1. Overview of the SECC mission, strategy, and programs Keith Ingram Coordinator, Southeast Climate Consortium

2. SECC History Three universities, U. Miami, Florida State U., and U. Florida established the Florida consortium in 1997 with funding from NOAA Climate Program Office as a Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Center SECC – RMA partnership established in 2002. We are now in our second continuation Federal Grant through CSREES began in 2003. We are now in our 5 th CSREES grant.

3. Mission The mission of the Southeast Climate Consortium is to use advances in climate sciences, including improved capabilities to forecast seasonal climate, to provide scientifically sound information and decision support tools for agriculture, forestry, and water resources management in the Southeastern USA. As a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team, the SECC conducts participatory research and outreach to a broad community of potential users and forms partnerships with extension and education organizations to ensure that SECC products are relevant and reliable.

4. SECC Members University of Florida Crop modeling, extension, hydrology, decision systems, linking crop and climate models, down-scaling Florida State University Climate sciences, state climatologist, down- scaling University of Miami Decision analysis, evaluation University of Georgia (since 2002) Crop modeling, evaluation, hydrology, extension, state climatologist University of Alabama – Huntsville (since 2003) Climate sciences, state climatologist Auburn University (since 2003) Agricultural and resource economics, hydrology North Carolina State University (since 2007) Crop pest modeling, state climatologist

5. SECC Strategic Themes Climate Agricultural Research Water Resources Management Decision Analysis / Assessment Agricultural Extension AgClimate AgroClimate

6. Climate Information Development and Delivery System Research Faculty ClimateAgriculture Water ResourcesDecision Analysis Extension Faculty Climate Extension Specialists Prototype AgClimate Prototype CoastalClimate Prototype SEWaterClimate Agricultural & Forest Commodity Specialists Information Delivery State Climatologists Cooperative Extension Services AgroClimate Extension Agents Decision Makers Agricultural producers, Green industry managers, Forest managers, Water resource managers, Policy makers

7. Important Issues Strategy for continued federal funding  Ear mark  Competitive grants  Competition for RISA  RMA continuation Regional issues  Drought, NIDIS, and other efforts regarding water resources  Climate change – new, broader clientele  Expanded coverage for AgroClimate and SECC