Illinois plays a leading role in American agriculture and urban development. However, this contributes significantly to nutrient loss that affects water quality in the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico. In response, Illinois hasRead More…
There is still time to register for the Regional Conservation Finance Ag Educator Training coming up in just two and a half weeks in Arlington, Wisconsin. Hosted by the Soil Health Nexus, UW-Madison Division of Extension,Read More…
The North Central Region Water Network team is excited to announce the upcoming Climate, Water, and Equity Workshop, set to take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from October 9-11, 2024. This in-person workshop will be held directly ahead of the First American Land-Grant Consortium Annual Conference, hosted from October 10-13, 2024, at the same venue. The event is a collaboration between the Network, The First American Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON), Extension Foundation and partners at Central State University, Lincoln University, University of Minnesota, MU Extension, Nebraska Indian Community College, OSU Extension, and UW-Madison Extension.
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Laura Nagengast grew up on a farm outside Bloomfield, Nebraska, a small farming community with a population of about 1,000 people. Surrounded by corn fields and livestock, as just a young girl Laura developed a strong interest in the environment and conservation practices. Little did she know her early years were so formative they would end up shaping her career. After high school, Laura attended college at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she studied Anthropology and Women Studies. She then advanced to graduate studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), obtaining a Master’s of Public Health degree. During her time at UNMC, Laura worked as a graduate assistant for the Water, Climate, and Health Program.
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Over 43 million people nationwide depend on private wells for drinking water. Kansas follows that trend, with more than 151,000 people sourcing drinking water from domestic private wells, according to the Kansas Geological Survey. Most citizens tout their well water as fresher and cleaner than chemically treated water from municipal water systems.
However, thinking your well water tastes better is very different than knowing your water is safe for consumption, according to Stacie Minson, an extension watershed specialist with the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE) at Kansas State University.
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Seven teams of farmers and farm advisors have been awarded funding from Good Idea Mini-Grants, a program to encourage the implementation of edge-of-field conservation practices on farming operations in the Mississippi River Basin. Selected from amongRead More…
When it comes to creating effective and meaningful educational programming Hannah Nordby has two core principles. First and foremost, consider the audience. Don’t expect people to come to you, meet them where they’re at. Secondly, cultivate engaging learning environments that inspire participants. If we aren’t having fun, why are we doing it? With these two principles in mind, she facilitates conservation leadership and planning programming for Soil Conservation District supervisors and employees across North Dakota.
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This summer, the North Central Agriculture and Climate Conference will unite Extension and agricultural professionals from across the region to spotlight climate adaptation and mitigation research, outreach, and Extension programs. The conference is being hosted by the North Central Climate Collaborative, USDA Midwest Climate Hub, Extension Foundation, North Central Regional Water Network, and partners. The event – which will be July 31st – August 1st at the Peoria Civic Center – will provide ample opportunity for Extension professionals and technical service providers to share their work and gain valuable knowledge on the climate-related work happening across the region. It will also provide a much-needed opportunity to network with other extension professionals from your own institution and connect with extension colleagues from other land-grant institutions across the region.
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Save water. Renew Soils. Support Farms. This is Dr. Mallika Nocco’s vision for the Conservation Irrigation Lab, her research and extension program that recently moved from California (UC-Davis) to Wisconsin (UW-Madison). Dr. Nocco’s mission is to provide science-based information for growers, managers, and policy makers to navigate the ever-changing terrain of sustainable agricultural practices and implement water-saving measures that advance production goals. Her group collaborates across disciplines and believes deeply in the power of applied research and cooperative extension.
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Michigan’s agricultural landscape, while fertile and diverse, grapples with unique challenges including climate variability and evolving concerns around irrigation water use. Irrigation plays an important role in Michigan agriculture. Given the impacts of climate change such as temperature variability and erratic precipitation, it is more important than ever that farmers have the tools to make informed decisions about irrigation water use.
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