I found this latest article from the TBJ to be very interesting …
Raleigh has been selected as one of seven U.S. Department of Agriculture climate change research hubs across the country that will serve farmers as they deal with climate change, according to an announcement on Wednesday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“This is the next step in USDA’s decades of work alongside farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to keep up production in the face of challenges,” Vilsack says in a release.
The Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, or climate hubs, will address increasing risks such as fires, invasive pests, floods and drought through science and research. According to the USDA, the announcement is part of President Barack Obama’s plan to cut carbon pollution and slow the effects of climate change.
Raleigh’s climate hub, which will cater specifically to farmers in the southeast, will be located at the Southern Research Station of the Forest Service. A sub-hub for the southeast region will be located in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
A timeline has yet to be placed on the project.