50 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2018 COOL-SEASON GRASSES thrive in the spring and fall when soil temperatures range from 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit with an air tempera- ture between 60-75, and warm-season grasses thrive in the summer months when soil temperatures are between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit with an air temperature of 80-95 degrees. While cool-season grasses grow best in northern areas and warm-season grasses thrive in southern regions, the zones for what’s acceptable where are changing. In 2013, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) climate data led experts to anticipate “an increase in areas experiencing droughts and the occurrence of more intense precipitation events.” Since then, the Midwest has been afflicted with extreme heat, heavy downpours and flooding. The Midwest is defined as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. All of Missouri, the south- ern part of Iowa, and most of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are in what’s called the Transition Zone. The frequency in the number of days above 95 degrees is projected to increase by mid-century, as well as the average temperature, the frost-free season and cooling degree days, according to data from the U.S. Global Change Research Project. Regardless of whether someone is in the “Transition Zone,” farmers must adapt to these transitions. In Missouri, about 25 percent of the state’s 28.2 million farmland acres is in pasture, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. As of Sept. 6, most of the state was in moderate to severe drought How can seed companies help farmers and ranchers shift their acres to forages most suitable to the changing climate? Julie Deering jdeering@issuesink.com Climate Changes Drive Forage Changes