Monday, January 25, 2016

Nominations Due 5.1.16 for 2016 Extension Awards

ECOP and USDA-NIFA announces the 2016 nomination process for the national Excellence in Extension and Diversity awards. The due date for on-line nominations is May 1, 2016 at 5:00p.m. Pacific Time.For details and to access the online nomination forms go to: http://www.aplu.org/CESawards. Questions can be directed to Sandy Ruble sandy.ruble@extension.org, ECOP Staff Associate.

eXtension Launches 2016 i-Three Issue CorpsThe NEW eXtension is pleased to name the first eXtension i-Three Issue Corps. These 127 individuals comprise 72 projects focused on either food systems or climate. In addition, they represent 31 states and 33 institutions. Over the coming weeks and months, the Corps will collaborate with eXtension staff, key subject matter informants, experts in project design, technology, marketing, and each other to enhance and improve their projects and experiments. During the National eXtension Conference in San Antonio, March 22-25, 2016, the Corps will meet as a group and move through a “design-a-thon” experience to further refine their projects or experiments. 

Subscribe to Get USDA-NIFA News – USDA-NIFA announces a new email subscription service to receive information from the agency. Topics include NIFA updates, press releases, announcements, programs, initiatives, research, education, and Extension projects, funding opportunities, grants awarded, budgetary and legislative updates, policy changes, blogs, significant NIFA-funded impacts or items of interest about and for land-grant universities and non-land grant colleges of agriculture. With this new service, you can select what information you wish to receive and the frequency. To subscribe, log in with your email address at http://bit.ly/NIFAsubscribe, save changes, and look for an email confirmation. Direct questions to Alexandra Wilson at 202.720.3137 or afwilson@nifa.usda.gov

Register for PILD 2016 – “Innovation: The Story of Extension” is the theme of the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Public Issues Leadership Development Conference, April 10–13, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, VA. The conference, designed by and for Extension professionals and volunteers, provides an intense learning experience about the legislative process, include visits to Capitol Hill. Early registration at a reduced fee ends 3.18.16. See www.jcep.org for details. 

APLU Annual Meeting Early Registration – January 31, 2016 is the early registration deadline for the 2016 APLU Annual Meeting, November 13-15 in Austin, TX. To register, go to http://www.cvent.com/d/yfqm7j/4W. The hotel room block will open in March.

Monday, January 11, 2016

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

4-H Engagement Campaign Webinar 1.20.16The 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 1.15.16The 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 MilestonesThe 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 WeekA 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 1.20.16The 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.