ECOP Announces Health Implementation Strategy – Complementary to the BAA-BOHS Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People Steering Committee http://goo.gl/ePG04Z, ECOP, in collaboration with ESCOP, has launched specific action teams related to human health and wellness as outlined in the ECOP Health Task Force Report. The action teams and chairs are – Health Literacy, Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University; Health Insurance Literacy, Virginia Brown, University of Maryland; Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, David Buys, Mississippi State University; Positive Youth Development for Youth, Sekai Turner, North Carolina A&T University; and Health Policy Issues Education, Roberta Riportella, Kansas State University. Celvia Stovall, Alabama Extension, and Rick Klemme, Wisconsin Extension, represent ECOP on the Steering Committee and will coordinate the efforts of the action teams.
National Impacts Database Public Launch – The National Impacts Database Committee is pleased to announce the launch of the public-facing Land-Grant Impacts website www.landgrantimpacts.org/ which is the front door to the National Impacts Database. The website showcases how land-grant universities use teaching, research, and Extension to positively affect the agriculture industry, local communities, and the nation at large, and the Database, jointly sponsored by ECOP and ESCOP, uses impact statements to document university Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension advancements. Both online resources were developed and will be maintained by several Land-grant universities. The website and database are hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
NC-FAR Capitol Hill Seminars Feature Cooperative Extension – Cooperative Extension is on Capitol Hill Tuesday, 3.3.15, as part of the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research www.ncfar.org lunch/learn series. Featured is Robert Kallenbach, University of Missouri, who won the Cooperative Extension National Award for Excellence in 2014. He will focus comments for Congressional staffers on research and Extension education focusing on better pasture management practices. These efforts led to more than $100 million in new investments in diary operations in Missouri, which, in turn, generated $40 million in annual milk sales and supported 1,110 new jobs. Michael Ouart, Missouri Extension Director, will moderate the session and comment on the value of capacity funds.
National Extension Energy Summit – The National Extension Energy Summit (NEES) April 7-10, 2015 in Seattle is an opportunity for Extension professionals to share experiences and knowledge, learn from successes and challenges, and build new partnerships for energy programs. The Summit will bring together expertise from Extension supporting sustainable and renewable energy, home and farm energy efficiency, and community energy programs.
NC-FAR Releases Annual Report – The National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research provides an Annual Report and PowerPoint summary of 2014 efforts. ECOP maintains a membership in NC-FAR with Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, serving on the Board of Directors, and Michael Ouart, University of Missouri, serving on the Research and Outreach Committee. NC-FAR’s mission is to sustain and increase federal funding in food and agricultural research, Extension and education. The customer-led coalition provides a common forum and a unified voice for agriculture research, Extension and education (RE&E).
Cooperative Extension Annual Reports – Cooperative Extension directors and administrators are encouraged to use the ECOP Monday Minute for national visibility of Extension annual reports and other communications of interest across the system. For example, see the Iowa State University 2014 annual report and the North Dakota State University report at http://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/vpag/Annual_Highlights/2014_Annual_Highlights.pdf.
