Preview of Joint agInnovation/Cooperative Extension Meeting in St. Louis

Navigating changes in national priorities, using AI in research and Cooperative Extension, food and health are three of the topics that will be addressed at this year’s agInnovation and Cooperative Extension Joint Meeting in St. Louis, September 15 to 18. Additionally, this year’s Excellence in Extension Awards will be presented at this meeting rather than the APLU annual meeting in November. Please make sure to book your hotel room and register by August 25.

National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET) Update

The Extension Foundation hosted 27 leaders from 17 states in Denver for the National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET) Strategic Planning Convening. Leaders set priorities in Economic Development, Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology, and Cybersecurity to advance digital opportunity. Plans include mapping AI hubs, building a tech-ready workforce, expanding safe AI use, creating local cybersecurity networks, launching a national cyber curriculum, developing workforce training guides, and releasing a tool to assess local digital gaps. Learn More.

Bill Directs FCC to Incorporate USDA Farm Field Location Data into the National Broadband Map

Last week, Republican Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4950 – the Data BRIDGE Act – to improve how the FCC’s broadband map accounts for agricultural lands.

Today, barns and other farming structures located across the rural countryside are included in the FCC’s broadband map, but the surrounding cropland, pastures, and acreage where farming happens are not.

The Data BRIDGE Act directs the FCC to integrate USDA’s existing cultivated land data layer into its broadband map, with no new cost or mandates, ensuring federal broadband funding “reaches the fields that power America’s food supply.” 

Here is a link to the proposed bill at Congress.gov. The bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It would need to be voted on and passed by both the House and the Senate before making its way to President Donald Trump’s desk. The president could then veto the bill or sign it into law.

The bill currently has seven cosponsors, including four House Democrats and three Republicans. One of the Republicans is Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson.

Extension Focused AFRI Commodity Board Projects

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has invested more than $10.6 million in research projects co-funded by commodity boards that aim to improve crop production efficiency and advance solutions to critically important problems in U.S. agriculture, thereby increasing farmer profitability and sustainability. In FY2024, boards that submitted topics for co-funding support included the American Egg Board, California Prune Board, The Cotton Board, Dairy Management, National Peanut Board, National Pork Board, United Sorghum Checkoff Program and United Soybean Board.

Notable among these projects:

• TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION PORK PROGRAM: Increasing Consumer’s Understanding of Pork Production and Its Role as Nutritious Protein Source
• ARKANSAS: The Role of Dietary Protein in Healthy Dietary Patterns Across the Lifespan

Registration for Joint NEDA/agInnovation Annual Conference Now Open

Registration for the joint NEDA/agInnovation conference is now open! The conference will take place in St. Louis, MO from late afternoon September 15 and will conclude on September 18 with Northeastern and Western regional meetings. Please see the general agenda and room reservation information at the registration site.

We are looking forward to seeing you in St. Louis!

NIFA Publishes RFA for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program (AFRI) 

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program Request for Application (RFA) is now available on the NIFA website.

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The priority areas are Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; Food Safety, Nutrition and Health; Bioenergy, Natural Resources and Environment; Agriculture Systems and Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities. Each program area priority has its own deadline. Find the deadlines for specific priority program areas here.

Research-only, Extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or Extension projects are solicited in this RFA. See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific details.

USDA Opens Public Comment Period on Department Reorganization Plan

A 30-day public comment period has opened so stakeholders may provide feedback on USDA’s reorganization plan, as outlined in Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins’ memorandum issued July 24. All stakeholders, including USDA employees, members of Congress and agricultural and nutrition partners, are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing reorganization@usda.gov. The comment period closes Aug. 26.

Lawmakers ‘in the very early stage’ of Skinny Farm Bill Discussions

In a Ryan Hanrahan article, published by the University of Illinois’ Farm Policy News: “House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-Pa.) hopes to release some legislative text in September — though it depends on staff work this month, according to a committee aide,” Handler reported. “…It’s an aggressive timeline to get a farm bill together so quickly in the fall. While these leftover provisions aren’t as challenging as a full-scale farm bill, Congress still has so much more on its plate. Government funding will take up all the oxygen on Capitol Hill when lawmakers return in September.” The article goes on to say that some legislators are less optimistic about a farm bill getting passed before 2026. This article is based partially on a Punchbowl News article by Samantha Handler.

Hanrahan’s article also appears in Successful Farming.

Students and educators can participate in a unique opportunity to advance AI education for American youth!

The Trump Administration is launching a year-long challenge for K-12 students across the country to spark interest in Artificial Intelligence, promote creative thinking using AI tools, and demonstrate how AI technology can be used in beneficial ways. Early training and experience in responsible AI use can demystify the technology and support America’s youths in cultivating skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in an AI-driven workforce.

Students who join the Presidential Challenge can access training and resources to help them complete a project that can either be a study or development of an AI method or tool to solve a local community problem. Educators are also invited to participate and focus on creative approaches to teaching or using AI technologies in K-12 learning. Participants can choose to enter their projects into a competition for the chance to showcase their work at a White House event next summer.

Registration for the Presidential AI Challenge will open to students and educators in late August 2025. Organizations may also pledge their support for advancing AI education for American youths.

