Fall 2020 - Issue 1
USDA California Climate Hub
News & Notes
Climate Change and California Agriculture: Stories of Impacts and Adaptation
From water resources to chill hours, from heat extremes to frost events, climate change will have significant effects on California agriculture. California's fruit and nut crops may be especially hard-hit given that some on-farm practices for adapting to a changing climate -- like planting new varieties -- are done on decadal rather than annual time scales in these crop systems. In this story map, we provide a broad overview of the fruit and nut crop landscape in California, and highlight some of the challenges these crops may face in a warmer future, as well as highlight a few options for adaptation.
Full Belly Farm. Photo by Diana Rothery
Adapting the Farm
Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley of Yolo County has prioritized a number of practices that support their long-term production sustainability and serve as an example of climate-adaptive management. Check out our story map on how Full Belly has identified and implemented farm management practices that help them adapt to climate change and fit within their overall operational goals.
Soil Amendments Fact Sheet Series
In partnership with the Working Lands Innovation Center at UC Davis' John Muir Institute of the Environment, the Hub has developed a fact sheet series on soil amendments and carbon farming.

Natural and working lands play a vital role in helping California meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.
There is huge potential to store carbon in soils on croplands and rangelands in California using soil amendments. In addition to enhancing soil carbon sequestration, soil amendments may provide co-benefits to growers such as increased crop and forage yields and improved soil health.

The Working Lands Innovation Center is testing the carbon sequestration potential of compost, pulverized rock, and biochar amendments and calculating co-benefits to growers. This work contributes to the growing knowledge of carbon farming and provides resources to aid the technical assistance community in advising growers on practical application of soil amendments.

Read more and find the fact sheets here!
In Every Issue...
Climate, Drought, and Fire Outlooks
For more information on the climate, drought, soil moisture, or fire outlooks, click on the images below.
Warmer than normal October temperatures are expected.
Normal precipitation conditions are expected for October.
Drought conditions currently impact about 41% of the state's population.
Drought is expected to linger through fall in NorCal, and develop in SoCal. Likely a result of LaNina.
Normal soil moisture is expected for October.
For more on the fire outlook for Northern California, click here.

For more on the fire outlook for Southern California, click here.
In the News
  • The September 2nd Southwest Climate Adaptation Center podcast covered USDA Rural Development and financing climate adaptation. The October 7th podcast will cover fire topics. Check it out!
  • The UC Davis podcast Unfold spent Season 1 talking about feeding a growing population. Season 2 is all about the science and impacts of and solutions to climate change.
  • A new study from UC Davis found that the number of high-severity wildfires in Northern California has increased by 10% each decade over the past 35 years and that climate change is playing a role.
  • A study from the University of California, Davis, found that grasslands and rangelands are more resilient carbon sinks than forests in 21st century California.
  • Consumer demands for sustainable clothing is driving an increase in sustainable and climate-smart cotton production in California.
  • Fire, smoke, heat, drought -- how climate change could spoil your next glass of California Cabernet

Events

October 7th, 14th, 21st, & 28th UC Davis Adaptive and Resilient Food Systems Workshop Presentations.

October 20-22 NOAA's 45th Climate Diagnostics and Predictions (Virtual) Workshop

November 23 11AM PST
CA-NV DEWS Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar

January 25 NIACS Adaptation Planning and Practices Online Courses
Opportunities

Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program and Research to Grass Roots Program grants are currently open.
Proposals due in November
Get Involved!
We encourage you to be in touch if we can be of service or assistance. Contact Hub Director Steve Ostoja and check out the California Climate Hub website for more information.

Have something you'd like us to share with our newsletter recipients? Know of a colleague who should be a part of our Spotlight series? Please let us know! Contact Hub Postdoctoral Fellow Lauren Parker.
The USDA California Climate Hub within the Agricultural Research Service at the UC Davis John Muir Institute works with partners across federal and state agencies, universities, and industry to help enable climate-informed decision making and advance the adaptive capacity for California's working and managed agricultural, range, and forest lands. Through these newsletters we share news and information of relevance and interest to our stakeholders.