Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Midwest Agriculture

How has my state's climate changed over the last few decades?

In what ways are these changes affecting agricultural operations and production?

How can farms adapt to climate change that's already occurring and the changes that are expected in the future?

The Midwest Climate Hub, the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments, the Northern Forests Climate Hub, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science have partnered with an array of Midwest organizations to develop agricultural vulnerability assessments for each state in the region. These assessments, alongside additional state resources, are available below. Each state assessment presents:

• historical climate change that occurred from 1979 to 2021
• projected changes under future greenhouse gas emissions scenarios
• the impacts of these changes (both historical and projected) on agricultural operations
• considerations for adapting agricultural operations to these impacts

The climate metrics presented in these assessments include temperature, precipitation, humidity, and their extremes. Download the assessments below and access accompanying state resources and information.

The methods associated with these assessments are described here.

Illinois

Partners

• Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments
• Northern Forests Climate Hub
• Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Additional Resources from Illinois

Report: An Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Illinois (2021)

• This assessment was led by The Nature Conservancy in Illinois and explores the impacts of climate change on water resources, agriculture, public health, and ecosystems.

Extension Guide: The Illinois Agronomy Handbook (Updated 2021)

• Chapter 1: Weather, Climate, and Agriculture

Web Resource: University of Illinois Extension Page for Weather and Climate

Minnesota

Partners

• University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
• Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments
• Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
• Northern Forests Climate Hub
• Ohio State University 
• Michigan State University

Additional Resources from Minnesota

Minnesota CliMAT - Climate Mapping and Analysis Tool

Agricultural and Horticultural Decision Support Tools for Minnesota

Minnesota's Climate Action Framework

• Explore the Action Framework documents here

Minnesota Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment

• Minnesota forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: a report from the Northwoods Climate Change Response Framework project (2014)

Climate Change Field Guide for Forest Adaptation

• Climate Change Field Guide for Northern Minnesota Forests (2017)

Wisconsin State Climatology Office

Wisconsin

Partners

• University of Wisconsin-Madison 
• Clean Wisconsin
• Ohio State University 
• Michigan State University
• Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments
• Northern Forests Climate Hub
• Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

Additional Resources from Wisconsin

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts Agriculture Working Group

• Report: Improving climate change mitigation and resiliency across Wisconsin’s agriculture industry (2021)

Climate Change Field Guides for Forest Adaptation

• Climate Change Field Guide for Southern Wisconsin Forests (2021)
• Climate Change Field Guide for Northern Wisconsin Forests (2020)

Wisconsin State Climatology Office

More State-Level Assessments Coming Soon

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• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Ohio