Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Our Multi-State Committee has had many accomplishments and reached many milestones over the past year. Our accomplishments report is organized by PI and organization below.

C. Wardropper at Idaho State University reports accomplishments including,

• I completed a project on barriers and motivations to cover crop adoption in the inland PNW. One paper in review and one in submission from that work. CIG grant for iPNW wheat growing region using my lab's social science data was submitted last week.
• I'm writing a review paper on best practices for online survey research for conservation with Ashley Dayer and Vicki Martin
• I'm leading the effort to assess progress and compare state efforts for the Nutrient Reduction Strategies. The group would have presented at UCOWR - maybe will do so in the fall. Planning a manuscript.
• I was just awarded an EPA grant to assess risk perceptions and behaviors of citizen scientists conducting monitoring for mercury in Spokane and Boise river watersheds.
• I am wrapping up data collection on barriers and opportunities for using climate decision support tools for rangeland management

K. Floress at USDA Forest Service reports accomplishments including,

• I am part of Prokopy, et al (2019) team review of US ag BMP adoption studies
• Floress, K - Senior Personnel on National Science Foundation Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems, 2016 -2021. $2.983,358. Climate change mitigation via reducing household food, energy, and water consumption: A quantitative analysis of interventions and impacts of conservation. Goal to test household interventions to reduce consumption of food, energy, and water.
• Floress, K. & Thompson, A. (Co-PIs). Ecobuffers: Part of a GLRI System of Solutions for Building Healthy Working Landscapes. Research Joint Venture Agreement, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and Purdue University.
• Floress, Kristin M.; Gao, Yuling; Gramig, Benjamin M.; Arbuckle, J. Gordon; Church, Sarah P.; Eanes, Francis R.; Ranjan, Pranay; Singh, Ajay S.; Prokopy, Linda Stalker. 2019. Meta-analytic data from agricultural conservation practice adoption research in the United States 1982-2018. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. Updated 28 February 2020. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0011

L. Prokopy, P. Ranjan, A. Thompson, and E. Usher at Purdue University report accomplishments including,

• We are looking at the structural factors limiting or facilitating the adoption of natural infrastructure (wetlands, two-stage ditches, saturated buffers, oxbow restorations, etc.) in the agricultural landscape.
• We have continued work on non-operating landowners and better understanding what motivates their engagement in conservation practices.
• We finished the update to Prokopy et al. 2008 - a meta-review of all the US based literature on ag BMP adoption. Now we're working on additional questions from that dataset.
• We finished the special issue focused on catalysts for change and published it in the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education.
• Ranjan, P., S.P. Church, J.G. Arbuckle, B.M. Gramig, C.J. Reeling, L.S. Prokopy. 2020. Conversations with non-choir farmers: Implications for conservation adoption. West Lafayette: Purdue University.
• Prokopy, L., J. Arbuckle, K. Floress, B. Gramig, S. Church, F. Eanes, Y. Gao, J. Lu, P. Ranjan, A Singh. Meta-Review of Barriers and Motivations for Farmers to Adopt Conservation Practices. SWCS Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, July 31, 2019.
• Prokopy, L., J. Arbuckle, S. Church, B. Gramig, C. Reeling, P. Ranjan. Assessing the strengths and limitations of voluntary conservation to modify agricultural practices. $100,000 (ISU $0). Walton Family Foundation. 1/1/19-12/31/19.This research conducted a series of focus groups with farmers to examine the following research questions: 1) What are viable strategies beyond what WFF is currently investing in to promote agricultural practices that reduce nutrient runoff? 2) How and under what conditions can policies help to change farmer and landowner behavior? What are potential barriers, particularly resistance from the agricultural sector? 3) What do Corn Belt farmers think about the limits to voluntary conservation? Do they see a need to think beyond voluntary conservation? 4) What suggestions do Corn Belt farmers have for how to motivate wide-spread adoption of conservation practices to improve water quality? 5) How could new policies and incentives be tied to existing funding streams (e.g., Farm Bill) or other financial incentives?

