Monday, June 24, 2019

Funding Opportunity: Military-Connected Youth/Families Program

The purpose of the CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development and Technical Assistance Program is to support the implementation and capacity of the 4-H Military Partnership and Outreach Support Program. Professional development and technical assistance are provided to the Land-Grant institutions and Cooperative Extension System, so that, in collaboration with other organizations, they can develop and deliver educational programs for military-connected youth. Eligibility to apply - Cooperative Extension at 1890, 1862, and 1994 Land-grant Colleges and Universities (one per institution). See Request for Applications for more information. The closing date is Friday, July 26, 2019 and the Estimated Total Program Funding is $550,000. To apply go to Apply for Grant.


2020 Dietary Guidelines – Background, Importance and LGU Connects - The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has recently been populated with Rachel Novotny, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources – University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, serving as a Land-Grant Faculty representative. Rachel has provided leadership with the USDA NIFA funded Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Center of Excellence Policy Systems Environment (RNECE PSE) to support community coalition readiness assessment and planning for limited resource nutrition education programs across the nation. The work of this advisory committee and resulting changes in the guidelines will definitely impact the underlying curriculum for EFNEP, SNAP-Ed and other nutrition education programming. Extension Directors and Administrators should note that there are multiple opportunities for the Public to become involved; next Public meeting in DC takes place on July 10-11.


Extension Featured in NCFAR Seminar - The National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research, of which ECOP and ESCOP are members, sponsors a series of seminars for House and Senate Ag Staffers. On June 17, 2019, Bob Craven, Extension Economist and Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, presented two seminars (65 attendees) entitled Extension and Partner Response to Farm Financial and Mental Health Stress. The presentation addressed two of the most challenging issues facing farmers (and by connection; youth, families and communities) - farm financial and mental stress. These issues are clearly interrelated with farm profitability issues exacerbating challenging mental health and a growing number of suicides across the country. Bob showcased how a University, a Department of Agriculture and other partners’ are addressing these issues in Minnesota. He pointed out the importance of leveraging federal, state and county investments to address these and other critical issues.


Use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Examined by eXtension - Cooperative Extension professionals are invited to complete a survey about the use of customer relationship management (CRM) software within their organizations. The 5-minute survey is available here. Results will be shared within the Cooperative Extension System. As Cooperative Extension organizations assess or implement new software tools and strategies, it is often useful for them to communicate with other Extension organizations that have similar objectives and experiences. This survey is intended to identify what Extension organizations are doing or considering when it comes to CRM platforms. The results will be available through the eXtension website. This work is part of the eXtension CRM Fellow program. Any questions or comments can be directed to Stephen Judd, eXtension CRM Fellow.


Leadership in the City Course for Urban Extension Professionals - The Leadership in the City 10-month comprehensive online professional development program prepares Extension professionals working in urban areas, to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally. The program was developed based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and builds upon existing leadership experiences, management training, and Extension professional development. Participants have represented 27 states during the first two years of the program. This course is led by Julie Fox from the Ohio State University Extension. The investment in the program is $500. Multiple participants from the same institute are entitled to a $100 discount (Discount code: LITC19-100). Complete details and registration can be found at https://cityextension.osu.edu/leadership.

Monday, June 17, 2019

Public Policy Outreach and Extension Programming Challenges

Last Friday, June 14, 2019, Extension Directors and Administrators from the 5 regions of the Cooperative Extension Section gathered in a Zoom Room to explore how Cooperative Extension, part of the Land-grant University System, is responding to a passionately controversial agriculture/environment topic - dicamba that is mostly impacting Agricultural communities in the south and central part of the nation. Mike Fitzner, NIFA's Director of Division of Plant Systems-Protection, and the ECOP EDA Team's north central executive director assigned to the National Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee, assisted ECOP Chair, Ed Jones, Virginia Tech to lead the discussion. The 54-minute recording is available for review at https://youtu.be/0O3FEzpcTWk and the PowerPoint is available to view and download by Clicking Here. Submit questions or concerns to ecopblog@gmail.com.



