ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT Update

The ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation Program Action Team (Climate PAT) recently hosted a gathering from 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions and leaders from the USDA. Through focused conversations, participants identified opportunities in three areas where Extension is uniquely suited to deliver climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions: communities, natural resources, and working lands. For more information, click here.

Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success - The National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting planning committee recently has decided on a theme for 2024 even, Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success. The following leaders are hard at work organizing meaningful, interactive sessions for Members of the Section. More details on topics such as artificial intelligence and Extension's evolving role in outreach and engagement by institutions of higher education. Stay tuned for more details.

>> North Central Region – Bev Durgan, Chair, University of Minnesota

>> 1890s Region – De'Shoin York, Southern University

>> Northeast Region – Jenn Volk, University of Delaware

>> Southern Region – Mike Gutter, Virginia Tech

>> Western – Kris Elliott, Oregon State University

Energy Department Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops - The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently released an RFP for a program titled Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops. These are going to be very large, multi-million dollar and multi-institutional hubs. Team Partners - like Cooperative Extension Services - can sign up here today! The earlier potential partners sign on, the better the outcome to get involved.

2024 National Health Outreach & Engagement Conference - Registration is now open for the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference to be held May 13-15 in Greenville, South Carolina. The conference is co-hosted by Clemson University, University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University. The conference schedule is packed full of keynote speakers, educational workshops, poster presentations, and an awards banquet. The early bird rate of $450 is available from now through April 15. Special lodging rates are available at the Westin Poinsett and SpringHill Suites in downtown Greenville. For more information and to register for the conference, visit https://t.uga.edu/9FF.




AMS Infrastructure Grants to/from State Departments of Agriculture - States and territories are partnering with USDA to competitively subaward Infrastructure Grants to projects that support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. Individual states and territories are opening their Request for Applications (RFA) as state plans become finalized. Interested applicants must apply through their state’s department of agriculture. While the application widow has closed for some states, it is still open for many states and territories.

Kenya: Extension and Related Activities, March 8 Zoom Meeting

On March 8 at 3:00 PM ET, APLU and Executive Director Bill Hoffman will host an information sharing Zoom meeting regarding Extension and related activities in Kenya. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture recently held a trade mission to that country and there is a very positive US agricultural benefit proposition to cooperation in Kenya. Please register here for this meeting. Also, contact Dr. Hoffman at whoffman@aplu.org to request the opportunity to share an institution’s work in Kenya during the session.



NSF Virtual Town Halls - The National Science Foundation (NSF) is hosting a series of events this month as part of its new Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) initiative. CASA-Bio is the latest federal effort to organize activities across agencies related to biotechnology, synthetic biology, and the bioeconomy, and follows from the September 2022 Executive Order and the March 2023 Bold Goals report on the bioeconomy. CASA-Bio aims to provide direction to the federal government (including research funding agencies) on which specific priorities within the broad bioeconomy landscape are most pressing and ripe for cross-sector collaboration. Slides from an informational webinar about CASA-Bio are available here.

CASA-Bio is hosting a series of town halls in February as an opportunity for stakeholders to provide their perspectives on the most important challenges in this space.

There are four virtual town halls scheduled for this month, all of which will have the same agenda and content according to NSF. Registration is on the CASA-Bio home page:

· Monday, February 12 – 7 PM ET
· Thursday, February 15 – 9 AM ET
· Wednesday, February 21 – 12 PM ET
· Thursday, February 22 – 5 PM ET



North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) - The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN…pronounced like the flat bread…nahn) is launching NAAAN CONNECT, an online community for extension and rural advisory services professionals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, this March. Subscribe to the NAAAN Newsletter to stay updated on the launch and be a part of fostering collaboration and innovation in agricultural and rural development. This network represents an opportunity to share your state’s Cooperative Extension resources and research results across our nation, as well as with Canada and Mexico.



Priester Health Awards - Nominations and self-nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Jeanne M. Priester Extension Health Awards. The awards are named for Jeanne Priester, former National Program Leader at ES-USDA involved in the development of such landmark programs such EFNEP and Mulligan Stew. Today, these awards recognize extraordinary programs and professionals that are modeling next generation work in health and well-being. Awards are presented in six different categories. Award recipients will be recognized at the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference in Greenville, SC in May. The nomination deadline is March 20. For more information regarding the nomination process can be found here.

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until February 26. 

Call for Nominations for 2024 Awards

Last Thursday, the call for nominations for the 2024 Cooperative Extension Awards by ECOP and USDA-NIFA was sent to all Extension Directors and Administrators urging them to share the opportunity with leadership teams and potential nominees. Online submissions are required by May 1. Award recipients are selected by the end of July and will receive cash awards. The announcement of the winners will occur in Fall 2024 just prior to, and travel to the APLU Annual Meeting in November to accept their awards. Learn more at awards.extension.org. The website hosted by Extension Foundation, is a gateway to full details and provides answers to frequently asked questions.

First Friday Recap: Assessments Ballot Overview and Budget and Legislative Matters - Last Friday, Extension Directors and Administrators from over 30 land-grant institutions joined ECOP Chair Damona Doye for an informative briefing on an upcoming vote by the Cooperative Extension Section. Consultant Christina Laridaen, Lewis-Burke Associates, shared what was happening with Federal Budgets and the next Farm Bill. Links from land-grant.org shared during the briefing: 

--> Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Request aka "2025 Unified Ask"

--> 2023 Farm Bill Title VII Policy Recommendations

The concise 30-minute recording is available below. 

Registration for USDA’s 100^th Agricultural Outlook Forum (REMOTE PARTICIPATION AVAILABLE) - The Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA’s largest and premier annual gathering, will take place February 15-16. The breadth and timeliness of the forum’s programs have consistently drawn a diverse group of participants. The 2024 Program will feature a keynote address by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a presentation on the outlook for agricultural markets and trade, and 30 breakout sessions covering a wide range of agricultural, food market and environmental issues. This is a hybrid event.



Health and Human Sciences Leadership Fellows Program - Applications are being accepted here for the third iteration of the Board on Health and Human Sciences (BHHS) Leadership Fellows program now through February 16, 2024. Faculty and Extension Specialists with interest in becoming administrative leaders in the health and human sciences field are encouraged to apply. Information on the program can be found in the 2024 Leadership Fellows Brochure. Selected fellows will receive up to $3,000 to support their projects and assigned mentors to support their activities. Project funds (including travel stipends) will be awarded to the fellows for a period of one year, to begin immediately following the BHHS annual meeting and to culminate in attending and presenting at the following BHHS annual meeting. Questions may be directed to bhhs@aplu.org. 



MyPlate Helps Make Every Bite Count - MyPlate.gov is the Federal symbol for healthy eating, and it offers a collection of easy-to-use tools and resources that promote healthy eating habits for people of all ages, budgets, and cultural backgrounds. The MyPlate Quiz (available in English and Spanish) provides resources that fit any need, and the MyPlate Plan (also available in English and Spanish) can be personalized for age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. There are also tools for on-the-go lifestyles: Shop Simple with MyPlate offers money-saving tips for grocery shopping and new ideas for preparing those foods, while the Start Simple mobile app helps set food group goals and track progress.



Registration Open for 2024 National 4-H Conference - Registration for the 2024 National 4-H Conference opened February 1. National 4-H Conference, the flagship youth development opportunity of USDA and hosted by NIFA, will be April 19 through 24. Read more about National 4-H Conference including registration details here.