J. Arbuckle and A. Colletti and Iowa State University report accomplishments including,

• Nowatzke, L., L. Abendroth, J. Arbuckle, J. Benning, Z. Zhu, G. Chighladze. Integrating Social and Biophysical Indicators of Nutrient Reduction Progress in Iowa Watershed Projects. $167,136. Iowa Nutrient Research Center. 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2021. This grant aims to address the research question: On a watershed project scale, what are the primary indicators for predicting nutrient reduction effectiveness? These indicators may fall into a variety of operational categories, including but not limited to availability of funding and financial incentives, participation by diverse stakeholder groups, extent of outreach work among farmers and the wider community, and the extent of agricultural conservation practice use.
• Schulte-Moore, L., J.G. Arbuckle, R. Brown, E. Heaton. M. Helmers, A. Janke, K. Kimle, M. Liebman, M. McDaniel, J. Niemi, D. Wald. Initiative for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (I‐CHANGE). $741,480. 2018 ISU Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (PIRI) Program. 9/2018 – 8/2021. The goal of this project is to catalyze and guide agricultural transformations from annual monoculture-predominant systems to diverse, heterogeneous systems that incorporate perennial crops to a greater degree. I am lead PI on the engagement and social science components of the project, which is conducting in-depth interviews to document stakeholder perspectives on potential pathways to and impacts of potential changes.
• Robertson, A., M. Licht, J. Arbuckle, M. Castellano, L. Dong, B. Hartzler, E. Hodgson, A. Lenssen, M. McDaniel, T. Moorman, A. Plastina. Improving cereal rye cover crop BMPs to increase adoption of cover crops by Iowa farmers. $348,422 (Co-PI $7,545). Iowa Nutrient Research Center. 2018-2020. As lead social scientist on this project, I'm conducting survey research to learn more about farmers’ perspectives on cover crops use.
• Arbuckle, J.G. and S. Upadhaya. Evaluation of the Impact of 4R Plus Programs in Iowa. The Nature Conservancy. $33,695. 5/11/2020-12/31/2020.
• Arbuckle, J.G. Conservation Practitioner Poll. Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS)/Walton Family Foundation. $32,925. 5/18/2020-8/01/2021.
• Arbuckle, J.G. and S. Upadhaya Market Research to Support Cover Crops Outreach. $19,751. 6/15/2020 – 9/30/2020.
• Arbuckle, J.G. (PI) and Zhengyuan Zhu. Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Farmer Survey. Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. $299,990. 1/2015-6/2020.
• Laurie Nowatzke and J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. 2019. Iowa Farmers and the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy: Survey Results from the Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa-Plum Watershed. SOC 3091. Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. (26 pp.)
• Norton, M. and J. Arbuckle. Livestock Production, Water Scarcity, and Potential for Collaborative Water Governance in Northwest Iowa. SWCS Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, July 30, 2019.
• Morris, C. and J. Arbuckle. Do Conservation Plans Make a Difference in Practice Adoption?: Evidence from Iowa Farmers. SWCS Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, July 30, 2019.
• Arbuckle, J.G. “Potential for Collaborative Drought Preparedness in Northwest Iowa.” Northwest Iowa Drought Preparedness Workshop. Sheldon, IA, February 27, 2020.
• Arbuckle, J.G. A brief history of adoption research: From hybrid corn to cover crops/Review of 35 years of conservation practice adoption research. Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Meeting. Lafayette, IN, December 5, 2019.

S. Gasteyer at Michigan State University reports accomplishments including,

• I am doing work with Farmer-led conservation initiatives on adoption of conservation behavior.
• I have a nascent project to understand drainage ditch monitoring systems to create better systems for information flow to farmers and land managers.
• I work on structural factors of algae blooms and conservation
• I work on cross-farmer led conservation initiatives to implement and track farm conservation measures.
• I am developing a paper on lake associations in water quality protection.