Don't Miss Wave 2 Pre-award Request for Application Informational Calls - National 4-H Council (Council), through a competitive grant opportunity from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), will be extending an invitation for all Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) and the Cooperative Extension System within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories to apply for this Wave 2 pre-award RFA of the Well Connected Communities initiative. Council, in partnership with the groundbreaking health initiatives of Cooperative Extension and anticipated funding from RWJF, is helping to drive transformational change to create the conditions that will foster a Culture of Health in communities across America. Council invites Directors and Administrators and their Associates and Program Leaders to register for the following.
  • Pre-award RFA Call #1 to be held on June 25, 2019, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. Participants will receive an overview of the initiative and a preview of what to expect in the Wave 2 pre-award RFA. Register Here
  • Pre-award RFA Call #2 on July 31, 2019, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. This will be a more in-depth webinar on the pre-award RFA for Wave 2. Participants will have an opportunity to ask any questions about the RFA and the submission process. Register Here 

Extension’s Response to Everchanging Broadband Landscape - This year has seen significant broadband federal and state legislation as well as Extension education program activity. Numerous groups work to increase broadband awareness, access, and use. The National Digital Education Extension Team (NDEET) includes land-grant university leaders following these efforts and working on research, training, projects, and partnerships to assist with broadband challenges and opportunities. Members are involved in many broadband organizations such as School Healthcare Library Broadband Coalition (SHLB), National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), NTIA USABroadband State Broadband Leaders Network (SBLN), and the National Collaborative for Digital Equity’s (NCDE). Topics addressed by NDEET and these other groups include the Homework Gap, the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) program (broadband spectrum for education use), and federal broadband funding resources. For more information about NDEET, contact Rachel Welborn.


Extension Farm Management’s Future - There is growing concern about the future of farm management extension education and if there a workforce to draw from for agents and specialists. A recent article on this topic was recently published in Choices, a publication produced by the American Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, written by Extension Directors John Lawrence (Iowa State University), Gregg Hadley (Kansas State University) and Jason Henderson (Purdue University). In this article these Directors, with extensive farm management experience, address the common issues of concern in the farm management extension community. See http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/the-future-of-farm-management-extension/the-future-for-extension-farm-management-economists-the-directors-cut for the article.



USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program Stakeholder Webinar is Tomorrow - Directors and Administrators, dairy producers and Extension colleagues who work with these producers should know that FSA is conducting a webinar tomorrow June 17, 2019,1:30 P.M. ET to share the basic tools and resources for producers of the new FSA Dairy Margin Coverage DMC Program. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions throughout the webinar in the Chat box. Cooperative Extension has been instrumental in developing and supporting the decision tool features used prominently in FSA's outreach. Join the meeting by registering here: Registration LinkDirect question to fsaoutreach@wdc.usda.gov.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Congress Learns About Land-Grant Response to Farming Challenges on June 17


Cooperative Extension is on Capitol Hill next week as part of the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NCFAR) Hill Seminar series. Bob Craven, University of Minnesota’s Center for Farm Financial Management Director, will inform Congressional staffers of research and Extension education response to financial and mental health challenges of farmers in Minnesota and across the country. Craven will include details of UNM's partnership with Minnesota Department of Agriculture by describing effective responses to these challenges resulting from the leveraged federal funding for education, Extension and research. Please share the following with your respective congressional offices to attend on Monday, June 17, 2019:


SNAP-Ed PDT Seeks Project Contract Vendor - The Land-Grant University SNAP-Ed Office Program Development Team (housed at South Dakota State University) is requesting proposals to create a national report outlining the role and impacts of Land-Grant Universities in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) for the fiscal year 2019. The budget for this RFP is up to $100,000. Proposals are due July 11, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. CST. Please direct any questions to Vicki Soren at 605-688-4989. Directors and Administrators are asked to share this information widely. Go to: https://www.mercurycommerce.com/secure/SourcingEventPostingBoard/default.asp?sID=%7B1CFAA89E7-35C9-49B9-B091-AF5C3C0EEED1%7D&PagingID=&RefreshOption=3. Scoll to event ID is 1732.



JOE Now a Web of Science Indexed Publication - Ami Smith, West Virginia State University, the ECOP/CES representative to the Extension Journal Inc. Board of Directors, announces that the Journal of Extension (JOE) is now indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection’s Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). This distinction increases discoverability of JOE’s content and, thereby, the visibility of Extension and JOE’s authors overall. Additionally, JOE authors with access to the Web of Science Core Collection database can track citation activity associated with their articles. ECOP designates JOE as the official refereed chronicle of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System. Click here to read the full article. Contact Ami at smitham@wvstateu.edu or JOE Editor Debbie Allen joe-ed@joe.org for more information.