Find the fact sheet and flyers here:

• AI Challenge Fact Sheet
• Flyer for Students
• Flyer for Educators

More information to follow. Visit AI.gov to learn more.

Deadline August 31: AgriProspects Mini-grants Applications

AgriProspects, an Extension Foundation program, has announced their second round of grants aimed at advancing Extension-led adult agricultural workforce development.

Supported by NIFA, AgriProspects will award grants to support regional or national-scale projects that build Cooperative Extension’s capacity and readiness in digital credentialing and artificial intelligence tools and resources.

Applications are due Aug. 31. Learn more about the program and how to apply.

Positioned for Impact: Aligning Institutional Strengths to Advance Food, Nutrition, and Human Health

The webinar, hosted by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, explored strategies to address challenges in food, nutrition, and human health, with discussions centered on the Trump administration's impact on public and land-grant institutions. Dr. Dominique Carter provided an overview of the current policy landscape and its implications for universities, highlighting significant structural realignments in Washington and the need for universities to align their proposals with administration priorities. The panelists discussed the potential long-term consequences of proposed budget cuts and policy changes on research capacity, innovation, and workforce development, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning and nimbleness in response to the changing political and funding landscape. 

PASSCODE: &$0mq?p7 

Secretary Rollins Announces USDA Reorganization

On July 25, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.

The reorganization consists of four pillars:

• Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities
• Bring USDA closer to its customers
• Eliminate management layers and bureaucracy
• Consolidate redundant support functions

USDA will vacate and return to the General Services Administration the South Building, Braddock Place, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, and revisit utilization and functions in the USDA Whitten Building, Yates Building, and the National Agricultural Library. The George Washington Carver Center will also be utilized until space optimization activities are completed. These buildings have a backlog of costly deferred maintenance and currently are occupied below the minimum set by law. For example, the South Building has approximately $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance and has an average daily occupancy of less than 1,900 individuals for a building that can house over 6,000 employees.

According to the Secretary’s memorandum issued July 24, the Department currently employs approximately 4,600 individuals in the National Capital Region (NCR). To ensure USDA is located closer to the people it serves while achieving savings to the American taxpayer, USDA will relocate much of its Agency headquarters and NCR staff from the Washington, D.C. area to five hub locations. At the conclusion of implementation, it is USDA's goal to retain no more than 2,000 employees within the NCR.

USDA’s five hub locations and current Federal locality rates are:

1. Raleigh, North Carolina
2. Kansas City, Missouri
3. Indianapolis, Indiana 
4. Fort Collins, Colorado
5. Salt Lake City, Utah

In addition to these five hubs, USDA will maintain two additional core administrative support locations: Albuquerque, New Mexico and Minneapolis, Minnesota. These two locations have substantial concentrations of human resources staff that support the delivery of critical public safety functions. USDA will continue to maintain critical service centers and laboratories including agency service centers in St. Louis, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Missoula, Montana.

The memo goes on to say that many agency and mission area functions will be consolidated at the department level. Further, the reorganization will eliminate some area offices of many agencies, including the five Agricultural Research Service Area Offices. Finally, USDA Deputy Secretary Steven Vaden will implement the reorganization. Vaden was the USDA Chief Counsel when NIFA and ERS were relocated to Kansas City.  

Are your clients raising backyard flocks? This survey is for them!

Since March 2024, 70 cases of avian influenza A(H5) (H5 bird flu) have occurred in humans in the United States, mostly among workers exposed to infected dairy cows and commercial poultry farms. However, cases have also occurred among people exposed to birds kept in non-commercial, backyard flocks.

CDC is interested in learning more about backyard flock owners and their flocks. The anonymous survey asks about:

•  Characteristics of backyard flock owners, their families, and their flocks.
•  Knowledge of H5 bird flu and signs and symptoms of H5 bird flu in birds and humans.
•  Perceived risk of and concern about H5 bird flu to their backyard flock and themselves/families.
• Attitudes towards reporting sick or dead birds and protective measures like vaccination of their flock.
•  Practices they use to protect their flock and themselves from H5 bird flu.

CDC will use the survey results to improve H5 bird flu prevention activities. Questions can be sent to h5flustudy@cdc.gov.

QR code to the survey: 

URL link to the survey:

https://redcap.link/backyardflock

Save the Date! 

The joint NEDA and agInnovation fall meeting will take place in St. Louis from September 15 to September 18 at the Sheraton Westport Hotel. Please keep an eye out for the registration link later this week. 

NIFA Leaders Discuss FY 2025 Funding Strategy

At last week’s BAA Summer Leadership Meeting in Washington, DC, NIFA Director Jaye Hamby and other leaders discussed the agency’s strategy for distributing funds that must be obligated by September 30th. For programs where enough fundable applications were submitted for the previous funding cycle, those prior year applicants may be contacted and offered awards. For programs where the current year funding can be completely utilized in this manner, those programs will not publish an FY 2025 request for applications (RFA). For programs where this is not a viable strategy, RFAs will be published. However, deadlines will be 30 days or fewer after the date of the RFA publication. The NIFA leaders noted that while awards for these programs will be made by September 30, the availability of funds may be delayed. Not all FY 2025 competitive programs must obligate their funding by September 30. For example, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) can carry over into successive fiscal years. For the latest information from NIFA, follow the agency on X, Facebook, or sign up to receive updates via email.

