Starting a Conversation with Nebraskans on Climate Change

Rick Koelsch, UNL Extension

Which of these statements would you identify as FALSE relative to the opinions of Nebraska farmers and ranchers?

• 3 to 11% of Nebraska farmers and ranchers agree with the statement "Climate change is occurring, and it is caused by human activity".

• 60 to 70% of Nebraska farmers/ranchers believe that agriculture should take additional steps to protect farmland from increased weather variability.

• 60 to 70% believe university Extension should help farmers to prepare for increased weather variability.

If you answered that NONE of these statements are FALSE, then you  have a good understanding of the conflicts Nebraskans are experiencing around the issue of climate change. Each of these statements was verified by a survey of 5,000 farmers and ranchers across the north central region including Nebraska.

This is the environment into which Extension is starting a conversation on climate change.  UNL Extension's work group on Resiliency to Extreme Events/Climate Change in Nebraska work group is tackling this issue.  All Extension programs have the potential to be impacted by issues surrounding climate change.  It is important for all Extension professionals to consider how we can succeed in starting this conversation with our clientele.

Extension's Resiliency work group invites all Extension professionals to a webinar "Starting a Conversation with Nebraskans on Climate Change".  The arrangements for participating follow:

Date:  Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Time:  3 to 4 PM Central
Phone Connection:  800-910-2399  passcode 874758#

Web Meeting Room Connection:  http://connect.unl.edu/resiliency

Starting a Conversation with Nebraskans on Climate Change 

Moderator:  Rick Stowell, UNL Biological Systems Engineering (10 minutes each for each panelist)

Farmer/Rancher Perspectives on Climate Change (take home messages from Sustainable Corn/U2U survey of 5000 producers in this region) -  Gordon Arbuckle or Lois Wright Morton, Iowa State University.

Southeast Climate Consortium experience with Learning Communities and other Conversations with Extension Clientele – Wendy-Lin Bartels, Social Scientist, Ag and Bio Engineering at University of Florida.

How Climate Learning Community Has Impacted Alabama Agronomy Extension programs – William Birdsong, Regional Extension Agronomist, Auburn University. 

Lessons Learned from Animal Ag and Changing Climate online course – Rick Stowell

4 to 5 PM - Resiliency Work Group conversation. Contact Rick Koelsch if you wish to participate.