Kitty O'Neil is Cornell Cooperative Extension's statewide Agricultural Climate Resiliency Specialist with the Harvest New York program. She works at the intersection of climate science, agriculture, soils, crops, livestock systems, and farm management, helping New York farms and agricultural businesses adapt to increasing climate variability and weather-related risks.
Her extension and applied research efforts focus on agricultural climate adaptation and mitigation, climate risk assessment, soil health, nutrient management, grazing systems, and climate-resilient crop and livestock production. She develops educational programs, decision-support tools, and technical resources that help farmers, agricultural advisors, and agricultural service providers incorporate climate considerations into management decisions.
Her current and recent projects have included development of a statewide climate adaptation and mitigation decision-support platform for New York agriculture, evaluation of livestock heat stress risks and trends, and research examining the impacts of soil compaction on crop productivity, environmental outcomes, and farm resilience. Her work also contributes to efforts focused on greenhouse gas inventories, climate adaptation planning, soil health, cover crops, and nutrient management in New York agricultural systems.
In addition to her extension responsibilities, Kitty serves as a technical advisor on agricultural climate resilience, soil health, conservation, and sustainability initiatives for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, and related state and regional partners. Her work helps connect scientific research, decision-support tools, and on-farm implementation across New York and Northeast agriculture.
Recent outreach publications and presentations have addressed greenhouse gas inventories for NYS farms, active carbon and soil health, livestock heat stress, climate adaptation planning, and water management challenges in a changing climate.
Kitty earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science and a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences and is a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA). Her academic and professional background spans animal science, crop production, soil science, soil health, agroecology, and soil biophysics, providing a systems-based perspective on agricultural resilience.
