ECOP Monday Minute 1.14.2013

Reminder: Communications and Marketing Briefing 1.15.13  -- Scott Reed, AES-CES Communications and Marketing Committee Co-Chair invites you to join the ECOP sponsored teleconference 11-Noon, ET, Tuesday, January 15, 2013 for a Communications and Marketing Briefing. The call in number is 213-493.0700, Passcode 388936#. kglobal, has prepared an overview slide set http://portal.sliderocket.com/kglobal/APLU-Jan-2013 which you are encouraged to view prior to the teleconference. Daryl Buchholz, ECOP Chair; Darren Katz, kglobal, and Hunt Shipman, Cornerstone Government Affairs, will be featured on the call. Due to the nature of the information, the teleconference will not be recorded.

NEDA 2013 Hotel Reservations and Registration Update -- The National Extension Directors and Administrators meeting will be held March 18-20, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio. Registration information has been delayed as the Hyatt Regency is currently updating their Spring menu for 2013.  The following dates and times are offered for travel planning purposes. Please note there are three separate meetings, all held at the Hyatt Regency.

Hotel Reservations
Hotel reservations need to be made by February 25 in order to receive the discounted room rate. They can be made online at: http://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=9619313 or by phone at: 1-888-421-1442 using the Group Block Name and Code: G-APLG



Dates and Times
1. Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) Regional Meeting 
      8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2013
2. National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting
       6 p.m. Monday, March 18  - 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2013
3. Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) Meeting
       1 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 - Noon Thursday, March 21, 2013

ECOP 4-H Working Group Update (by Chuck Gay, Chair, Utah State University)  -- The ECOP 4-H Working Group is composed of a director or administrator and 4-H program leader from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions.  The purpose of the working group is to reflect the perspective of the state-level Cooperative Extension Services (CES), represented by ECOP. Preliminary reports will be provided at national meetings to 4-H program leaders in February and directors and administrators in March. Three focus groups are working on recommendations to be presented to ECOP at its March 2013 meeting in San Antonio. These are: 1) recommendations for organizational changes in the ECOP structure to ensure that 4-H, as the  premier youth development program in CES, has the national leadership and representation to sustain the program, 2) recommendations for a Memorandum of Understanding between USDA-NIFA, ECOP (representing Extension in the land-grant universities), and National 4-H Council to foster coordination and collaboration among the three entities, and 3) recommendations that ECOP may use to negotiate a structure for USDA-NIFA that would provide the support needed from the federal partner for the 4-H program.  ECOP will provide leadership for the next steps in this process which will engage the other two critical partners to the 4-H program -- USDA-NIFA and the National 4-H Council.

Extension Featured at USDA's 89th Annual Outlook Conference -- The 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum - Managing Risk in the 21st Century is February 21-22, 2013, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA. Twenty-five sessions with more than 85 speakers will focus on managing risk; food prices and farm income; commodity outlooks; trade; global crop insurance; natural resource conservation for water, soil, and forests; nutritious diets; local foods; and food safety. Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University; Tom Coon, Michigan State University, and Dr. Albert E. Essel, Associate Dean for Cooperative Extension at Delaware State University, are among those representing Extension views during sessions at the conference. Visit http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/ for more information.

2013 APLU Annual Meeting Registration -- The pre-registration rate of $475 for the 2013 APLU Annual Meeting is available through January 31, 2013 at http://www.cvent.com/d/wcq308/4W. The meeting is November 10-12 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The conference room block will be available in March.

Feeding a Hungry Planet, Youth Ag Summit -- The US has been invited to identify 10 young people (age 18-25) and 2 adult mentors to participate in a youth Ag Summit in Calgary Alberta Canada on August 19-25, 2013. Applicants will submit a 2000 word essay or a 7 minute video describing what the underlying causes of food insecurity are, the effect it can have on people, how sustainable agricultural practices can address the issues, and how the applicant plans to use the Youth Ag Summit to advance their solution. Participants have been invited from 21 countries. Completed application materials are due by February 15, 2013 and those selected will be notified by the end of March. Application guidelines, including information about the submission form, can be found at: https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4286. For questions or further information contact Nadica Koskarovska at the National 4-H Council, nkoskarovska@fourhcouncil.edu, 301.961.2866.