Empowering Innovation, Transforming USDA's Future: Register Now for the 2025 USDA Innovation Symposium

Scheduled for Wednesday, August 6th, 2025, this Symposium is a unique opportunity for technologists, business program leaders, researchers, and innovators to come together and discuss the latest advancements in technology and digital transformation within the USDA.

To ensure you don't miss out on this exciting event, USDA encourages you to visit the Innovation Symposium website and register for the USDA Innovation Symposium. By registering, you'll not only gain access to all the live sessions and panels that the symposium has to offer, but you’ll also be given access to recordings and offline content that can be accessed after the event.

Appropriations Update: Senate Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2026 Agriculture Bill

On July 10, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its fiscal year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill’s topline discretionary allocation is $27.1 billion, $1.577 billion more than the House bill and provides a $400 million increase above FY 2025. The full Committee approved the bill on the same day by a vote of 27 to 0. At this time, there is not a clear timeline on if or when the bill will go to the Senate floor.

Per the report accompanying the Senate Agriculture appropriations bill, NIFA would receive $1.679 billion, flat with the FY 2025 enacted level, rebuking the dramatic decreases proposed in the President’s Budget Request (PBR). As in the House version, capacity programs and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) are flat funded. The Senate version actually provides level funding for all NIFA programs—including those subject to proposed reductions or eliminations in the PBR.

As in the House bill, the Senate bill once again allows the matching requirement for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to be waived by the Secretary of Agriculture. Like the House, report language encouraging NIFA to continue supporting the work of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes funded through USDA is included. Additional directions are given for Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards, agroacoustics, citrus disease research, genome to phenome, Extension Design Initiative, the Farm and Stress Assistance Network program, and numerous other programs. 

The Senate report acknowledges the delays from NIFA in issuing FY 2025 solicitations and directs NIFA, once the bill is signed into law, to report to the Committee on a regular basis the expected timelines for FY 2026 funding opportunities. Within AFRI, the Senate report encourages the Secretary to consider junior or community colleges applying via the AFRI Education and Workforce Development program. The report further directs that AFRI, “make regionally adapted, publicly held cultivar development a distinct funding priority within AFRI for fiscal year 2026.”

With respect to cooperative extension the report validates the role of extension by stating, “The Committee recognizes the essential function that extension plays in ensuring that farmers, ranchers, and communities of all sizes are empowered to meet the challenges they face, adapt to changing technology and a changing climate, improve nutrition and food safety, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and protect our environment. The Committee is concerned that the Federal investment in this critical Federal, State, and local partnership has lagged in recent years, just as extraordinary stresses have been placed on farmers, ranchers, rural businesses, and communities.”

The report also expresses the Committee’s concerns that extension services do not reach disadvantaged populations and includes the following language, “The Committee is concerned that extension service resources do not reach minority, socially disadvantaged, and Tribal communities in proportion to their participation in the agricultural sector. All institutions that receive extension funding should seek to ensure that an equitable percentage of their overall extension work reaches minority, socially disadvantaged, and Tribal communities. The Committee directs NIFA to evaluate distribution of extension resources to these three populations and report to the Committee no later than 90 days after enactment of this act.”

While not funded within NIFA, the report has a funding table that still includes funding for the SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) program. SNAP-Ed was eliminated during reconciliation and due to the timing of reconciliation passage and consideration of this bill, the report table was not updated. Currently, there is no further funding for SNAP-Ed.

Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR) Webinar

APLU Commission of Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR) is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, July 22, moderated by University of Missouri President Mun Y. Choi, to explore how universities are leveraging their interdisciplinary strengths to address health challenges through research, education, and Extension. Opening federal insights from Lewis-Burke Associates will frame the conversation, followed by university leaders offering commentary on innovative strategies, emerging opportunities, and the expanding role of public research institutions in this space. Please click here for more information and registration.

Survey Conducted Across Three U.S. Regions Shed Light on Household and Community Well-Being

Supported by USDA NIFA, Regional Rural Development Centers are a trusted source of economic and community development data. 

The regional centers partnered to conduct a multi-region Baseline Survey in 2024 and recently published the open-access data. This data establishes an important baseline for future research and can inform policy decisions, community development strategies and targeted interventions to address regional challenges and opportunities. 

The survey explored topics related to household, business and community well-being. When the fourth and final regional survey is completed, survey data will be available for the entire United States. Read more about the survey results.

2025-2035 Land-grant University Roadmap Available

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and agInnovation have teamed up to further develop the 2025-2035 Land Grant University Roadmap. There is a two-page summary of the Roadmap, along with one-page summaries regarding Positive Youth Development, Community Economic Development, Nutrition and Health, Sustainable Food Systems, Resilient Lands, and Water Resilience. ECOP and agInnovation have hired an outside contractor to further develop this messaging to lead stakeholder groups in promoting Land-grant University Extension and research.

USDA Blog: Extension Disaster Education Network Helps Prepare Nation for Hurricane Season

June 1 marked the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a 60% chance of above-average hurricane activity this year. NOAA is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms with six to ten hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes.

