12/09/08 The Drought Mitigation Center

Farm and Ranch December 9, 2008 Ever heard of the National Drought Mitigation Center? Mellissa Widhalm is a climatologist with the center who recently put on some workshops in the Pacific Northwest. Widhalm: "Drought Mitigation Center is a grouping of people at the university that is trying to reduce society's vulnerability to drought by promoting planning and the use of risk management tools." And speaking of risk management, the USDA's Risk Management Agency helps fund the center located at the University of Nebraska. You may have seen one of the tools in drought mitigation, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map released each Thursday morning. Widhalm: "What is really unique about it is that there are ten authors rotating each year and they tap into a vast expanse of experts to help get that drought situation correct in their area. So they use a lot of tools, stream flow, precipitation, but then they also use human input and expert advice as well." That U.S. Drought Monitor is used by the USDA to trigger drought aid such as allowing emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program land. Another tool the center developed is the Vegetation Drought Response Index, which uses satellite data to show whether grasses and crops are drying out. The Drought Impact Reporter tracks drought's impacts for researchers, planners, policy makers and the general public. And it's where you can play a role. Mellissa Widhalm explains that tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.