Monday, July 29, 2013

ECOP Monday Minute 7.29.13



ECOP Meets in Manhattan – ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, welcomed ECOP members to Manhattan last week for the Joint COPs meeting. Among key ECOP actions were naming of a work group to review assessments, accepting a report of the eXtension external review, considering renewal of contracts related to work of the Communications and Marketing Committee, and approving a National 4-H Partners Memorandum of Understanding for signature. Watch the ECOP Monday Minute for further details.

ACTION: Comment on AFRI – The National Research Council, which is reviewing the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), is conducting a web-based solicitation to seek input broadly from research, academic and Extension leadership. Go to http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1257840/AFRI-Solicitation-of-Input to participate. The deadline is August 15, 2013. Comments in the letter sent by ECOP for the AFRI listening session in early 2012 may be helpful.

ECOP Comments on AFRI Water Challenge Area – See https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4662 for the ECOP letter sent to USDA-NIFA regarding the proposed new AFRI challenge area on water resources for FY 2014. Others are encouraged to submit written comments which are due July 30, 2013.  For the Federal Register announcement (July 8, 2013, Vol. 78, No. 130, p. 40689), go to http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-07-08/html/2013-16204.htm.

Align and Elevate Project Update – A summary for the Aligning and Elevating University-Based Low-Income Nutrition Education project may be accessed at https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4660. This project is funded by USDA-NIFA in support of land-grant university EFNEP and SNAP-Ed efforts. ECOP members Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, and Mary Jane Willis, Rutgers University, attended the meeting in April 2013 in Washington, DC.

4-H Horizons Newsletter – See https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4661 for the Horizons newsletter (summer edition) from USDA-NIFA.

Monday, July 22, 2013

ECOP Monday Minute 7.22.13



Extension Centennial on Social Media – The ECOP Extension Centennial Committee has started social media sites to promote the centennial and celebrate the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. Please promote and use these sites as a vehicle for the centennial celebration. On Facebook, we are promoting centennial activities, nationally and in the states, go to: https://www.facebook.com/Extension100Years. Twitter will push out links and stories related to our initiative and spur discussions, go to: https://twitter.com/ext100years. Pinterest will provide a sharing board for pinning images and links of Extension’s past and present, as we move into the next 100 years, go to: http://pinterest.com/ext100years/pins/.

Integrated Programs Showcased at Joint COPs –  Research Extension and Teaching: Innovative Mission Collaboration and Integration is the theme of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Joint COPs meeting in Manhattan, KS, this week. About 85 key leaders from Cooperative Extension, experiment stations, academic programs, international programs, and deans of agriculture meet to discuss national leadership issues. Director Sonny Ramaswamy will speak about how USDA-NIFA views program integration. Also included will be a session on the new USDA-NIFA strategic plan under development. ECOP, represented by Chair-elect Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, led the planning for this year’s meeting and moderates the joint session.

Benning to Retire  – Linda Kay Benning, Executive Director, Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) has announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2013. As part of the national Extension Director and Administrator Team since 2010, Benning has provided significant leadership to the work of the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, Measuring Excellence in Extension Implementation Team, ECOP Marketing and Communication Brand Value Implementation Team, and the PILD Conference Planning Team, among other ECOP priorities. Before assuming the position in the northeast region, she served as Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement at APLU beginning in August 1994.

JOE 50th Celebration at Galaxy – Extension directors and administrators are invited to a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Extension from 4-6 p.m., Monday, September 16, 2013 at the David Lawrence Convention Center, Hall A, during the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh. RSVP by September 4, 2013 to Alice Moore, ammoore@udel.edu. ECOP member Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, is the ECOP liaison to the JOE Board of Directors. For more information about Galaxy, go to www.jcep.org.

Opportunity with Climate Change – ECOP is coordinating with the USDA Climate Change Program Office to encourage Cooperative Extension’s involvement with regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change. USDA hosted a webinar last week outlining the RFA process (open to USDA agencies only) for identifying the regional hubs, with the goals of providing technical support, assessments and forecasts, and outreach and education. USDA is interested in identifying Cooperative Extension’s role with the issue of climate change with a focus on being part of the regional hubs. Go to http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/regional_hubs.htm for a fact sheet, the webinar PPT presentation, and the draft Terms of Reference for the hubs. Cooperative Extension is encouraged to contact representatives at state and local levels to be included as a partner in the application process. The application deadline is August 21, 2013. The hub locations are expected to be named by USDA in October 2013.

View Counties Count Webinar –  Click here to view the recorded webinar presented by the National Association of Counties (NACo) called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar featured a state and local example from Wisconsin by Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair.

ECOP Monday Minute 7.15.13



Galaxy IV Early Registration Ends Today – If you plan to join the launch of the Extension Centennial Celebration, co-chaired by ECOP member Bill Woodrum, West Virginia State University, and Frankie Gould, Louisiana AgriLife, taking place at the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, September 16-20, 2013, the reduced rate for early registration at Galaxy ends today. See details by clicking here.