The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) is a collaborative multi-state effort by Cooperative Extension Services across the country to improve timely information delivery to people affected by disasters, including hurricanes. EDEN's mission is to reduce the impact of disasters through research-based education. Supported by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the conception, development, and growth of EDEN were a direct result of lessons learned by the Land-grant University System responding to the catastrophic Mississippi and Missouri river floods of 1993. Funded through USDA NIFA’s Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative, EDEN ensures that Extension can respond to local, state, regional, and national education needs during a crisis. Read the full article here.

New Online Course Available! Roots to Results: An Overview of the Cooperative Extension System

The Extension Foundation is excited to announce the launch of a new self-paced online course: “Roots to Results: Overview of the Cooperative Extension System.” This course is open to anyone who wants to better understand Cooperative Extension, whether you’re new to the system, need a refresher, or are working with Extension in a partnership role. It’s a flexible resource designed to support onboarding, professional development, and increased awareness of Extension’s unique role and impact, and takes around 30 minutes to complete. To access the course on Campus, login with your existing credentials, or create a new account and search for “Roots to Results,” or browse the Professional Performance category and locate the course there. Feel free to share or adapt this announcement for your own networks! Find the full course announcement here.

NOTICE: Gain of Function Research Reporting

NIFA has posted on its website important information for universities and other grant recipients to report Gain of Function Research in a timely and effective manner. As part of USDA’s response to Executive Order (E.O.) 14292 on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research, USDA is asking grant recipients to self-identify any USDA-funded projects, inclusive of all source(s) or type(s) of funding, including in-kind support, that is believed to meet or has the potential to meet the gain-of-function definition.  Read more about how, what and when to report this information.

#SaveSNAPEd: SNAP-Ed Advocacy Webinar

On June 18, a SNAP-Ed Advocacy webinar was hosted by Southern California based Leah’s Pantry, the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA – which includes many Cooperative Extension Educators), and a Philadelphia based organization, The Food Trust. The goal of the webinar was to coordinate efforts to communicate with United States Senators to delay the elimination of the SNAP-Ed program.

The Senate reconvenes today and aims to finalize their reconciliation spending bill soon, no later than the 4^th of July. The group’s strategic ask is a two-year delay in implementation/elimination, to secure Republican support, and to share language that would provide such a delay. The call to action includes scheduling a meeting with Republican Senators or staff as soon as possible, making the ask outlined in the group’s talking points and advocacy toolkit, secure a clear commitment from Senator(s) to support the delay, and report back using the following form.

Lewis-Burke and other members of the advocacy team at the national office have been coordinating with ASNNA. This includes, but is not limited to, the national office co-signing a letter to Senators Thune and Boozman in support of the above strategy.

Coming Soon: Artificial Intelligence Survey

Be on the lookout for an Artificial Intelligence activity survey, which will be directed to Cooperative Extension Directors and Agricultural Experiment Station Directors. The Extension Foundation is a key cooperating entity within this effort.

SARE Seeks Outreach Products to Advance Sustainable Agriculture

Do you have an idea for an outreach product or project that could help farmers or ranchers improve their profitability, environmental stewardship and/or quality of life?  Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Outreach is seeking recommendations for information products or outreach initiatives that extend research-based innovations to improve the sustainability of American agriculture. Submit your ideas by June 30. 

Congressional Update: Senate Agriculture Committee Releases Reconciliation Proposal

Following the passage of the House of Representatives' comprehensive reconciliation bill, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), Senate committees have begun to release pieces of their own reconciliation package, including the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Senate Agriculture proposal functions like the House version in that it achieves cost savings by reducing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and includes mandatory funding for numerous Farm Bill programs. While the two bills are similar, the Senate version would have net savings of $144 billion in comparison to the Congressional Budget Office estimate of $238 billion for the House Agriculture proposal. The difference in cost savings is one of the numerous deviations Senate committees are making from H.R. 1 and may prove challenging in brokering a final agreement between the House and Senate.

By making steep cuts to mandatory nutrition programs and addressing certain pressing commodity payment and reference price issues, both usually considered in the Farm Bill, this package, like the House version, puts at risk the delicate balance of Republican and Democratic priorities required to build momentum for a Farm Bill every five years. The current Farm Bill is in its second one-year extension. 

Similarly, SNAP changes which propose to shift a portion of benefit costs to states could have a major impact on state budgets.

One key provision in the bill includes SNAP and SNAP Education:

• SNAP-Education would lose mandatory funding for the program in FY 2025, in alignment with the House proposal.
• In addition to policies that would shrink the pool of eligible recipients, the bill requires future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which sets benefit rates, to be cost-neutral and matches the House proposal to limit benefit indexing.
• Differing from the House, the Senate removes the 5 percent baseline cost care for states and caps cost-share at 15% based on states’ error rates rather than the House plan which has a 25% cap. This would be the first time SNAP benefit costs have been delegated to states and would have a very large impact on state budgets.

