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Corn is the most widely grown crop in the Americas, with annual production in the United States of approximately 332 million metric tons. Improved climate forecasts, together with climate-related decision tools for corn producers based on these improved forecasts, could substantially reduce uncertainty and increase profitability for corn producers. The purpose of this paper is to acquaint climate information developers, climate information users, and climate researchers with an overview of weather conditions throughout the year that affect corn production as well as forecast content and timing needed by producers. The authors provide a graphic depicting the climate-informed decision cycle, which they call the climate forecast-decision cycle calendar for corn.

Capsule Summary The rapid onset and severity of the 2017 Northern Great Plains drought, which resulted in agricultural losses exceeding $2.6 billion, motivated a multi-agency investigation of drought-related coordination and management practices.

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A familiar saying among agricultural producers of the U.S. northern Great Plains region comprising Montana, the Dakotas, and the adjacent Canadian Prairies is, "We're always in a drought. It just depends on how bad it is in a given year." 2017 was a bad year. The 2017 northern Great Plains flash drought (a type of drought defined by its rapid onset or intensification) began in the spring, evolved rapidly through the summer, and became the most destructive drought in decades. The drought led to reduced agricultural production, wildfires, infrastructure damage, and financial, physical, and emotional hardship to those affected. Direct agricultural losses related to the drought exceeded $2.6 billion in the United States alone.This drought, and the devastation it caused motivated multiagency collaboration among academic, tribal, state, and federal partners to evaluate drought early warning systems, coordination efforts, communication, and management practices with the goal of improving resilience and accelerating the response to future droughts.