AMES, Iowa—The newly appointed agricultural climatology specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is looking forward to engaging with farmers and the ag industry on climate-related issues that impact agriculture.
Madelynn Wuestenberg began her new position Jan. 2 and is based on campus and serves agricultural stakeholders across the state. She is looking forward to working with the agricultural community and getting to know farmers.
“It’s very important for me to hear their stories and challenges, while providing evidence-based research and reliable data,” she said. “Understanding data and how measurements are made is a good way of starting to understand some of these really complicated systems.”
Wuestenberg earned her bachelor of science degree in meteorology from Iowa State in 2022 and her master’s in agricultural meteorology in 2023. She grew up in Slater and both of her parents come from farming families.
She developed a strong interest for math and physics in high school and decided to study meteorology at Iowa State. Working in extension is a dream-job, she said, and she looks forward to sharing climate-based information with the public.
“We are thrilled to have Madelynn on board,” said Jamie Benning, assistant director for agriculture and natural resources with ISU Extension and Outreach. “This role will build capacity within extension to deliver timely research-based information and tools for agriculture and natural resources stakeholders as they respond to extreme weather and adapt to changing climate conditions.”
Although she will be based on campus, Wuestenberg said she looks forward to working with Iowans across the state, including county extension offices. She is a member of the Central Iowa National Weather Association and is also active with the American Meteorological Society.
Her role is supported by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture Climate Hub and she will collaborate and leverage expertise with the Hub and the state climatologist to address needs in Iowa. Wuestenberg can be reached at 515-294-6014 or mjwues@iastate.edu
(contributed press release, ISUANR)
