2023 NEDA Registration Update

Early registration fees for the NEDA Meeting, Transforming Extension: People, Partners, and the Profession, October 10-12, 2023, expired last week. However, Extension Directors and Administrators may register and attend for only $100 more! Visit neda.extension.org for details. The Tucson Marriott hotel rates for NEDA have expired, also. Here is the link to a map to spot hotels that are within walking distance if no vacancies remain at the Marriott. As of this writing, over 100 people are registered to attend.



USDA Seeks Nominations for Membership on the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - USDA has announced it is accepting nominations to the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. First established in 1992, the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers advises the Secretary of Agriculture to enhance USDA’s goals for new farming and ranching operations. USDA is soliciting nominations from interested organizations and individuals from among ranching and farming producers, related state and tribal agricultural entities, academic institutions, commercial banking entities, trade associations, and related nonprofit enterprises. An organization may nominate individuals from within or outside its membership. Interested candidates may also nominate themselves or other qualified experts by October 10. Learn more about the advisory committee and how to apply.

National Rural Grocery Summit Announced - The Rural Grocery Initiative, Kansas State University, Research and Extension, and the Hunger Solutions Institute, Auburn University, College of Human Sciences and Alabama Agriculture Experiment Stations, are co-sponsoring a networking and resource-sharing venue for independent grocers and rural food access stakeholders called the National Rural Grocery Summit www.ruralgrocery.org/summit.The event will take place June 24-25, 2024, at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama. At this stage of planning, interested parties may save the date and sign up for the newsletter list to receive further details. The summit will bring together grocery store owners and managers, community leaders, food suppliers, academic researchers, healthy food access stakeholders, policy makers, and funders to connect, share lessons learned, and innovate around best practices for sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores and improving access to healthy food in rural communities. 

Explore Social Science Funding Opportunities - The Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society is hosting a free webinar at 12 p.m. EDT September 29, 2023, that will feature NIFA staff discussing the various funding opportunities for social science research related to food and agriculture. The webinar will cover where social science programs are housed within NIFA's divisional structure, special opportunities for students and early career professionals, and tips for successful grant writing. A Q&A will follow the presentation. Register here online.

Advocacy Summit Nominations Due 9/15

Doug Steele, APLU's VP of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, is collecting nominations for a National Advocacy Leadership Summit in DC on November 1-3. Eligible candidates include leaders at various levels from these colleges and universities with interest in knowing more about Board on Agricultural Assembly (BAA) advocacy structure and priority setting. Because the BAA operates under these rules, and the Cooperative Extension Section operates under these rules, the duly-elected members of ECOP and ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee and/or those who aspire to be duly-elected by their regions, are encouraged to nominate themselves and/or nominated using this form by September 15. Registration of $200 is required for those who are selected to attend. Steele's criteria for selecting up to 100 leaders is based on the size and type of institution, geographic representation, engagement of all BAA sections, and diversity. 

Early NEDA in 2024? - ECOP present and future leadership has examined several potential dates for the 2024 National Extension Directors and Administrators Annual Meeting. Conflicts in October of that fall could necessitate holding NEDA in September. Specifically, the dates currently being examined are September 16-19, 2024. Locations in the middle of the country currently dominate the discussion. Please contact Bill Hoffman (whoffman@aplu.org) if these dates present insurmountable difficulties. 

By the way, registration fee for 2023 NEDA in Tucson, October 10-12, 2023, increases next Tuesday and hotel rooms are filling up fast. Visit neda.extension.org today for more information and check room availability before booking a flight. Negotiations for overflow hotel within walkable distance are being investigated. There are no guarantees for hotel room rate of $209/night or availability after September 18. 

Farm Safety Education Feedback Opportunity - USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a webinar to bring together formal and non-formal educators, non-profit partners, and government agencies to explore how NIFA-funded programs are supporting farm safety and farm safety education. The webinar on September 18, 2023, 1- 2:00 p.m. ET, will include a panel of project directors from the Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities (AgrAbility) and the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program. The panel will explore how communities are promoting safety in agriculture by developing agricultural educators; providing technical assistance to farm workers and farmers; and training the next generation of agriculturalists to prevent injuries and fatalities on the farm. Registration here is required to attend. To learn more, contact Courtenay Simmons at Courtenay.Simmons@usda.gov.

NCFAR Lunch-n-Learn: Genome to Phenome – Driving the Future of Innovation for Crop and Livestock Communities is a virtual lunch-n-learn presentation designed to educate Congressional staff on increasing global population and multiple environmental stressors on agricultural production will take place on Thursday, September 28, at 1302 Longworth House Office Building. The goal of the in-person session is to provide a more thorough understanding of how genotype and environment influence phenotype for the complex traits of crops and livestock that are of economic importance to agriculture. The Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) and similar work conducts research that is ultimately translated by Cooperative Extension to foster adoption. Please share more information and the opportunity to register, with relevant parties. ECOP is an official sponsor of the event.