Farmers in New York State will now have access to two full-time Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Ag Climate Resiliency Specialists to provide input on how they can adapt to climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions on the farm. CCE recently appointed Zach Spangler and Jenna Walczak to the CCE Harvest NY Team. Both will also collaborate with Cornell’s statewide Climate Smart Farming team and program, which has been working together with farmers since 2015.
Both Zach and Jenna will be based in the Hudson Valley and will support farmers’ efforts to mitigate climate change, improve their ability to respond to stresses, and adapt to changing climate patterns while maintaining or improving farm viability.
Prior to joining the Harvest New York team, Zach earned an M.Sc. in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation from Lund University (Sweden) where he researched barriers and enablers of farmers’ engagement in climate change adaptation. Zach also holds a B.S. in Chemistry from SUNY-ESF and has contributed to diverse farms in California, New Hampshire, and Sweden.
Jenna holds a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Colgate University and worked on a farm in Western, NY before joining Cornell Extension. She was born and raised in Cheektowaga, NY, and is based in the Hudson Valley.