Agriculture and Climate Change

Speaker: 
Tom Vilsack
 
16 Nov 2017
 
7:00 PM
 
Great Hall, Memorial Union

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Doors open at 6:15pm

Tom Vilsack served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for eight years in the Obama administration. At the USDA he was responsible for keeping American farms afloat and safe and managing public nutrition programs like SNAP and school lunches, along with programs that cover refinancing home loans, rural electrification, clean water projects, mental health issues, and fighting opioid addictions. He has been honored for his public service and work to advance American agriculture by the Congressional Hunger Center, National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau, and National Farmers Union. Tom Vilsack served as Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. He became president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council in February 2017. Part of the National Affairs Series: "When American Values Are in Conflict”

From extreme weather to drought, climate change threatens the livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, and others in rural communities. Decreased soil moisture and water availability, increased humidity, the northward spread of pests, the potential increase of invasive species, and the risks from flooding and drought make it necessary to adapt to changes already happening. We'll hear not only about how climate change is having an impact on agriculture, but also how agriculture can be a part of the solution.