 

Extension Foundation's AgriProspects Workforce Development Network Launches 2nd Round of Grants to Boost CES Workforce Capacity in Digital Credentials & AI

Supported by USDA-NIFA through the AFRI-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce (NECIW) (2023-67037-40533), AgriProspects will award up to five two-year grants of $200,000 each to support regional or national-scale projects that build Cooperative Extension’s capacity and readiness in two focus areas: 1. Digital credentialing initiatives for adult agricultural workforce development in rural and urban areas; or 2. Artificial Intelligence tools and resources to support the agricultural sector and supply chain and the adult agricultural workforce in rural and urban areas. Learn more here. 

Bipartisan 4-H Caucus Launches in 119th Congress to Equip Youth for Work and Life

On June 10, U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with Representatives Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA-15), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Andy Harris (R-MD-01), and Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02), have formed the bipartisan 4-H Congressional Caucus in the 119th Congress.

The Caucus will serve as a platform to advance federal policy and investment in Cooperative Extension’s 4-H programs, which reach nearly 6 million youth around the country through hands-on learning in agriculture, STEM, health, and civic engagement. With strong bipartisan leadership, the Caucus will elevate the importance of positive youth development and build a workforce and society that’s prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

Caucus leaders are united in their support of 4-H’s Beyond Ready initiative—a bold effort to equip 10 million young people with the skills, confidence, and support they need to thrive in work, life, and community. From career readiness to civic leadership, 4-H youth are gaining real-world experience through locally rooted programs led by Land-grant Universities and their Cooperative Extension partners.

 

(Fairly) Good FY 2026 News from Agriculture Appropriations Committee

During the week ending June 6, 2025, the House Agriculture Appropriations Committee released their initial markup of the FY 2026 Budget. The markup summary proposes $1.654 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which is $24.6 million below the FY25 enacted level. By contrast, the President’s Budget proposed over $600 million in cuts to NIFA, including a cut to Smith-Lever 3 (b&c) of $150 million. The proposed House markup cuts break down as approximately $18 million from the Research and Education account, roughly $6 million from the Extension account, and approximately $1 million from the Integrated Account. At this time, it is unclear which line items from the Extension account will see cuts.

Ag Council on Government Affairs Called to Action on SNAP-Ed and RFA Regarding FY2025 Reconciliation, CARET Soon to Receive the Call

During the week ending June 6, 2025, the APLU Agriculture Council on Government Affairs received a call to action that stated plainly:

Please consider engaging with your Senate offices and educating agriculture staff, particularly those on the Senate Agriculture Committee, on the important (the SNAP-Ed and Research Facilities Act) programs (as appropriate and based on your institution’s participation/needs).

The distributed SNAP-Ed background and talking points, as distributed by APLU’s Marcus Glassman, were as follows:

• For Chairman Boozman to pull the SNAP-Ed elimination in the Senate reconciliation package he must hear from other Republican senators that they want it saved.
• While we wait to see if the proposed elimination of SNAP-Ed would comply with Senate rules (Byrd), we ask you to weigh in with your Senate offices to educate them about SNAP-Ed and the impact the program has in your state, including:
• How does SNAP-Ed operate in your state—are there state-specific goals, priorities, and programming?
• How many constituents does the program reach?
• How many counties/parishes?
• How many programs/services does the program provide?
• How much money per year comes to your state for SNAP-Ed?
• How many jobs does the program support?
• Signature outcomes/impacts/statistics/partners from your state’s program.

NOTE: Your SNAP-Ed Administrators should have compiled most, if not all, of this information.

SNAP-Ed Ask/Talking points for Senate staff:

• We understand the difficult choices being made right now. However, consideration of the Farm Bill is the best time to weigh the future of nutrition education and how to amplify impact.
• Changes can be made, but it should be a thoughtful conversation and not something that will halt progress just when we need it most.
• In a time when SNAP recipients are going to be asked to do more with less—stretching every dollar is critical and SNAP-ED ensures recipients have access and understanding of how to do that.
• SNAP-ED is not perfect, changes can be made, but SNAP-ED is also successful given it receives only one half of one percent of SNAP funds going to states. 

NOTE: While LGUs receive a significant portion of SNAP-Ed funding, numerous other organizations also receive funding. Currently, APLU is working with the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA) on joint messaging and will share additional talking points when finalized.

CARET members should receive similar communications in the coming days.  

Extension Foundation Announces Appointment of Adam Hughes to Lead National Health and Well-Being Coordination Efforts. 

The Extension Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Hughes, MPH, to provide national-level managerial support for Cooperative Extension’s health and well-being initiatives. In this role, Hughes will support the implementation of the five high-level recommendations from Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Well-Being, approved by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) in 2021. Learn more here.

Make America Healthy Again Issues Report: MAKING OUR CHILDREN HEALTHY AGAIN

On May 22, the Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its long-anticipated assessment report on Making Our Children Healthy Again. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the MAHA Commission, comprised of leaders from key federal health, agricultural, and economic agencies to reduce the burden of chronic disease among U.S. youth. The report offers the first glimpse into the Administration’s health priorities, highlighting specific concerns such as increased rates of childhood chronic illness and cancer incidence, the severity of the youth mental health crisis, the prevalence of childhood allergies and autoimmune disorders, and higher rates of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorders. The report points to four main causes of this phenomenon:

• Ultra-processed foods,
• Exposure to environmental chemicals,
• Pervasive use of technology, and
• The “overmedication of our children.”