M. Davenport at University of Minnesota reports accomplishments including,

• I am conducting tribally-driven collaborative transdisciplinary research on manoomin (wild rice) in western Great Lakes, surveys with harvesters, interviews on state-tribal consultation, participatory research on integration across knowledge forms. Most important outcomes have been partnerships with 4 tribes and two inter-tribal organizations and a model for responsible and respectful research with Indigenous nations. Just awarded NSF CNH2 grant.
• I am engaged in groundwater and drinking water research on risk perception, communication and scenario planning. Surveys, interviews, and program evaluation in Minnesota and Iowa (with J. Arbuckle). Engaging multiple stakeholders in dialogue around water supply, climate change and risk.
• I have developed an urban waters program examining water values and actions among Black,  Indigenous and People of Color in the Twin Cities. Onsite surveys at community events, focus groups with community leaders. Documenting diverse voices in urban water management.
• I am assisting Minnesota Environmental Quality Board on their 2020 Water Plan. Compiling social science in Minnesota on climate change and water impacts. Will guide multi-agency efforts and inform legislators on funding decisions.
• I am assisting in MN Natural Resources Atlas (data mapping tool) project (UMD) conducting needs assessments with natural resource professionals on resource analysis and visualization. Conducting surveys and interviews on cultural resources and cultural resource mapping. Goal to form partnerships in data visualization for planning and decision making.
• Davenport, M.A. (2020). Agriculture and groundwater: The views of Minnesota farmers and livestock producers. St. Paul, MN: Center for Changing Landscapes, University of Minnesota. 2 p.
• Davenport, M., J.G. Arbuckle, R. Arritt, K. Brauman, B. Keeler. Understanding and Building Capacity to Address Changing Water Availability in the Upper Corn Belt. $458,000 (ISU $155,000). NIFA-AFRI. 3/2017-2/2020. This project’s goal is to better understand how planners, policy makers, and agricultural producers anticipate, respond, and adapt to changing water availability for agriculture in Iowa and Minnesota.

S. Church at Montana State University reports accomplishments including,

• An article titled, "How water quality improvement efforts influence urban-agricultural relationships", is under review at Agriculture and Human Values. Co-authors included: Church, Floress, Ulrich-Schad, Wardropper, Ranjan, Eaton, Gasteyer, and Rissman. This is a policy analysis in which we investigate how different types of water quality interventions influence urban-agricultural relationships, specifically examining policy tools on a regulatory to voluntary spectrum.
• This fall, Sarah Church will be leading a new watershed case study titled "Exploring the efficacy of the National Water Quality Initiative in Montana: Bridging divides to meet water quality and quantity goals". Through this project, we will study whether and how the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water Quality Initiative, facilitated shared understanding and environmental learning, resulting in increased conservation behaviors, watershed health improvement/maintenance, and sustainable partnerships.
• Sarah Church and her graduate student Ashlie Gilbert will be conducting an evaluation of the Big Sky Watershed Corps program in Montana. We will examine how Corps members influence change in their watersheds versus those without a Corps member.
• Sarah Church and her graduate student Liam Bean will be examining eight different volunteer water monitoring programs in Montana to understand program typologies and their impacts on trust in data and behavior change.
• Sarah Church is working on a project with graduate student, Ashlie Gilbert, on a survey to build a consensus list of wetland cultural and social ecosystem services.

M. Burback and T. Haigh at University of Nebraska Lincoln report accomplishments including,

• The connection between drought early warning information and the timing of rangeland managers’ response actions is not well understood. This study investigated U.S. Northern Plains range and livestock managers’ decision-making in response to the 2016 flash drought, by means of a post drought survey of agricultural landowners and using the Protective Action Decision Model theoretical framework. The study found that managers acted in response to environmental cues, but that their responses were significantly delayed compared to when drought conditions emerged. External warnings did not influence the timing of their decisions, though on-farm monitoring and assessment of conditions did. Though this case focused only on a one-year flash drought characterized by rapid drought intensification, waiting to destock pastures was associated with greater losses to range productivity and health and diversity. This study found evidence of unrealized potential for drought early warning information to support proactive response and improved outcomes for rangeland management.
• The resolution or mitigation of wicked water problems requires interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly from the social sciences, to foster new thinking, behavior, and innovative ideas for management of water resources under conditions of rapid change and uncertainty. To change behaviors, we have to understand how to train leaders in social science skills and evaluating success. This special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education used case studies to demonstrate how social science concepts, theories, and methods are used to catalyze change across a range of water resource management issues and geographic scales. Supporting water management programs with information from the social sciences provides a framework for program design, implementation, and evaluation necessary for resolving wicked problems.
• Managing water resources is increasingly complex and dynamic. Sustaining freshwater ecosystem services in the face of increasing challenges and emerging threats is a supreme leadership challenge. Leadership development program designers should look to social science theories and methods to prepare leaders to catalyze the change necessary to meet future challenges. This paper provides evidence that a new generation of water leaders is needed; and correspondingly, there is a need for new leadership development programs. The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy and its evaluation is presented as a case study of a successful program training leaders in social science-based skills in order to produce catalysts of change. The Academy is theoretically grounded in transformational leadership, champions of innovation, civic capacity, and entrepreneurial leadership. The Academy employs a process-based curriculum with developmental experiences that includes key components of assessment, challenge, and support. Formative assessment provides constructive feedback from participants and guides the development of future sessions and curriculum. Summative assessment is used to gauge participants’ leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors, and evaluate the instructional methods used in the Academy. Results of pre- and post-Academy assessments of participants from both the participants’ and raters’ perspectives indicate statistically significant increases in transformational leadership behaviors, champion of innovation behaviors, civic capacity, entrepreneurial leadership behavior, awareness of Nebraska water issues, and engagement with Nebraska water issues.
• Sixteen participants completed the 2019 Water Leaders Academy bringing the total number of graduates to 136 since the inception of the program in 2011. Assessments of participants’ transformational leadership skills, champion of innovation skills, water knowledge, engagement with water issues, civic capacity, and entrepreneurial leadership behaviors showed significant increases over the course of the year, according to both the participants and their raters. Feedback from participants was highly positive and constructive. Academy planners are addressing participant concerns. Results of the program assessment indicate that the curriculum is meeting Academy objectives. Most importantly, alumni have emerged as leaders in their communities and around the world.
• Burbach, M.E., Matkin, G.S., & Joeckel, M. (2019). 2019 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy – Final report. School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Open-File Report 207.

