Our webinars build on capacity within USDA and with our partners to deliver science-based knowledge and practical information to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners.
Browse below for a list of archived events. Learn about upcoming, new webinars by joining our regional e-newsletter, The Quarterly Harvest or following us on X (Twitter).
Changing Characteristics of Precipitation and Drought in the Northeast U.S.
This talk presents a literature review and research on how characteristics of precipitation and drought have been changing in the Northeast United States. The webinar presenters discuss previous and new research on changes in the last several decades in precipitation and drought in the Northeast, including snowfall and the number of days with snow on the ground.
Climate-Smart Forestry on Private Lands
A view on how to implement, test and scale climate-smart forestry. This webinar will also explore the intersection with markets and how climate-smart forestry can underpin a growing bio-economy and mechanisms to bring climate-smart forestry to scale through leveraged public/private financing approaches.
How Carbon Credits Influence Commercial Forest Management?
Carbon Credit Programs are becoming more common among commercial landowners, but what does that mean? What motivates participation, and what behaviors have changed? What are the opportunity costs of participation?
Indigenous Perspectives on Novel Forests and Ecosystem Change
For hundreds of years Indigenous people have maintained relationships with forests despite massive social, environmental, and economic change. This talk will put the concepts of novel forests and ecosystem change into conversation with long-term Indigenous perspectives. The talk will provide insights into how Indigenous leadership can develop 21st century forestry that respects all species and peoples while confronting our current social, environmental, and economic challenges.
Climate-Smart Forest Management in the Urban Context
This talk will focus on applications of climate readiness to the management and monitoring of forested natural areas, with a focus on New York City. The Natural Areas Conservancy and NYC Parks will discuss a framework for understanding forest health, new approaches to adapting management and restoration practices to a changing climate, and the importance of urban forested natural areas in mitigating the impacts of climate change for New Yorkers.
Climate-Smart Forestry: Research on Programs and Incentives
Programs and incentives for climate-smart forestry aim to inform landowners and practitioners of the potential benefits of climate-smart forest management and promote climate-smart practices on the ground. For example, recent initiatives such as the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program and the Inflation Reduction Act have provided funding to support agricultural and forestry practices that help mitigate the impacts of and adapt to climate change. This presentation features a review of programs and incentives for forest landowners and communities to implement climate-smart forestry practices in the U.S.
Why the Farm Bill could shape solutions for small landowners from all walks of life?
Producers and land managers are experiencing firsthand the impacts of climate change caused by the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. With support from USDA NRCS, farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners across the nation’s working lands can contribute to climate solutions.
Forest Fires in California’s New Climate Reality: There is Hope
Past forest management in frequent-fire adapted forests has increased their fire hazards and vulnerability to widespread drought/bark beetle mortality and climate change is making this situation even worse. While there are big challenges to conserving these forests in the western US we have the research and tools to move forward. Partnerships with Indigenous people could accelerate this process.
What Does Adaptive Silviculture Look Like?
Climate change increases uncertainty about future conditions and creates new challenges for those who are interested in sustaining healthy forests over the long term. A suite of Forest Adaptation Resources have been developed to support landowners and practitioners in pursuing climate-adaptive management practices, using diverse silvicultural approaches to meet the unique needs of specific sites and projects. Building upon these resources, the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project is a collaborative effort that has established a series of experimental silvicultural trials across a network of different forest ecosystem types throughout the United States and Canada.
Carbon and Climate-Smart Forestry: Forest Protection and Management Options for Climate Mitigation
This talk will provide a broad overview of the many ways humans can protect, expand, or manage forest for climate mitigation. The talk will provide a brief historical overview of recent renewed interest in forest climate mitigation, forest carbon cycling, and estimates of carbon stocks and removal rates in response to various forest protection and management options.
What is Climate Smart Forestry?
Steven McNulty a USDA Forest Service senior research ecologist, and the Director of the USDA Southeast Climate Hub located in Research Triangle Park, NC discusses the in and outs of climate smart forestry.
