research efforts and more effective investment of time and financial resources," Cory said.

For example, she cited the new California Department of Food and Agriculture State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program as an opportunity for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to work with state agencies to help quantify the water efficiency, reduced greenhouse-gas emissions and any other environmental benefits that will result from water conservation measures implemented using these funds. CDFA is in the process of awarding $10 million in grants authorized by emergency drought legislation. Cory said this could serve as a pilot to ascertain whether NRCS standards could provide verifiable results that could be used in a number of circumstances.

Cory said agreed-upon quantification measures, access to advanced technology and a system for integrating research findings for practical action would be most helpful to California farmers and ranchers in the long run.

The USDA has posted information about its climate hubs online at www.usda.gov/climatechange.

(Kate Campbell is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at kcampbell@cfbf.com.)