D. Jackson-Smith at Ohio State University reports accomplishments including,

• DJS working with SESYNC pursuit group to develop interdisciplinary approach to modeling conservation behavior on private lands (ag/forest/range). Seeks to integrate economic, psychological, and sociological perspectives and key concepts. Paper drafts in process to (a) describe conceptual model, (b) highlight implications of model for design of policy interventions. Work began 2019 - continues through 2020.
• DJS supervised MS student (Lourdes Arruetta) whose thesis research reviewed SWAT modeling literature to assess how they represented human behavioral heterogeneity (fertilizer application rates) in studies of ag water quality. Used data from farmer surveys and soil sampling datasets to test the sensitivity of SWAT model outputs in Maumee watershed to inclusion of info on behavioral and biophysical heterogeneity. Thesis defended early May 2020; paper manuscripts in process.
• DJS worked with OSU interdisciplinary team on NSF-funded INFEWS project studying implications of deglobalization food, energy and water system in eastern corn belt/great lakes region. Team has developed future scenarios that capture changes in trade openness and sustainability policy, and nearly finished building suite of interconnected models to capture implications for broad range of sustainability outcomes. DJS led participatory modeling process that brought diverse stakeholders into project to advise and guide development of scenarios and models. Will hold workshop in spring 2021 with regional decision-makers/stakeholders to review model scenario results and discuss implications for local and state policy makers.
• DJS helped lead several major grant submissions in spring 2020: (1) "Farmers & Scientists: Developing a Shared Understanding of Soil Balancing's Impacts through Tiered Collaborative Research Approaches (USDA-OREI); (2) "Predicting and Preparing for Future Cropscapes" (USDA AFRI Foundational Research on Ag Systems); (3) "Beyond the Individual: Exploring the Role of Rural Landscape and Community Diversity in Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance" (USDA AFRI AMR); (4) "Comparing the Environmental Tradeoffs and Synergies of Alternative Modes of Integrating Livestock into Cash Grain Cropping Systems" (USDA AFRI IDEAS). Working on leading AFRI-SAS proposal on diversified farming systems in summer/fall.
• Working w/ Peg Petrzelka on analysis of the role of landowner social and communities’ ties for conservation behavior by non-operating landowners. Will present at ISSRM 2020 (virtual conf)

R. Margerum at Oregon State University reports accomplishments including,

• I am conducting a longitudinal study of watershed councils in Oregon with Dr. Dyana Mason (Nonprofit Management, UO); Dr. Stacy Rosenberg (OSU); and Dr. Zafar Khan (Visiting Fulbright Researcher, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan).
• I am conducting a Retrospective Capacity Evaluation Project of Oregon Watershed Councils (funded by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board). PIs: Emily Jane Davis (OSU), Rich Margerum (UO), Heidi Huber-Stearns (UO), and Anna Santos (UO)
• Reported relevant data to Network of Oregon Watershed Councils (NOWC) to support programming and outreach work.
• I made several presentations to Board of Network of Oregon Watershed Councils (NOWC).

