COLUMBUS, Ohio – A team of researchers, educators and Exension experts led by Ohio State University has received a $10 million grant from the USDA to advance climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) and enhance the climate resilience of farmers in the Midwest. The project is funded through USDA’s flagship Sustainable Agricultural Systems program.

The project aims to co-create solutions with farmers to improve water quality, carbon sequestration and overall farm viability.

In the United States, advancements in specialized farming methods for crops and livestock have boosted efficiency and productivity. However, these improvements have drawbacks such as declines in soil health and organic matter, water quality challenges, loss of biodiversity and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events.

New CSAPs have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon storage, improve resilience to climate change and ensure the viability of farms. However, traditional, top-down approaches to boost adoption have been slow. This project focuses on working with farmers from the ground up to overcome barriers and find innovative approaches that can accelerate their use on Midwest farms.

“This is an unprecedented investment by the USDA in a farmer-led response to address water quality and carbon sequestration challenges in agriculture,” said Douglas Jackson-Smith, project lead, professor and holder of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystems Management in OSU’s College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “We’ll be engaging farmers in Ohio and Missouri, major farm states with different natural environments where the impacts of climate variability on CSAP performance can be compared across time and space.

“With this investment, we will spur innovation clusters where farmers themselves identify and overcome logistical, agronomic and economic barriers that make it difficult for them to use conservation practices. We believe farmer leadership through collaborative on-farm research and peer-to-peer learning networks are key to finding realistic solutions that really work on the farm.”

Cathann A. Kress, OSU vice president of agricultural administration and CFAES dean, said, “At the core, we value the discovery, translation and sharing of knowledge toward impactful outcomes. This transformation investment by USDA allows us to cultivate enduring partnerships and advance new collaborations with farmers in Ohio and the Midwest, driving innovation to support the resilience and viability of agriculture within its ecosystems.”

In addition to empowering farmers to lead the design and innovation of practical approaches to climate-smart farming, the project will provide opportunities to train the next generation of students in the use of on-farm research and community stockholder collaborations as strategies to address future farming system challenges. 

Although led by Ohio State, the project will also involve close partnerships with researchers, Extension staff and students at Central State University, the University of Missouri, Lincoln University Missouri and Solutions from the Land.

“Solutions from the Land is thrilled to be part of this project,” said the organization’s President Ernie Shea, who is also serving as a co-principal investigator on the project. “Our role isn’t just about coordination, it’s about catalyzing meaningful change. From facilitating farmer engagement to mobilizing key stakeholders, we’re weaving together a tapestry of knowledge and action. This isn’t just a project, it’s a movement, and we’re honored to be at the forefront of it.”

Shea added that it’s vital to make students a key target in this effort.

“By equipping students with these strategies, we’re fostering a generation of visionaries who understand the intricacies of farming systems and the power of climate-smart practices,” Shea said. “In an era of evolving challenges, from climate change to food security. It’s imperative that we not only work on solving present-day concerns alongside farmers, scientists and researchers, but it is just as important to cultivate a cohort of future problem-solvers who can navigate the complexities of agriculture with both skill and empathy in the years to come.”