Wood Harvesting and Storage (Wood Vault): A low cost and easily scalable way to remove atmospheric CO2 to fight climate change
The US National Academy of Sciences believes that carbon removal and storage should be part of the global climate mitigation portfolio. One of the easiest, quickest to scale, and least expensive methods is wood harvest and storage. This approach relies on burying waste wood or non-merchantable timber such as from fire thinnings. Buried in an environment without oxygen, the carbon stored is stable for centuries.
Food Waste and Greenhouse Gas: Understanding and Reducing Emissions in Agriculture and Forestry
Learn how citizens can help farms and landfills reduce greenhouse gases - while saving money, land area, and natural resources by reducing food waste.
Delmarva and the Ground for Change: USDA Climate Hubs Live Virtual Panel Q&A
Join the USDA Climate Hubs and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, to sit down with the filmmaker, USDA soil experts, and farmers featured in Delmarva and the Ground for Change.
Land Use and Greenhouse Gas: Understanding and Reducing Emissions in Agriculture and Forestry
This webinar will help land owners consider how to 'activate' idle land using afforestation, bioenergy feedstocks, solar, new food production, and other methods. Registration is for the entire two hour session.
Climate Adaptation Resources for Northern New England Farmers, Part 1: Livestock Enterprises
There are benefits and drawbacks of silvopasture systems as climate adaptation strategies. Farmers, educators, and technical service providers will learn about the online tools and resources that are available to help determine if these practices are a good fit for a particular farm operation.
Climate Adaptation Resources for Northern New England Farmers, Part 2: Vegetable Production Systems
There are benefits and drawbacks of tarping and irrigation systems as climate adaptation strategies. Farmers, educators, and technical service providers will learn about the online tools and resources that are available to help determine if these practices are a good fit for a particular farm operation.
Documenting and Managing Field Nitrogen Use for Greenhouse Gas Reduction
The adaptive management strategy for field crop management introduced in NY in 2013, affords farm autonomy and decision making for site-specific problem solving and tracks issues and successes. Combined, anonymized data from participating farms can help identify practices and policies that incentivize improvements over time.
Organic Nitrogen Management for Greenhouse Gas Reduction in Agroecosystems
Field data obtained in Central Pennsylvania and in Sardinia, Italy indicates that large N2O emissions happen in cover cropped and manured soils, particularly with inversion tillage that buries and packs manure or cover crop residues in a thin soil layer. This research suggests that controlling the rate and timing of organic input additions, as well as preventing the co-location of legume cover crops and manure, could mitigate N2O emissions.
Understanding and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Agriculture and Forestry: Forests
Learn how greenhouse gases (GHG) can be reduced through forests.
Understanding and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Agriculture and Forestry: Livestock
Learn how greenhouse gases (GHG) can be reduced on farms in regards to livestock and feed management planning.
Understanding and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Agriculture and Forestry: Soils
Learn how you can help reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) on working lands.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: How Much C Sequestration can Organic Amendments Achieve? [Part 7]
In part 7, Explore case studies that look at the impacts of manure and compost amendments on soil carbon sequestration in agricultural ecosystems.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: How Can We Increase Carbon Stocks in Deep Soil? [Part 6]
In part 6, learn about the historic changes in rooting depth that have changed soil development, and then about the outlooks for breeding crops with root characteristics to build soil carbon.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: When is Cover Cropping an Effective and Affordable Practice to Increase Soil Carbon? [Part 5]
In part 5, cover the economics and soil carbon impacts of adopting cover crops.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: How Does Tillage affect Soil Carbon Sequestration? [Part 4]
In part 4, we look at how tillage management influences soil carbon storage and net greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: When Does Increased Soil Carbon Storage Yield Net Removal of Greenhouse Gases? [Part 3]
In part 3, learn how practices that increase soil organic carbon impact emissions of nitrous oxide and whether storing more carbon is enough to offset nitrous oxide emissions.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: What Emerging Approaches can Enable Widespread Soil Carbon Measurement and Monitoring? [Part 2]
In part 2, learn about developing approaches to quantify soil carbon that could enable widespread measurement and monitoring.