W. Eaton, K.J. Brasier, and A.K. Chadhary at Pennsylvania State University report accomplishments including,

• Water for Agriculture Project: A USDA NIFA funded multi- disciplinary, four-year collaborative research and engagement project that: • Facilitates community-led stakeholder engagement to address water & ag issues that matter most to them • Supports those teams with biophysical and social science research • Studies what changes with individuals, groups, communities, and the environment through the engagement process The project is currently active with stakeholder groups in 5 sites in AZ, NE and PA. The social science component collects data pre, during, and post engagements, using qualitative and quantitative methods. We are currently in the "during" phase and planning for post data collection. Numerous manuscripts are in progress.
• Advancing scholarship and practice of stakeholder engagement to address socio-environmental issues on working landscapes: A USDA funded workshop This June 2021 workshop will convene a multidisciplinary group of researchers, community stakeholders, practitioners, students, funders and policy makers to discuss the design and impacts of stakeholder engagement to address socio-environmental problems in working landscapes. Our goals are to identify: 1) the state of research on engagement; 2) gaps in our understanding of engagement, its practice, and its outcomes; and 3) recommendations for innovative methods to identify best practices in the scholarship and practice of stakeholder engagement. Intended outcomes include a special issue of a journal on workshop themes and a collaboratively defined research agenda. The workshop will focus on engagement as means to address complex socio-environmental issues in agricultural working landscapes, including water quality and quantity, emerging contaminants, agricultural inputs, climate adaptation and vulnerability, changing land use, biodiversity, invasive species, and other challenges that threaten the health and livelihood of stakeholders, communities, and the environment.
• FY2020 USGS 104b WATER RESOURCES INFORMATION-TRANSFER PROJECTS
  Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center
  PROJECT TITLE: Meeting Local Needs: Engagement and Coordination to Address Water and Agriculture in Pennsylvania
• The USGS grant funds stakeholder led water sampling in Triple Divide region of N Pennsylvania
• Part of a transdisciplinary USDA-NIFA SAS project titled "Thriving Agricultural Systems in Urbanized Landscapes" which seeks to create economically thriving and environmentally beneficial systems in urbanized landscapes. As one part of this project, we are looking at how technical service providers engage with producers to promote adoption of conservation practices.
• Part of the NSF funded working group for the National Collaborative for research on food, energy, and water education (NC FEW) where we are assessing how FEW concepts are integrated into the non-formal and informal educational settings.
• CO-PI on a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture funded project where we are surveying producers in Pennsylvania to document non-cost share BMPs adopted by producers to get credit in EPA 2025 TMDL for Pennsylvania.
• A seed project understating the adoption of BMPs among producers and trying to develop the differences among producers who are more progressive and less progressive to adoption of BMPs among producers.
• A seed project understanding how drinking water quality affect human and animal health among Plain communities in Pennsylvania.
• Brasier, Kathryn, Weston M. Eaton, Walt Whitmer, Mark Burbach, et al. Webinar. “From Knowledge to Understanding: Lessons Learned from Integrating Research and Stakeholder Engagement in a Water & Agriculture Project. A Panel Discussion” Univ. of Washington EarthLab's "Collaborating Across Difference" series (via Zoom). May 12, 2020. Online: https://water4ag.psu.edu/presentations/from-knowledge-to-understanding/

J. Schad at Utah State University reports accomplishments including,

• As part of a 3 year USDA-NIFA grant, Dr. Schad completed a survey of South Dakota cattle producers who graze their cattle to gather information on how they make decisions about using or not using parasiticides to control internal parasites. One paper using this survey data on grazers' intentions to convert cropland to grassland will be submitted during the winter.
• As part of a 2 year project funded by the South Dakota Nutrient Research Education Council, Dr. Schad surveyed South Dakota corn, wheat, and soybean producers in the eastern part of the state about their nutrient management practices and attitudes. One paper using the theory of planned behavior to predict conservation practice usage will be submitted during the winter.
• I am working on a systematic review paper of non-operating landowners that will be submitted in the fall.
• A co-author on a submitted paper titled "Spatially mediated peer effects in the adoption of conservation agriculture practices: Evidence from the U.S" to the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Data was collected from SD producers in 2018.