Fellows Announced for 2019 - eXtension announces the following individuals recently added as Fellows for 2019. eXtension Fellows create a pathway for new work in high-priority topic areas, disseminated and used across the Cooperative Extension System.
  • Teresa McCoy, University of Maryland, National Association of Extension Program & Staff Development Professional (NAEPSDP) Fellow. The focus of this fellowship is to develop the first version of an Evaluation eFieldbook to be delivered at the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit.
  • Jody Norman, Colorado State University and Cynthia Pierfax, Prairie View A&M University, National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Fellows. The focus of the NUEL Fellowships is to publish an eFieldbook using some of the NUEL Professional Development Competency and Best Practices Frameworks as the organizing frameworks for the publication. Additionally, an Asset Map will be created in conjunction with the eXtension Impact Collaborative partnership team to identify partner organizations with resources and capacity to offer Extension professionals in urban settings.

Monday, June 3, 2019

2019 Joint ESS/CES-NEDA Meeting Registration

Extension Administrators and Directors are encouraged to promptly register for the Joint Experiment Station (ESS) Cooperative Extension Section (CES-NEDA) meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, September 23-26, 2019. The Sections' leaders, who have mutual interests in scientific research and application, are from the 76, 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant University (LGU) institutions who receive a portion of their funding through USDA-NIFA. The theme of their meeting to be held at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, is LEADING THE FUTURE: CHANGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND RELATIONSHIPS. Details for registering for the meeting are found at http://www.cvent.com/d/66qy1n. Co-chairs of the Planning Committee are ECOP Past-chair Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska, and ESCOP Chair-elect George Hopper, Mississippi State University. Stay tuned for more details regarding the Joint Sessions and the annual CES-NEDA business meeting agenda. 


Dicamba is Topic of Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders - ECOP Chair Ed Jones invites Extension Directors and Administrators to learn about challenges in public policy outreach and Extension programming in agriculture and natural resources – the case of  dicamba, on Friday, June 14, 2019, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. The June Learning for Leaders meeting occurs 1 week later than normal. Presenters will soon be announced by email. Connection details: Join Zoom Meeting https://extension.zoom.us/j/129450710 or Dial by your location 646-876-9923 (New York) 669-900-6833 (San Jose) Meeting ID: 129 450 710. The wealth of the previously recorded Learning for Leaders’ sessions may be accessed here.


2020 NERAOC Topics Due by June 28 - According to Gina Eubanks, Louisiana State University, ECOP Representative to National Extension and Research Administrative Officers Conference (NERAOC) National Planning Committee, the University of Missouri and Lincoln University will host the 2020 NERAOC, April 19-22 in St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose of the conference is to provide a professional development opportunity to exchange current and relevant best practices, discuss policy, obtain definitive interpretation of regulations, and discuss future issues pertinent to operating the LGU system and other cooperating institutions. The Committee seeks input and ideas for potential topics by June 28 using the online form. Tracks include Diversity and Inclusion, Finance/Capacity Grant, HR/Organizational Development, Minority Serving Institutions, and Program Reporting and Accountability. Contact Gina at GEubanks@agcenter.lsu.edu for more information.


SNAP-Ed and EFNEP Core Competency RFP Announcement - With an awareness of the importance to continue to build capacity in low-income nutrition education programs, the LGU SNAP-Ed Program Development Team is seeking to update core competencies. SNAP-Ed and EFNEP state coordinators and program supervisors use core competencies in hiring, training, and performance management decisions for systematic program effectiveness nationwide. The intent of this project is to conduct a thorough review of existing competencies and associated resources and to revise and update so that they are current and relevant for the future. Proposals due June 27, 2019. Direct questions to Vicki Soren, 605-688-4989. The posting can be found at https://www.mercurycommerce.com/secure/SourcingEventPostingBoard/default.asp?sID=%7B1CFAA89E7-35C9-49B9-B091-AF5C3C0EEED1%7D&PagingID=&RefreshOption=3. Scroll to CORE Competency RFP # 1721.


NIFA Granstmanship Webinar Announced for Next Week - NIFA's Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition will present a grantsmanship webinar entitled 2019 AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Food Safety, Nutrition & Health Program Areas, on June 11, 2019. Click Here for all of the details and to register.


New Census of Agriculture Products - Please share these new products and information with producers and other local data users – NASS just released (May 30) the much anticipated 2017 Census of Agriculture State and County Profiles. On June 26, NASS will release another popular Census product, the Congressional District Profiles and Rankings. More Census products, such as the watershed report, zip code tabulations, and race, ethnicity and gender profiles, will follow throughout the summer. Access the full 2017 Census of Agriculture report and other associated products (e.g. highlight videos and publications) here. Stay connected with NASS on Twitter @usda_nass for the latest data released and information about NASS’ upcoming surveys and censuses.