Is your state in a risk-colored section of this map? According to NOAA’s three-month Spring Outlook, you need to be ready with your best mitigation and preparedness tips and education.
Check out the resources on the EDEN website and eXtension. Each site’s search function features additional excellent resources.
What are your favorite flood mitigation and preparedness resources?
Our colleague and eXtension Virtual3d Developer, LuAnn Phillips, has a hit on her hands. The Winter Safety Game was launched last month and will remain available in Second Life until March 20.
The game’s challenge is to prepare for a winter blizzard and then travel safely across the mountains to a birthday party. Along the way, players will encounter hazards to overcome, questions to answer and problems to solve.
Response to the game has been outstanding. In the first four weeks, the game has been played by more than 8,000 visitors. With a free Second Life account, you can access the game. Instructions and more information can be found on the extension.org website.
From NOAA/National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center outlook maps of lagged soil moisture for next couple months.
Kim Cassel
Kim Cassel
The drought monitor released today shows little change in the expanse and severity of the drought particularly in the center part of the country.
Kim Cassel
As cold, snow, ice and wind blanket much of the nation, the EDEN Snow and Ice page has been updated with University and Federal Resources with reminders about safety outside, in the home and on the farm. Not a new “disaster” for most, but with so many folks visiting and traveling these resources are a good reminder of safe practices in the home and on the farm. Of course if not travel is advised, folks should heed the warnings but when traveling in winter weather folks should travel with a winter survival kit.
Kim Cassel
Today’s weekly U.S. Drought Monitor update shows that roughly 62 percent of the continental U.S. remains in some form of drought, unchanged from the previous week. That number has been above 60 percent largely since July. Nearly 22 percent of the lower 48 states are in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories. That’s up a half of a percentage point from a week earlier.
This update does not consider the current storm going through the center of the country.
Kim Cassel
A reminder of the Ag in Uncertain Times webinar Friday December 7, 2012, 12:00 Eastern/11:00 Central/10:00 Mountain/9:00 Pacific – Tax and Financial Risks Due to Drought and Disaster
The webinar is part of a series by the North Central Risk Management Education Center and co-hosted by the Agriculture and Applied Economics Section (Extension Section) and is being hosted by Montana State University Technology at this link – http://msuextensionconnect.org/aginuncertaintimes
The third webinar is set for January 22, 2013 and will address strategies for the coming production year with uncertain institutional, production, and market risks.
Kim Cassel Dec 7 AgInUncertainTimes_FLYER
The November 29, 2012 BBC article “Canadian ‘eco-terrorist’ surrenders in the US” is another example that indicates the agriculture and natural resources industry is at risk of terrorism. Although the BBC reported it as an “eco terrorist,” the accused actions of Rebecca Jeanette Rubin fit the definition of agroterrorism. Rubin is accused of being part of a group linked to arson attacks in the western U.S. from 1996 to 2001.
“The damage to the targets, including forest ranger stations and meat processing plants, ran to more than $40m (£25m).”
Agroterrorism is a relatively new term that was evolving before the September 11, 2001 attacks that focused the American public’s attention toward terrorism. There are many definitions of agroterrorism, but all generally revolve around this idea from a University of Florida Extension publication: “Agroterrorism is the deliberate introduction of detrimental agents, biological and otherwise, into the agricultural and food processing system with the intent of causing actual or perceived harm.”
In this view the attacks on ranger stations and meat processing plants fit the definition of an agroterrorism event.
Since 9-11, a great deal has been done to understand, plan for, and respond to potential agroterrorism attacks. The Food and Ag Defense Initiative is a program of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This program provides support for the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) to identify and respond to high risk biological pathogens in the food and agricultural system. The network is used to increase the ability to protect the nation from disease threats by identifying, containing, and minimizing disease threats. The funds also are used to support the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN).
to address local emergency management planning for the food and agriculture sector, EDEN developed a program that has been delivered in more than 20 states called Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Preparedness (S-CAP). This unique training brings together multi-disciplinary teams of local agricultural emergency planning stakeholders to increase capacities within communities to address agricultural issues during an emergency or disaster. To find out more on S-CAP, visit the project’s page on the EDEN website.
- post written by Steve Cain, Purdue University Extension
From the North Central Risk Management Education Center:
AG In Uncertain Times webinar: Managing Drought and Disaster Impacts
Droughts and natural disasters have caused widespread effects across the farm economy this past year by increasing price volatility and production risk, as well as increasing financial uncertainty. These risks directly affect farms and ranches impacted by the natural disaster but also producers far removed are affected by reduced input supplies and price increases. A three part webinar series will present issues concerning managing drought and disaster impacts.
The first webinar was November 20 and addressed livestock issues. Presentations and presenters include:
Market Outlooks for Cattle, Dairy, Forage and Feed –
Erika Rosa-Sanko and Katelyn McCullock (Livestock Marketing Information Center)
Feeding Risks from Drought Impacted Feeds and Forages -
Dr. Rachel Endecott (Montana State University)
Should I Buy Hay or Sell Cows – Jeffrey Tranel (Colorado State University)
To view click here
Kim Cassel
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