Notably, the report highlights that the Commission will continue working to develop an official strategy to build upon these recommendations by August 2025


More Detail on the President's 2026 Budget Request

The White House released more details on the FY 2026 budget request. The NIFA portion begins on page 78. Of greatest interest to the Cooperative Extension world are the following reductions:

• Smith-Lever 3(b&c) - FY 2026 proposal $175 million, down from $325 million
• 1890s Extension - FY 2026 proposal $62 million, down from $72 million
• Expanded Food and Nutrition Program - FY 2026 proposal $48 million, down from $70 million

The proposal does not appear to fund the Hatch program at all, significantly reduces McIntire Stennis Forestry Research, and has numerous other reductions. Initial analysis by Lewis-Burke casts doubt that Congress will go along with these types of cuts, but advocacy efforts should be made to preserve the capacity programs. 

New ASAP Requirement

NIFA grantees using the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system should be aware of a new requirement. Effective May 19, 2025, the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service requires recipient organizations to include a justification for each payment. This field is mandatory and will be part of the first step in the payment request process. The requirement aims to improve transparency and accountability in the federal payment process.

Treasury Fiscal Service has a presentation to learn more about this new feature and the steps needed to process payments. There is also a video illustrating the new feature and its functionality. Additionally, Fiscal Service will hold webinars to assist grantees with this new requirement.

If you are interested in attending an upcoming ASAP webinar, find more information on their website. Contact the Fiscal Service ASAP Production Support at (855) 868-0151 (option 2, option 3) or at asaphelpdesk@fiscal.treasury.gov if you have questions. You can also reach out to our Financial Management ASAP Team if you have questions at ASAPCustomerService@usda.gov.

Is your SNAP-ED Information Up-to-Date?

Legislation has been proposed in the House funding bill to eliminate the SNAP-Ed program. This cut would end SNAP-Ed programming at 58 LGUs across the system and negatively impact the 6.6 million people reached through SNAP-Ed delivered by land-grant universities. Sharing our outcomes and impacts in a visually appealing, concise manner, such as infographics or one-pagers is the best way to combat questions about the efficacy of the program. If your university has not shared your most recent SNAP-Ed data or impact report here, please send it to Lauren Sweeney at lauren.sweeney@sdstate.edu.

Save the Date: 4-H Council CEO Q&A and Spring 2025 Outlook

• National 4-H Council CEO Jill Bramble's next virtual Q&A with the 4-H system will be on May 27th from 3:30 -4:30 pm ET.
• After brief updates on Council’s priorities and operations, there will be time for Q&A with Jill and other Council leaders.
• Advanced registration is required. REGISTER HERE

Interested in Serving as a NIFA Peer Reviewer?

There are few things that as economical and professionally developmental than serving as a NIFA peer reviewer. If you are interested in serving on a peer-review panel, you can provide your contact information by visiting the NIFA Peer Reviewer System (PRS) and clicking the Panelist Recruitment link. You will be asked to provide your contact information and expertise.


Save the Date – September 15-18

The joint National Extension Directors and Administrators and agInnovation meeting will be held in St. Louis beginning with a late afternoon/evening reception on September 15 (travel day) and concluding with Western and Northeastern Regional Cooperative Extension meetings on September 18. Registration information will be available at a later date.

President Releases Abbreviated (skinny) FY 2026 Budget Request

Last week, President Trump released abbreviated highlights of the administration’s FY 2026 Federal budget. The budget request (also sometimes known as the skinny budget) calls for a $602 million decrease in National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) budget. The document describes the decrease as follows (see the bottom of page 31 in the linked document):

“The Budget eliminates wasteful, woke programming in NIFA, such as activities related to climate change, renewable energy, and promoting DEI in education that were prioritized under the Biden Administration. In addition, the Budget reduces funding for formula grants because they generally do not achieve the same results as competitive programs. Instead, the Budget focuses on the President’s goal of advancing the competitiveness of American agriculture through the merit-based Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. The Budget protects funding to youth and K-12 programs such as 4-H clubs, tribal colleges, and universities. This investment would help prepare future generations of farmers. It also ensures HBCUs are amply funded.”

The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities released a statement about the entire document, specifically mentioning the USDA/NIFA portion. Analysis from APLU’s consulting firm, Lewis-Burke, states that cuts of this magnitude and nature are unlikely to be upheld by the US Congress. The status of each individual NIFA line item is currently unknown.


ECOP Signs on to Letter in Support of SNAP-ED

Last week, the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) signed onto a letter in support of SNAP-Education (ED), which was addressed to the following important federal lawmakers:

• The Honorable John Boozman, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• The Honorable Any Klobuchar, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
• The Honorable Glen “GT” Thompson, Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture
• The Honorable Angie Craig, Ranking Member, House Committee on Agriculture

The letter shares information highlighting the critical role of the SNAP-ED program in advancing national food security and nutrition goals. It also discusses how the program helps individuals and families make more nutritious food choices, stretch limited food budgets, increase physical activity, and make healthy choices easier in the community.


NIFA Director Makes First Land-grant University Visit

Dr. Jaye Hamby’s first Land-grant University trip as NIFA Director was a bit of a homecoming when he visited Oklahoma State University (OSU) recently. Dr. Hamby completed his master’s and doctoral studies at OSU.

