Assessing stakeholder climate data needs for farm-level decision-making in the U.S. Corn Belt

Abstract. Across the Midwest region of the United States, agriculturalists make decisions on a variety of time scales, ranging from daily to weekly, monthly, and seasonally. Ever improving forecasts and decision support tools could assist the decision-making process, particularly in the context of a changing and increasingly variable climate. To be usable, however, the information produced by these forecasts and tools should be salient, credible, legitimate, and iterative, qualities which are achieved through deliberate co-production with stakeholders. This study uses a document analysis approach to explore stakeholder climate information needs and priorities in the U.S. Corn Belt. Through the analysis of 50 documents, we find that stakeholders are primarily concerned with practical and tactical decision making, including from whom they get their information, the application of information to agricultural, water, and risk management, and desired economic outcomes. The information that stakeholders desire is less focused on social issues, environmental issues, or long-term climate resilience. This study can inform the development of future decision support tools, identify known gaps in climate information services to reduce stakeholder fatigue, and serve as an example to scientists trying to understand stakeholder needs in other regions and specialties.