K. Stephenson at Virginia Tech reports accomplishments including,

• Chesapeake Bay Program workshops to improve the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of nonpoint source control efforts: Zach Easton and K. Stephenson conducted a workshop November 2019 to evaluate the potential to improve the cost effectiveness of nonpoint source policy through improved targeting the type and placement of best management practices (BMPs). Targeting also includes identifying and engaging land managers with low nutrient use efficiencies (high potential nutrient losses). This workshop investigated both techniques/methods to identify high loss areas and treatment effectiveness as well incentive designs that reward and direct participants to identify and treat these high loss areas. The workshop publication was released March 2020. Findings on the incentive programs for targeting was presented at the Chesapeake Community Research Symposium in an organized session, June 9, 2020.
• Pay for Demonstrated NPS Nutrient Reductions: This past year work has been conducted investigating the potential of using pay-for-performance incentive designs to treat legacy nitrogen. Large quantities of N (nitrate) are temporarily stored in groundwater systems in many areas of the Chesapeake Bay. Most of these areas are associated with intensive agricultural uses. This legacy nitrogen is discharged to surface waters through springs and seeps. A NIFA funded project is examining whether certain types of treatment systems (bioreactors) can be coupled with pay-for-performance incentives to cost effectively treat this legacy N source. The project team (Stephenson, Co-PI) has worked with the state of VA and the Chesapeake Bay Program to allow direct monitoring and quantification of removal effectiveness for TMDL compliance. A paper was also presented that compared effectiveness, cost, and incentives of treating legacy nitrogen with conventional agricultural BMPs. Existing water quality program structures based on practice implementation present numerous challenges to recognizing and incentivizing people to pay for demonstrated outcomes (rather than just provide technical and financial incentive to implement a BMP and get default reduction credits for installation)
• Chesapeake Bay Program's Science and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) "Scientific Gap Analysis" STAC is undergoing an effort to identify the scientific knowledge gaps and uncertainties to achieving Chesapeake Bay water quality standards. Chesapeake Bay states are required to meet N, P, and sediment reduction goals set out in the TMDL (the most expansive in the country) by 2025. A significant portion of the report is being devoted to nonpoint sources and management efforts. Achieving nutrient reduction goals rests almost exclusively with nonpoint sources, particularly agriculture. Ag is the largest contributor of nutrients to the Bay and has yet to reach its sector reduction targets. Furthermore, there is no strong evidence that the actions that have been taken are producing the expected water quality outcomes.
• A Chesapeake Bay Program workshop was funded for 2020-21. The goal of the workshop, "Overcoming the Hurdle: Addressing Implementation of Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) Through a Social Science Lens", is to investigate opportunities for improving the adoption of agricultural BMPs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Stephenson serves on the workshop steering committee.

A. Rissman, K. Genskow, A. Mase, and B. Shaw at University of Wisconsin Madison report accomplishments including,

• Sustaining food, energy, and water security in agricultural landscapes of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. INFEWS (Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water). National Science Foundation. Aims to examine the effects of shocks and stressors on food, water, bioenergy, and biodiversity habitat in the upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.
• Assessing and improving spatial, temporal, and functional fit between water quality problems and policy interventions. University of Wisconsin Sea Grant project focused in the Great Lakes basin, Northeast Lakeshore of Wisconsin. We will develop quantitative indicators and nuanced narratives on how well water quality institutions are tailored to the a) spatial, b) temporal and c) functional processes of hydro-agro-ecosystems. We will also synthesize potentially diverse social perceptions of fit among agronomists, farmers, soil and water conservationists, local citizens groups, and state and federal regulators. Identifying important gaps will then lead to discussions with stakeholders about innovative approaches. We will focus on Wisconsin’s northeast lakeshore draining into Lake Michigan.
• Grasslands 2.0: an agroecological transformation plan for perennial grassland agriculture. SAS-CAP, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rissman leads the governance team to conduct research to better understand participant mental models of transitions to grazing and grassland including barriers and pathways to transitions in agri-social-ecological-technical systems and governance system leverage points for behavior, policy, and system change. Outcomes will include a clearinghouse of existing policy materials for decision makers.
• Conservation and succession success for farm and woodland owners, U.S. Department of Agriculture NIFA Award with a focus on new landowners. Conducting research and supporting outreach to new landowners including forestry, grazing, stream and lakeshore and water quality with a focus in Wisconsin.