Dr. Hamby toured OSU agriculture research facilities and units, including the Food and Agricultural Products Center, a 96,000-square-foot facility that houses animal harvesting, food manufacturing, grain milling, sensory profiling, food microbiology and application laboratories for demonstration and prototype testing, as well as education and training capabilities. Additionally, Dr. Bee Chim guided him through the Soil, Water and Forage Laboratory (SWFAL), which handles more than 60,000 samples annually.

During his visit, Dr. Hamby was recognized as OSU’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni in Agricultural Education.


National 4-H Conference Photos Now Available on USDA Flickr

More than 300 images from the recent 2025 National 4-H Conference are available at USDA Flickr. If your state 4-H program sent delegates to the conference, check out the National 4-H Conference photo album to see if there are images of your delegation.

Recent Executive Orders to Affect Cooperative Extension

Last week, President Trump signed two Executive Orders that will likely affect the Cooperative Extension System.

Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth: The policy is designed to promote AI literacy by promoting the appropriate AI into education, providing comprehensive AI training for educators, and fostering early exposure to AI concepts and technology to develop an AI-ready workforce and the next generation of AI innovators. Among other actions, the order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize research, extension, and education on the use of AI in formal and non-formal education through 4-H and the Cooperative Extension System.

White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: The policy is designed to support HBCUs in advancing America’s full potential; fostering more and better opportunities in higher education; providing the highest-quality education; obtaining equal opportunities for participation in Federal programs; ensuring college-educated Americans are empowered to advance the common good at home and abroad; and making our Nation more globally competitive. Among other actions, the order calls for encouraging states to provide the required State matching funds for 1890 land grant institutions and establishing a framework for addressing barriers to accessing federal funding to ensure that HBCUs receive the maximum funding to which they may be entitled.


National 4-H Conference Celebrates the Future’s Best

Over 200 of the nation’s best and brightest young people were in Washington, D.C., recently to attend the 2025 National 4-H Conference, hosted by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. With the theme of “Stronger Ties, Deeper Roots, Empowered Leaders,” 4-H delegates represented 40 states, two U.S. territories and 56 Land-grant Universities. The conference was also featured in a USDA press release.

Hear more about the 2025 National 4-H Conference in this USDA Radio interview with NIFA Director Dr. Jaye Hamby.

Top right: NIFA Director Dr. Jaye Hamby delivered remarks during the Youth Career Exploration Expo during the 2025 National 4-H Conference. USDA photo by Christophe Paul.

Above: 4-H delegates at the 2025 National 4-H Conference posed for a photo outside of the USDA Whitten Building. USDA photo by Tom Witham.

NIFA Director Hamby Speaks at Successful PILD Conference

On April 7-9, the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference was held in Chrystal City, VA. It was a great success. The new NIFA Director, Jaye Hamby, provided opening remarks. Among his many points, he indicated that “they could not have found a greater supporter of Cooperative Extension to serve as NIFA Director.” It was an excellent program that was well executed, which prepared Cooperative Extension Professionals to more impactfully interact with legislators and other public officials. 

A large part of 2025 PILD’s success is attributable to Joint Council of Extension Professionals President Phil Durst (Michigan State), PILD co-chair Daphnie Richards (Texas A&M), and Ali Mitchell (Northeast Extension Executive Director).

Lewis-Burke Washington Update Available  

APLU recently distributed its FANR FOCUS, which included a Lewis Burke Washington Update. Key points include: 

• Republicans Begin Negotiations on Reconciliation
• USDA Nominee Update
  
• HHS Reductions in Force (RIFs) with USDA RIFs to Follow

NIFA Staff at 2025 NERAOC

NIFA brought key staff to the annual National Extension and Research Administrative Officers Conference (NERAOC) held recently in Reno, NV. More than 500 participants attended the conference which provides a venue for professional development, information sharing and networking to state Cooperative Extension, agInnovation and USDA NIFA staff.

Through the opportunity to share and discuss information related to fiscal, grant (competitive and capacity), administrative, communications and human resources management, NERAOC participants gain important professional development.



HHS and USDA Hold First Public MAHA Event, Outline Vision for Healthier America

On April 4, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Brooke L. Rollins collaborated on their first Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) event during a visit to Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School in Alexandria, VA where they participated in a healthy snack time with students and met facility staff. The event was an opportunity to learn more about the impact that federally funded nutrition programs have on children and signaled their strong partnership to work together to effectuate their vision for a healthier America.

“Secretary Kennedy and I have a unique once in a generation opportunity to better align our vision on nutrition related programs to ensure we are working together to advance President Trump’s vision to make our kids, our families, and our communities healthy again,” said Secretary Rollins. “Our farmers, ranchers, and producers dedicate their lives to growing the safest most abundant food supply in the world and we need to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. There is a chronic health problem in our country, and American agriculture is at the core of the solution.”

2025 Borlaug CAST Communications Award: Celebrating Excellence in Agricultural Communication

The Borlaug CAST Communication Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes individuals whose dedication to advancing and promoting agricultural science echoes the transformative legacies of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and Dr. Charles A. Black. Dr. Borlaug—revered as “The Man Who Fed the World”—authored CAST’s first publication in 1973, while Dr. Black served as CAST’s first President, first Executive Vice President, and a founding committee member. Their shared vision for innovative research, effective communication, and global food security lives on through this award.