Critical Questions in Soil Carbon Sequestration: Stakeholder Perspectives [Part 1]
The first in a seven-part webinar series intended for researchers, natural resource professionals, and producers who want to be informed on the science of improving soil management for climate mitigation and adaptation.
Climate Change and On-Farm Water Management
A webinar in a series organized by the Maine Climate & Ag Network, this session will consider the benefits of irrigation as a method for adapting to climate change from the economist's perspective.
Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Forests
The latest on how coastal forests regionally and in New Jersey are responding to rising seas and storm intensity. And how this information can be used for decision making and potential management approaches
Salt Water Intrusion in the Long Island Sound Area and What Farmers and Land Managers Can Do to Minimize Its Impact
A webinar geared to provide information to farmers and landowners on how to cope with saltwater intrusion in the Long Island Sound region of New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Benefits and Costs of Maine's Natural Climate Solutions Part 1: Agriculture
Learn about the economic and environmental benefits, costs, and mitigation potential of implementing various agricultural natural climate solutions.
Benefits and Costs of Natural Climate Solutions in Maine - Part 2: Forestry
Learn about the economic and environmental benefits, costs, and mitigation potential of implementing natural climate solutions in Maine’s forests.
Helping Farmers Help the Land Through Climate Smart Farming
The climate is changing which affects how we farm. Join this webinar to learn about how farmers can adapt to those changes by improving natural resources.
Marketing Soil Carbon Storage on a 2,000 acre Regenerative Organic Grain Farm in NY
Join this webinar to learn about how a working farm is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering carbon. The presentation will also address how a farm can earn income for its carbon offsets.
Emergency Preparation & Dealing with COVID-19 on Farms: Alternative Marketing Strategies to Stay in Business
Small farmers and extension agents working with small farmers will learn best practices for communicating with consumers and meeting their needs in current times. Attendees will learn about available resources to help them manage logistics of the Covid-19 health crisis on their farms. Presenters will share information and solutions from the experts and answer questions from participants.
Inclusivity in Cooperative Extension Programming, With an Emphasis on Natural Resources and Climate Change
In this webinar, researchers will share lessons learned about effectively reaching people and how the demographics of stakeholders need to be considered. Understanding what people know and perceive is key to designing effective educational programs, engaging in collective conversations, and then building effective partnerships that find solutions for environmental problems that benefit the community.
Dairy Feed and Manure Management: Adapting to Climate Change While Balancing Water and Air Resources with Farm Viability
This webinar is intended for technicians and educators who are looking to assist dairy farmers in navigating options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (via dairy feed and manure management systems).
Healthy Soils for a Sustainable Future: Soil Health and Greenhouse Gases
This webinar is intended for technicians and educators who are looking to assist landowners in navigating options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from soil through soil carbon and nitrogen management.
Preparing Small Farms for Current Market Demands: How to Use Alternative Marketing Strategies and Farmers Markets & Maintaining Farmers Health During the Covid-19 Health Crisis
This webinar is intended for small farmers (and extension agents working with small farmers) to learn about available resources for marketing, reaching out to consumers, and using alternative marketing strategies. Participate to learn about how to sustain and grow a farm business during and after the Covid-19 health crisis.
What are the Economic, Water Quality, and Climate Impacts of Soil Health? 'Soil Health Successful Farmer' Case Studies Tell the Story
Learn how soil health practices can improve farm income, reduce nutrient runoff, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on individual farms. Participate in this webinar to learn about the economic findings related to changes in costs, revenues, yield, and return on investment. Hear individual stories about how nutrient and pesticide applications changed in response to soil health practices.
