ECOP Monday Minute 4.14.14

Future of Extension Panel at Convocation – The ECOP Centennial Task Force, Doug Steele and Frankie Gould, co-chairs, announce an engaging panel for the Centennial Convocation May 7-8, 2014 in Washington, DC. The panel representing higher education, private industry, foundations and the federal government will summarize a vision for Cooperative Extension’s next 100 years of excellence. On the panel are Jennifer Sirangelo, President and Chief Executive Officer, National 4-H Council; The Honorable Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary, USDA Research, Education and Economics, and Chief Scientist; Martha Bernadett, Executive Vice President, Research and Innovation, Molina Healthcare, Inc., and Bruce McPheron, Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University. This prestigious panel joins USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, futurist Lowell Catlett from New Mexico State University, and CEO LaJune Montgomery Tabron of the Kellogg Foundation. Be a part of this historical event by registering at http://www.cvent.com/d/g4qqj5 by 4.18.14 to avoid penalties. The room block at the Wardman Park Hotel at the conference rate is available until 4.15.14. For details about the poster competition featuring Cooperative Extension emerging leaders, contact Chrystal Checketts at cchecketts@tamu.edu and for the opening flag bearing ceremony, contact Bill Woodrum at extensioncentennial@gmail.com.

Extension 100 Highlighted at 4-H Congressional Breakfast -- ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, and Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University, spoke at the 4-H Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill on April 9.  Joining them at the event were several Extension directors and administrators. Government and Congressional leaders, including 15 members of Congress; Robert Listenbee, the administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Sonny Ramaswamy, director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture at USDA, put a spotlight on the importance of 4-H positive youth development programs and Cooperative Extension.  During their remarks, Henning and Latimore recognized the 100th anniversary of Cooperative Extension with the signing of the Smith-Lever Act on May 8, 1914. In addition, leaders from 4-H National Headquarters at USDA, land-grant universities, youth, 4-H professionals, and National 4-H Council Trustees and staff thanked members of Congress and government leaders, including OJJDP, for their support of positive youth development and recognized Congressional 4-H alumni. Nearly 250 people were in attendance. Click here to see photos - www.4-h.org/congressionalbreakfastphotos/.

Call for Papers on 4-H Youth Development (by Cathann Kress, Director, Iowa State University Extension) -- "To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act, I have been invited to serve as guest editor of a special issue of the Reclaiming Youth and Children international journal  (http://reclaimingjournal.com/) focused on 4-H youth development. Authors for manuscripts not to exceed 10 pages are needed on three topics --  4-H and its breadth of work from rural communities to underserved groups, impact of 4-H, and future of 4-H. Submit a brief proposal (two pages, double-spaced maximum) to Glennda Bivens at glennda@iastatate.edu by 4.25.14. The issue will be published in November and final manuscripts must be submitted in July."

eXtension Announces 2013 Annual Report – Dennis Calvin, chair of the ECOP eXtension Governing Committee, Extension Director, Pennsylvania State University, encourages you to review the eXtension annual report featuring growth and change at http://create.extension.org/sites/default/files/2013%20Annual%20Report.pdf.

USDA-NIFA Summarizes Nutrition Education Opportunities – Helen Chipman, USDA-NIFA National Program Leader for Food and Nutrition Education, encourages you to view a webinar where she reviewed EFNEP, SNAP-Education and related matters referenced in the Agriculture Act of 2014.  See www.farmmanagement.org/aginuncertaintimesenglish/ag-in-uncertain-times/recordings/.

Extension Challenge Fund – Hiram Larew, USDA-NIFA Director of Center for International Programs, directs your attention to a request for applications for the New Alliance Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Extension Challenge Fund. Funding will be used for ICT-enabled service providers (which may include a mix of mobile phone-enabled, low-cost video, radio and television service providers) in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa to provide agriculture extension services to achieve crop yield goals. Grant applicants need to propose services that can be well integrated, are moving toward financial sustainability and scale, and are not prototypes or pilot projects. The six countries are Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania. Please click here to download the USAID Request for Application (RFA) via Grants.gov. Concept notes are due 4.24.14 with full applications due 6.19.14.

North Dakota Releases Impact Report – Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University Extension Director, invites you to review  the 2013 Annual Highlights of the Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service at www.ndsu.edu/vpag/annual_highlights/.