Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the sites Wednesday, saying the goal was to help the agriculture industry adjust to new conditions, including extended fire seasons, invasive pests, flooding and drought.
"It's a reflection of the changing weather patterns that will indeed impact and affect crop production, livestock production," Vilsack told reporters. The new "climate hubs," he said, will help producers take steps to "mitigate the impacts and effects of climate change as well as adapt to new ways of agriculture."
The hubs will be in Ames, Iowa; Corvallis, Ore.; Durham, N.H.; El Reno, Okla.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Las Cruces, N.M.; and Raleigh, N.C. Three "sub-hubs" focusing on narrower issues related to specific crops will be in Davis, Calif.; Houghton, Mich.; and Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
Vilsack said Davis, in a rain-parched state, would research the effects of drought.
The sites were chosen in a competition organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, officials said.
The centers will link agriculture producers with universities, industry groups, state governments and federal agencies, such as the Interior Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They will conduct risk analysis on crop production, identify ways farmers and ranchers are vulnerable to swings in the climate, and recommend new seeds or techniques to limit the damage.
