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Steven Quiring

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Developing Effective Drought Monitoring Tools for Farmers and Ranchers in the South Central U.S.
The South Central U.S. is one of the main agricultural regions in North America: annual agricultural production is valued at more than $44 billion dollars. However, as climate conditions change, the region is experiencing more frequent and severe droughts, with significant impacts on agriculture and broader consequences for land management. For example, in 2011 drought caused an estimated $7.6 billion in agricultural losses in Texas and an additional $1.6 billion in Oklahoma. Although there are many drought monitoring tools available, most of these tools were developed without input from the stakeholders, such as farmers and ranchers, who are intended to use them. The goal of this project was to assess the information...
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The South Central U.S. is one of the main agricultural regions in North America: annual agricultural production is valued at more than $44 billion dollars. However, as climate conditions change, the region is experiencing more frequent and severe droughts, with significant impacts on agriculture and broader consequences for land management. For example, in 2011 drought caused an estimated $7.6 billion in agricultural losses in Texas and an additional $1.6 billion in Oklahoma. Although there are many drought monitoring tools available, most of these tools were developed without input from the stakeholders, such as farmers and ranchers, who are intended to use them. The goal of this project is to assess the information...
Drought indices are widely used for drought monitoring. This study evaluates the performance of six indices (Palmer’s Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Palmer’s Z-index, precipitation percent normal, precipitation percentiles, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)) to determine which are most appropriate for monitoring agricultural drought in the south-central United States. Soil moisture and crop yield data for winter wheat, corn and cotton are used to assess the performance of drought indices. The results indicate that SPEI is the most representative of soil moisture conditions. The best drought index for crop yield varies depending on crop type...
The south central U.S. is one of the main agricultural regions in North America and annual agricultural production is valued at more than $44 billion dollars. Climate variability and drought have both direct and indirect impacts on agriculture and consequences for land management. There are many different drought monitoring products and tools available, but unfortunately most were developed without input from the stakeholders who are intended to use them. In the SC CSC region private landowners, such as farmers and ranchers, are responsible for the majority of land management. The goal of this project is to assess the information needs of famers and ranchers in the SC CSC region in the development of drought monitoring...
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