Comment on AFRI Water Challenge Area – USDA-NIFA announces a web-based listening session on the proposed new AFRI challenge area on water resources for FY 2014. The session, 1-3 p.m. ET, Tuesday, July 16, 2013, can be viewed at http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/afri-water/ or heard by conference call at 888.858.2144, code 1512861#. ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, will provide comment on behalf of Cooperative Extension. Others are encouraged to participate to carry the Cooperative Extension message and can reserve a five-minute slot by contacting Terri Joya at 202.401.1782 or tjoya@nifa.usda.gov. Written comments are due July 30, 2013. For the Federal Register announcement (July 8, 2013, Vol. 78, No. 130, p. 40689), go to http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-07-08/html/2013-16204.htm.

ECOP to Convene at Joint COPs – Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, convenes ECOP as part of the Joint COPs meeting next week in Manhattan, KS. Included on the national leadership agenda is the external evaluation of eXtension, regional scans, efforts to enhance capacity funding, and actions of the ECOP 4-H Implementation Team, the National Task Force on Health, and the Extension Centennial Task Force.

EDEN Provides Swine Flu Alert – ECOP liaison to the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Nick Place, University of Florida, reminds those involved with county and state fairs to be aware of recent outbreaks of swine flu (influenza H3N2v or variant H3N2) and encourage 4-H exhibitors and attendees to take precautions. See the EDEN Swine Influenza Topic Page for details.

4-H Policy Statement – See https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4640 for USDA-NIFA’s policy statement on international positive youth development and the use of the 4-H Name and Emblem.

USDA-NIFA Releases Impacts –  The new publication, 2008 Farm Bill - Making an Impact through NIFA, is available at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/ag_systems/pdfs/farm_bill_2013.pdf.

ECOP Monday Minute 6.24.13



ECOP Monday Minute will return on July 15, 2013. Happy Independence Day!

SAVE THE DATES Extension Centennial – Extension Centennial Task Force co-chairs Bill Woodrum, West Virginia State University, and Frankie Gould, Louisiana State University AgCenter, ask you to hold dates in March, April and May next year as outlined here. The celebration will launch as part of the Galaxy IV Conference, September 16-20, 2013 in Pittsburgh, PA. Watch www.extension100years.net for updates.

More on NACo Webinar 6.26.13 – There is still time to register for the webinar sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The topic is Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar will feature a state and local example from Wisconsin. Featured speakers are Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair. To register, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/689139986. Following registration, the connection information will be provided.

21st Century Extension Professional Project – Click here to view the webinar Chuck Hibberd, Dean and Director of Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, presented last week. In addition to reviewing findings from this ECOP-sponsored study on the skills and attributes of Extension professionals of today and the future, the session focused on appropriate applications for Cooperative Extension at state and local levels. The webinar content expands on the presentation at NEDA 2013.

eXtension Virtual Conference 6.27.13Dave Gray, author of Game Storming and The Connected Company, will speak in a virtual conference on Thursday, June 27 at 1 p.m. ET.  Gray is one keynote speaker for the NEDA/NeXC2014 Joint Meeting in March 2014.  Join the conversation!  Go to https://learn.extension.org/events/1096 for details and to join the Google+ Hangout On Air.  This virtual conference is sponsored by eXtension and the Network Literacy Community of Practice.

World Agriculture Prize – July 31, 2013 is the deadline for the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research (GCHERA) World Agriculture Prize nominations. For details, see http://www.gchera-wap.org.

ECOP Monday Minute 6.17.13



Join NACo Webinar 6.26.13 – The National Association of Counties (NACo) invites all Extension professionals to join a webinar called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Eastern Time. ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz will provide an overview of contemporary Cooperative Extension followed by a state and local perspective using Wisconsin as a model. To register for the webinar, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/689139986. Following registration, the connection information will be provided.

Congratulations, ECOP Chair! – Epsilon Sigma Phi has announced that ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz will give the prestigious Epsilon Sigma Phi Ruby Lecture for distinguished service http://espnational.org/news-job-announcements/current-news/611-2013-recognition-recipients.html on Wednesday, 9.18.13 at the Galaxy Conference in Pittsburgh.

Global Extension  – The Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) invites you to view its webinar Global Extension: Is it Right for You?.

Climate Change – See http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=climate-change for USDA’s recent announcement of efforts to address climate change through mitigation and adaptation.

Rural Broadband – During Doug Steele’s tenure as ECOP chair in 2012, discussions occurred with the USDA Rural Utilities Service related to Cooperative Extension’s role in helping communities understand the importance of broadband investments; showing businesses how to use the internet for e-commerce, and engaging city and county governments in the use of the internet for delivery of government services, health care, and non-formal education of citizens. See http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahomecontentidonly=true&contentid=2013/06/0120.xml for USDA’s recent announcement of funding for broadband in remote areas.