DES MOINES, Iowa - A recent webinar hosted by the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) explored the effects of climate variability on soil and water health. Presented in conjunction with the issuance of a special climate change edition of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, several speakers who authored papers for the magazine gave brief overviews sharing highlights from their work in climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and practices during the webinar. 

“Climate change is happening. We see it around us every day,” according to Dr. Jean Steiner, adjunct professor of agronomy at Kansas State University and senior science coordinator for the Sustainable Southwest Beef Project at New Mexico State University. “Extreme events are projected to increase with our warmer climate, and we are already seeing this in many situations. The extreme events are the costliest and the most damaging to health, infrastructure and the environment.”

While Steiner’s thoughts did not break any new ground, they served to underscore the message the SWCS seems to be conveying: the U.S. needs to embrace climate change reality and establish viable climate stabilization goals. 

“For the environment I think it is very important to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This has been a focus for decades globally through the Paris Agreement and other agreements. There’s been a lot of national legislation in the last few years in the U.S. to try to advance our progress,” said Steiner. “I think focus on soil health and carbon sequestration is very important, which our conservation community is very positioned to play a lead role in.”

Mitigation of sensitive infrastructures and management of fragile ecosystems must also be increased in order to meet necessary climate stabilization goals, Steiner added. Another mitigation option mentioned by Steiner in both the April 27 webinar and her magazine article is a little-used livestock feed additive that is said to reduce natural methane emissions.

Webinar speaker and article author Steve Young of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) said climate change and extreme weather is shifting the geographical scope of insect and bacterial diseases in crops while robbing producers of yield, while causing loss of biodiversity in natural areas and increased use of inputs for crop production. 

“We are seeing that pests are moving more widely and persisting longer under drought conditions. They are proving very adaptive under some of these extreme conditions,” said Young, a national program leader for USDA-ARS. In addition, he noted “the variability associated with climate change and increased atmospheric activity are making even more difficult the challenge of managing invasive annual grasses. The projection is that they are going to spread with future climate conditions.”

Organization and collaboration across the research community and with land managers will be required to strategically develop and implement practices leading to proactive management of invasive annual grasses, Young concluded. 

Another presenter, Dr. Joel Brown, rangeland ecologist for USDA’s Southwest Regional Climate Hub, said climate variability is taking its toll on U.S. rangeland. He noted that many rangelands have lost their ability to provide “important ecosystem services” due to climate change. 

“Our research and observations provide very strong evidence that these changes will not be easily reversed on demand,” said Brown. “Those climate change effects that we are all very aware of (include) more frequent and intense rainfall events that make management responses much more difficult. We need policy programs along with management strategies and tools to overcome those challenges.”

Rachel E. Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, wound up the webinar by suggesting that both new and existing government-funded conservation programs must be fully employed to combat the effects of climate change on U.S. soil and water. Further government investment in agricultural research will also be key in combating climate variability, she added. 

“We know there are sometimes less monies available for things like land grant university research programs in some areas of the country, so we need to fund those a little more fully. There are things we don’t yet know about how to build resiliency and sustainability and regeneration into economically viable agricultural systems, so there is a lot to work on,” said Schattman.

“Secondly, I think we can leverage and expand educational programs, technical assistance and financial assistance for farmers. To do this well we have to make sure we are listening to farmers when they tell us what kind of support they need, because it’s going to be different for every sector and community. Third, we need to invest in professional development opportunities for agricultural advisors, people who work day to day with farmers getting them services.”

Learn more about SWCS webinars at www.swcs.org/events/webinars.