New Role at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach works to increase climate literacy and expand agricultural conservation across the state
Madelynn Wuestenberg began her role with Iowa State University in January 2024, where she serves as an Agricultural Climatologist, specializing in environmental interactions and feedbacks with the atmosphere. Her love for the Iowa State Cyclones runs deep after earning her Bachelor of Science in meteorology and Master of Science in agricultural meteorology, both at Iowa State.
In her current role, Madelynn provides educational programs for increasing climate literacy and expanding conservation adoption across the state. She works closely with regional partners to bring new programs to Iowa, enhance reach, develop new decision-making tools, and empower Iowans to increase sustainability and resiliency in their production systems. The best part of her job is learning from producers and partners about the challenges they face, the creative ways they have overcome challenges, and how she might better serve them.
When she is not traveling the state delivering various programs on climate modeling, trends and weather variability, and climate tools for agricultural decision-making, Madelynn is working to develop new programming, release timely ag-climate outlooks, and contribute to the What in the Weather podcast.
“It is exciting to provide climate expertise for various agricultural systems, such as row crops, specialty crops, and livestock,” notes Madelynn.
Madelynn also serves as the vice president of the Central Iowa National Weather Association. She values collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and working with students interested in atmospheric sciences to build the next generation of climate-informed professionals.
Whether engaging with farmers at events, developing climate outreach materials, or collaborating with researchers and other partners, Madelynn remains driven by a long-term mission: providing decision-makers with the tools and knowledge to build a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future with increased diversity and cleaner air and water.
Madelynn Wuestenberg
Madelynn serves as agricultural climatology specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach where she worked to engage with farmers and the ag industry on climate-related issues that impact agriculture. Wuestenberg earned her bachelor of science degree in meteorology from Iowa State in 2022 and her master’s in agricultural meteorology in 2023. She grew up in Slater and both of her parents come from farming families. She is a member of the Central Iowa National Weather Association and is also active with the American Meteorological Society. Her role is supported by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture Climate Hub and she will collaborate and leverage expertise with the Hub and the state climatologist to address needs in Iowa.