ECOP Monday Minute

In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday,
ECOP Monday Minute will return on 1.25.16. 

4-H Engagement Campaign Webinar 1.20.16 – The ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee, Ed Jones, Virginia Tech, and Renee McKee, Purdue University, invites you to a webinar 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET, January 20, 2016 to review and clarify aspects of the 4-H Engagement Campaign, including campaign deliverables and individual institution participation. Registration is required through Sarah Hunt shunt@fourhcouncil.edu. The meeting URL is https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop. You are encouraged to confirm connection capability in advance at www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect. For the web browser, Firefox or Internet Explorer, not Chrome, is recommended. Audio is via phone through the call-back function in Adobe Connect. If this is not available to you, call directly at 866.433.4616, Code 882477. 

SNAP-ED, Rural Development Webinar 1.15.16 – The SNAP-ED Program Development Team, in partnership with the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs), is offering a webinar 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET, January 15, 2016 on “Linking Community Development to Individual Choices: SNAP-ED and Community Development Working Together.” Presenters are Rachel Welborn, Program Manager, Southern Rural Development Center, and Don Albrecht, Director of the Western Rural Development Center. Participants will learn how positive changes in communities can affect individual food choices and physical activities. To connect, go to https://msues.adobeconnect.com/_a828402417/srdc/. 

Mary Jane Willis
(1948-2015)

Memorial Fund to Honor Mary Jane Willis – ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, calls your attention to an opportunity to honor the legacy of ECOP member Mary Jane Willis, Rutgers University, who passed away last month. Rutgers Extension Director Larry Katz says, “Mary Jane dedicated herself to Rutgers Cooperative Extension for nearly 40 years. She gave her heart and soul to the betterment of our communities on a state and national level. To honor her, efforts are now underway to raise $50,000 to create a memorial endowment to provide stipends to seed, expand, and enhance projects that serve urban and diverse populations. This endowment will ensure that Mary Jane’s legacy will forever serve as a guidepost to do more for our underserved communities.” Contributions may be made payable to “Rutgers University Foundation,” with the words “MJW Endowment” in the memo line. Mail checks to Rutgers Cooperative Extension c/o Rachel Karl, 88 Lipman Drive, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Please direct additional questions to Rachel at (848) 932-3593, rachel.karl@rutgers.edu. 

NEW eXtension Completes Major 2015 Milestones – The NEW eXtension is a knowledge-to-action service that is an integral part of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System. It is designed to help Extension professionals increase program visibility and measurable impact locally and system wide. eXtension completed 2015 having passed major milestones toward advancing innovation and professional development for the Cooperative Extension System. For more information see 2015 Reflections: Creating the NEW eXtension.

JCEP Leadership Conference Registration Due 1.15.16 – The Joint Council on Extension Professionals (JCEP) hosts the annual leadership conference, this year themed “Leading Across Generations” February 10-11, 2016 in Las Vegas. Early bird registration and the room block at the Tropicana Hotel ends January 15th. See www.jcep.org for details. 

Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit Next Week – A national summit highlighting policy, education and economic issues surrounding the stewardship of antimicrobial drug use in food-producing animals will take place January 20-21, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. A collaboration of Farm Foundation, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Association of American Veterinary Medicine Colleges (AAVMC) and USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), this summit will highlight the diverse issues involved in antimicrobial stewardship. Targeted to livestock producers, feed suppliers, veterinarians, academics and government agency staff, the summit is an opportunity to advance the conversation on the industry's adaptation to the changing landscape of antimicrobial drug use. Included in the program is a discussion of a report Addressing Antibiotic Resistance http://www.aplu.org/library/addressing-antibiotic-resistance/file issued in October 2015 by a joint task force of APLU and AAVMC. The agenda is available HERE. There is no fee to attend the summit. Registration is requested and can be completed online by CLICKING HERE. The summit is preceded by a Farm Foundation Forum on the topic: Antibiotic Use in Humans and Animals. 

FFAR Advisory Council Nominations Due 1.20.16 – The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) announces a call for nominations to inaugural Advisory Councils designed to advise programming decisions addressing today’s agricultural challenges. Expertise is needed in one or more of FFAR’s research focus areas: optimizing agricultural water use; transforming soil health; enhancing sustainable farm animal productivity, resilience, and health; improving plant efficiency; achieving a deeper understanding of nutrition and healthy food choices; managing food production systems to enhance human nutritional outcomes, and spurring food system innovation. Further directions are available at www.foundationfar.org/advisory-councils. Nominations are due January 20, 2016. 

FFAR New Innovator Award Nominations Due 1.20.16 – The Foundation of Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) announces a call for nominations for the “New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award.” This program seeks to support, through grants of up to $200,000 per year over three years, standout food and agriculture scientists within the first three years of their tenure-track career. Further directions are available at www.foundationfar.org/new-innovator. Nominations are due January 20, 2016. 

USDA Ag Outlook Forum Early Registration 1.20.16 – The USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum February 25-26 2016 in Arlington, VA carries the theme “Transforming Agriculture: Blending Technology and Tradition.” See http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/ for details. Registration at a reduced fee continues through January 20, 2016.