• Resilience/Adaptation and Economic Benefits
Each farm will write a whole-farm plan
o
Extension and Foundation Outreach
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o Extension or Extension Foundation will conduct outreach to Congress, with inclusion of program participants, to showcase the need for and value of this program and to include it in future USDA and Farm Bill mission and goal language
Key Activities: Extension envisions a series of activities that could make these outcomes possible, including:
Research and Assessment
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o Conduct a needs assessment spanning: anticipated climate impacts, climate challenges for farmers/ranchers/foresters/communities and identify how Extension can help fulfill these needs o Identify technical assistance providers and their needs and identify technical service provider needs and those of their peers
o Review available data, model policies, planning templates and maps
Engagement and Collaboration
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o Hold listening sessions with existing and prospective collaborators, including nonprofits and agencies
Funding and Resources
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o Secure funds for activities that will advance this model. This includes but is not limited to facilitation, grant-writing support, program maintenance, research, and volunteer network incentives as well as climate tools, apps, and demonstrations.
Human Resources and Expertise
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o Elevate internal knowledge transfer from specialists to personnel and where gaps exist, hire diverse new employees with unique expertise, insights, and climate specialization
o Hire specialist positions for climate to be able to address common questions/needs. They could speak climate science for local specialists in beef, dairy, forests, etc. Complement with a social scientist position who knows how to engage people who might not believe in climate change or other related issues.
• Information Sharing and Capacity Building
o Develop Extension Foundation capacity to serve as a clearing house for climate change information and complete integration of the three Land-grant university systems
o Develop ECOP Climate PAT NOAA narrative with community resilience relayed as a baseline
o Conduct awareness-raising educational events to build capacity and preparedness for communities
• Technology Adoption and Climate Data Utilization
o Adopt technologies to reduce fossil fuel use in ag production, such as but not limited to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) adoption
o Translate climate data into usable information for decision-makers, such as via published needs assessments
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