Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced the following 2024 national awards:
- Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual: Daryl Jones, Mississippi State University
- Excellence in Extension Team Award: University of Tennessee Turfgrass Team
- National Extension Diversity Award: Michigan State University Extension Housing Policy Team
The awards were presented at the APLU Annual Meeting last week, which USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension have sponsored since 1991.
“Each year, these awards showcase the fundamental, transformative difference Cooperative Extension continues to make in our society,” said Dr. Manjit Misra, NIFA Director. “This important partnership and excellent programs like these are a testament to the true value of Cooperative Extension capacity funds more than a century after the Smith-Lever Act created this unparalleled system of outreach and education that enriches every community across the nation.”
The Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual is given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional who excels at science-based programming, provides visionary leadership, and makes a positive impact on constituents. Daryl Jones is an Extension Professor of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University. His programming involves innovative engagement with private landowners and producers to diversify incomes and enhance conservation on the land base. Nearly 12,000 landowners have attended his workshops. Using gained knowledge, they have initiated over 2,500 wildlife recreational enterprises on 3 million acres across 28 US states while earning $39 million annually.
National Excellence in Extension Team Award recognizes excellence of an Extension team in performing the work of Extension research, technical assistance, and outreach education. The University of Tennessee (UT) Turfgrass Team exemplifies the land-grant mission by integrating teaching, research, and Extension to serve the expansive turfgrass industry, which contributes over $5.8 billion annually to Tennessee’s economy. The team addresses the needs of the state’s golf courses, sports fields, home lawns, and parks. This includes an industry recognized the UT Certified Lawn Care Professional program, an online weed identification app, and TN Turf Tuesday.
National Diversity in Extension Award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. The Michigan State Housing Policy Team is a group of Extension educators, specialists, and faculty who developed and delivered a suite of local housing policy learning opportunities that integrate issues of diversity, equity, and a legacy of discrimination into group discussions, scenario-based activities, and local examples.
Regional Awards for Individual Excellence in Extension
NIFA, Cooperative Extension, and APLU will also present five regional awards to individual professionals for excellence this year. The recipients are:1890s Region: Jason de Koff serves as a professor, statewide Extension specialist in agronomy and soil science, and Extension Program Leader at Tennessee State University. Throughout his career, he has worked to demonstrate new, agriculture-based technologies to farmers, Extension agents, and youth audiences.
- Northeast Region: Claudia Schmidt, Penn State Assistant Professor of Marketing and Local/Regional Food Systems, has exemplary agritourism programming. This education explores practical strategies to enhance the sustainability and success of agritourism and direct sales ventures.
- Southern Region: David Lalman, Professor and Extension Specialist – Beef Cattle, Oklahoma State University, conducts impactful beef cattle Extension programs, including Oklahoma Master Cattleman, Ranchers’ Thursday Lunchtime Series webinar, and the Cowculator beef cattle ration evaluation software.
- North Central Region: Brian Wibby is an educator with Michigan State University Extension. He is a co-founder and co-director of the World Food Prize, Michigan Youth Institute, and the Michigan 4-H Spectacular Youth Leadership Institute, and is a certified Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid instructor.
- Western Region: Michael Wierda, Extension Specialist and Director – Pesticide Safety Education Program, Utah State University, helps applicators understand health concerns related to pesticides and how pesticides move, work, persist, and break down in the applicators themselves, their families, their communities, and the environment.
“Congratulations to the outstanding Extension professionals who will be honored on November 10th” said the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) Chair, Vonda Richardson, Director/Associate Administrator, Cooperative Extension, Florida A&M University. “These leaders are making a difference by connecting community needs and university resources to address critical issues across the nation.”