Tribal SCAN Network: Web Portal for Climate Station Data and Decision Tools
Participants will learn about a new website for climate station data. A demonstration of the website will include decision support tools for agriculture and STEM education.
OpenTEAM: Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management
Join this presentation to be introduced to OpenTEAM, or Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management. This is a farmer/rancher-driven project to provide interoperability and site specific decision support to diverse production systems, scales, and geographies. OpenTEAM technology includes field-level carbon measurement, digital management records, remote sensing, predictive analytics, and input and economic management decision support in a connected suite.
Sequestering Carbon in Agricultural Soils: What Works?
Learn how carbon is sequestered in agricultural soils and how agriculture can contribute to climate change mitigation and help Maryland reach its GHG reduction goals
Impacts and Opportunities of Climate Change on Northeast Crops and Livestock: Part 2
Northeast Climate Hub partners have published two new studies exploring how a changing climate is affecting regional crops and livestock - hear from the lead authors of these studies.
Impacts and Opportunities of Climate Change on Northeast Crops and Livestock: Part 1
Northeast Climate Hub partners have published two new studies exploring how a changing climate is affecting regional crops and livestock - hear from the lead authors of these studies.
A New Shallow Groundwater Well for Small Agriculture Supply
Webinar participants will learn how shallow groundwater from glacial till aquifers can provide a high quality water supply for agricultural and domestic use.
Who Needs Irrigation in the Northeast?
This webinar will cover recent and ongoing research designed to help Northeast vegetable producers improve on-farm water efficiency.
Agroforestry in a Changing Climate: Challenges, Opportunities and Resources for the Mid-Atlantic
An introduction to the emerging climate challenges over the next century focused on regions within the Mid-Atlantic, and the potential opportunities agroforestry can provide in mitigation and adaptation.
Runoff Forecasting Tools in Nutrient Management
This webinar will provide an overview of several runoff forecasting tools that are being developed for nutrient management in the Northeastern U.S.
Energy Strategies for Farm Resilience in the Northeast
This webinar looks at how energy-oriented design and operation can impact the resilience (the capacity to recover quickly from challenges) and long term success of farm operations, as well as identify common energy strategies for farm viability and resilience.
Agricultural Decision Tools from the Cornell Climate Smart Farming Program and the Network for Environment and Weather Applications
Learn how to navigate the Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) and Cornell Climate Smart Farming (CSF) Program websites and use their agricultural decision-making tools based on weather and climate.
Automated Access to Free NOAA Weather Data for Use in Ag Decision Models
Use available UNIX-based scripts to automate access to free weather data from NOAA/NWS databases, as well as examples of how such data can be translated into weather-based farm management decisions by automated analysis and export of presentation graphics through Microsoft Excel.
Best Management Practices for On-Farm Climate Change Resilience in the Northeast: Social, Ecological and Economic Implications
Participants will become aware of the social, ecological and economic drivers and implications of certain management practices that may reduce farm-scale risks producers in the northeast face because of climate change.
Climate Change Impacts on Nutrient Runoff and the Effectiveness of Best Management Practices
Participate to understand collaborative modeling approaches that are available to assess the impacts of climate change on critical source areas (CSAs) of watershed nutrient pollution (e.g., N,P,TSS), how best management practices (BMPs) will perform under alternative climate trends, and possible extension approaches to improve BMP adoption.
Climate Change and its Effects on Animal Agriculture
Participate in this webinar to understand the current and potential effects that climate change will have on livestock farmers across the country.
Cornell's Climate Smart Farming Program: Research, Tools, and Extension Support for Farmers in NY and the Northeast
Learn how climate change is affecting agriculture in the Northeast, and how Cornell University is developing new resources through its Climate Smart Farming (CSF) program to help farmers to make more informed decisions to increase resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the face of climate change.
Emerging Manure to Energy Technologies - Are Cost Effective Small Scale Digesters Possible?
Participate to understand the potential viability of small-scale manure digesters and available resources through the REAP program and how to leverage with other federal programs.