Nominations are due no later than May 1, 2025. The Borlaug CAST Communication Award celebrates those who:

• Are actively engaged in agricultural or food production science and technology.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting agriculture through research, teaching, extension, or public outreach.
• Have made significant contributions to their field or discipline.
• Are passionate about conveying the importance of agriculture and food production to policymakers, media, and the public.
• Exhibit exceptional communication skills, showcased by written publications, public presentations, and effective use of media platforms.

USDA RFAs Begin to Appear

While none of these RFAs are offered by our main funding partner, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), announcements about at least five USDA requests for applications were made last week. Four were Foreign Agricultural Service and associated with trade: Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC), and Emerging Markets Program (EMP). The fifth RFA, announced by NIFA, is an APHIS program related to Avian Influenza.



4‑H Full Page Ad in USA Today's Special Agriculture Edition

For National Agriculture Week in March, a 4‑H Beyond Ready full‑page ad (pages 82‑84) was included in the USA Today's Agriculture Special Edition! It's the ultimate resource for farmers, growers, ranchers, and anyone engaged in agriculture. Our full‑page ad promotes our Beyond Ready theme, "How It Started ‑ How It's Going."

National Extension Award for Innovative Programming that Addresses New Audiences

The purpose of this award is for Extension efforts that go above and beyond in reaching new audiences. It recognizes innovative teaching models and techniques that ensure Extension programs reach all audiences, especially new and those that have not been participating in traditional Extension education. The programming should reflect how a systematic needs assessment identified the audience and influenced teaching methods, created mutual respect among audiences, promoted acceptance, fostered teamwork, and improved overall effectiveness of the programming.

Nominations must be submitted online by June 1, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.


National Survey on Commercial Home-Prepared Food Regulations

The University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Health & Wellbeing Program is compiling data on the regulations pertaining to and the food safety resources available for home-prepared commercial food programs in the states and territories of the United States. These are commonly referred to as Cottage Food Laws, although some states may have equivalent programs by different names. The purpose of this effort is to characterize the nationwide regulations and food safety education services available to individuals seeking to commercialize food prepared in home kitchens.

Your support of this effort is sought through completion of a Qualtrics survey which can be accessed at https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/CommercialHomeFoods.CooperativeExtensionSurvey. The estimated time to complete the survey is 10 minutes. Please feel free to share this survey with colleagues who work directly with these programs in your state. A related survey will be issued to the public health government sector with regulatory oversight for home-prepared commercial foods.


Final Evaluation of RWJF Well Connected Communities Initiative

The Well Connected Communities initiative was a nine-year, $16.8 million investment by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed build the capacity of the Cooperative Extension System to improve the health of the nation. While health-focused work by Cooperative Extension continues, the Well Connected Communities initiative officially ended November 30, 2024. A comprehensive report and executive summary of the evaluation effort and the findings is now available. CCHE is a part of the Kaiser Permanente Health Research Institute based in Seattle, Washington established with a mission of improving the health of communities through collaborative planning, assessment, and evaluation. For more information about the full report or executive summary, contact Maggie Jones at Maggie.E.Jones@kp.org or Roger Rennekamp at rogerrennekamp@extension.org. More information about Cooperative Extension’s health-related work is available at https://health.extension.org/.


Get Involved with ExtensionBot and MERLIN! 

ExtensionBot delivers fast, research-backed answers using your institution’s content—powered by MERLIN, a structured data platform built to support AI tools across Cooperative Extension. All Land-grant Institutions are invited to engage, regardless of Extension Foundation membership. You can contribute through structured data feeds, share URLs for web crawling, or partner with our technical team for hands-on support. Your content is updated weekly, ensuring the most current information reaches stakeholders through AI. This is an opportunity to boost visibility, reach more people, and help shape the future of Extension’s digital engagement. View the flyer for more details. Contact Mark Locklear (marklocklear@extension.org) or David Warren (davidwarren@extension.org) to get started.

New Administrators and Directors Orientation

Please complete the survey by April 15, 2025 (even if you have already completed a similar survey).

This event is intended for individuals on the Board on Agriculture Assembly and their supporting administrators or faculty, who have entered an administrative position recently and any others who would like to learn more about APLU, the Land-Grant University System and the BAA. Information presented will be particularly useful to administrative heads, deans/directors, and associate/assistant deans/directors.

Learning objectives include: Gaining an understanding of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and APLU, including how national priorities are set by organizational committees and how you can become involved; gaining valuable tips from experienced administrators about what they wish they had known when they were hired and hearing from senior university leadership about their career pathways.

A minimum of 20 participant are needed to make this a meaningful orientation. If there is not enough interest in attending a live format (July in Washington, DC; November at the APLU Annual Meeting in Philadelphia) please indicate you would be interested in a virtual format only.

Please complete the survey by April 15, 2025.

USDA Appoints New NIFA Director: Jaye Hamby

On March 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of Dr. Jaye L. Hamby as the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). As Director, Dr. Hamby will lead USDA’s efforts to advance agricultural innovation, community outreach, and fostering the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Dr. