Climate-Scenario Project to Inform New England Farming Industry

Mar 10, 2026

By Katrina M. Rossos

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Maine, USGS is using their Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) to forecast how water resources might be affected by possible fluctuations in climate.

“With this project, USGS is looking to create data, reports, maps, an accessible web tool, and other resources for our partners to use and distribute to focus groups including farmers and the agricultural community,” said USGS Physical Scientist Sarah Murphy, the lead researcher on the project.

By communicating how water resources could be affected by climate change in a variety of formats, USDA and University of Maine will be able to decipher which information is the most useful to farmers – and what type of outreach is the most effective. In addition, USDA and University of Maine will also study how the farmers will adapt new strategies to combat potential changes in their water supply.

The Model

The USGS PRMS is a deterministic model that produces output values for streamflow and other watershed impacts (such as water storage and runoff) based on various combinations of climate and land usage inputs. USGS is currently adjusting the model with New England’s watershed boundary data to generate water cycle responses specific to New England’s topographic characteristics. Five Global Climate Model and two emissions scenarios will be used in the model to forecast predictions over the next century. The results produced by the model may include statistics on streamflow, groundwater recharge, soil moisture, snowfall and snowmelt, and direct surface runoff, among others.

Understanding how these outputs could respond to changes in temperature and precipitation can help scientists evaluate the bearing it may have on the agricultural industry throughout New England.

Source : usgs.gov

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.