What Ever the Weather

Passion for weather and agriculture merge in the state climatologist role

By Lauren Houska |Photos by Joseph L. Murphy

As Iowans, we love to joke about the weather.

As the seasons change, Facebook feeds are filled with memes like: “Welcome to Iowa, where you can experience all four seasons in 24 hours.”

Stop at any rural Midwest gas station and the week’s weather – good or bad – will inevitably be worked into the conversation.

But for Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, weather is much more than casual chitchat or an internet meme – it’s his passion.

“I’ve always been interested in weather patterns,” Glisan says. “This is my dream job.”

Glisan is not a meteorologist, so he won’t be on your evening news letting you know to get out your snow boots or ice scraper. Instead, Glisan is a climatologist and examines the longer-term trends that are found in Iowa’s climate. He then provides that data to farmers and agricultural stakeholders.

“Farmers use this data to understand trends,” Glisan says. “Matching up what they have seen over the decades with our observations and facts gives us an idea of where Iowa’s climate has been and where it’s moving.”

Glisan sat down with the Iowa Food & Family Project to explain why weather plays an essential role in agriculture and how farmers are adapting to weather changes.

How did climatology become your dream job?

When I was a young kid, I remember experiencing several nights of severe storms. It scared me. My dad explained that I could either be scared of storms all my life or learn about them. That’s when I decided I wanted to study weather and became fascinated by it.

Why study Iowa weather?

Given the variability of weather we have experienced in the last 100 years and the exciting weather patterns across Iowa, how could you not want to study it? Iowa is in the middle of a country that has varying topography and is flanked by two oceans. This setup brings every type of weather – sometimes all within 48 hours. Iowa is one of the only states with both its east and west borders drawn out by rivers, making flooding a frequent concern.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Interestingly, I’m only the third person ever to be Iowa’s state climatologist. Each of my predecessors stayed on the job for 30 years. And that 30-year mark is an important timestamp. Climatology uses 30-year weather trends and then compares present-day observations to those trends to calculate highs and lows and precipitation amounts for certain times of the year.

A good way to think about it is that climatology is what scientists expect. Weather is what we get on any given day. I often say that weather is what you are wearing today – climate is your entire closet!

Is Iowa’s climate changing?

Climate dynamicists are the ones who study climate change. My role is to provide the data, and then they use a different set of tools to run climate models and track climate changes.

I can speak to the history. In the last 30 years, there has been an increase in surface and atmospheric temperatures across the Midwest and the country. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, resulting in increased rainfall and snowfall across the U.S. There are also more rainfall events that drop several inches of rain in just a few hours.

Iowa is also experiencing a seasonal shift in rainfall, with more rainfall events right around the time farmers want to start fieldwork in the spring and fall – 2018 and 2019 are cases in point. Being in an agriculture-based state, my main interest is helping farmers adapt and flourish to these changing conditions.

Farming, Climate and Conservation

A change in weather patterns might mean getting more use out of a snowsuit or bathing suit. But for farmers, too much or too little heat or rainfall can determine whether a crop withers or thrives.

“Iowa is built for row crops,” Glisan explains. “Iowa’s farmers have been on the land a long time, and they are intuitive and innovative. Sometimes I think they know weather patterns better than anyone.”

Glisan says farmers have seen seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation and have adapted, so they have many valuable insights that can help his work.

“Farmers truly want to be part of the solution in adjusting to an evolving climate,” he says. “Agricultural conservation practices have a significant impact on that goal.”

Iowa farmers are awardwinning conservationists. Mark Schleisman, a farmer from Lake City, received the national Conservation Legacy Award from the American Soybean Association in 2018. He plants cover crops on 2,500 acres of farmland so that when his farm sees an excessive amount of precipitation, the water is slowed down, and nitrates are removed from the water before it enters the Raccoon River.

Mark Schleisman, Lake City

“It’s important to use these practices to preserve the land and the environment for those who are going to be farming after us,” Schleisman explains. “We want to be progressive and not only pass the land on as good as we got it, but maybe better. And I think we can do that.”

Schleisman also works with the Iowa Soybean Association to track and improve water quality. He installed a bioreactor and saturated buffer nearly five years ago as part of a water quality improvement project through Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance.

Just like Schleisman, farmers across Iowa are putting practices in place to protect the environment as weather patterns change. U.S. Census of Agriculture data from 2012 - 2017 shows cover crop usage has grown approximately 250%. Other practices, including bioreactors, no-till or wetlands, have also expanded and contribute to positive impacts for the farm environment. Iowa’s soil is gold, so keeping it in Iowa's farm fields is essential.

Conservation Practices

A bioreactor consists of a buried pit filled with a carbon source, such as wood chips. Water from farmland flows through the wood chips and nitrates are removed naturally by microorganisms.

No-till farming is the process of leaving soil and crop residue undisturbed between harvest and planting.

Wetlands are shallow, man-made vegetated pools that help filter nutrients – especially nitrates – control flooding and provide wildlife habitat.

To view the full spread, view this magazine in your internet browser on your phone, tablet or desktop. This story is funded by the soybean checkoff.