Oklahoma’s variable climate helping scientists understand ag impacts

National Public Radio reported  on April 24 that scientists from the University of Oklahoma are using a large research facility near El Reno to study the relationships between climate, crops, soil and livestock.   They are doing this by equipping research pastures and wheat fields with sensors to monitor the fluxes of water, carbon, and methane between the atmosphere and ground.  The goal is to understand how trends such as warming temperatures will affect evaporation and other environmental factors and ultimately identify more flexible management practices so that farmers can increase productivity.  This work is being done as part of the research program at the Southern Plains USDA regional climate hub.  The Southeast’s USDA climate hub is located in Raleigh, NC.  For the story, click here.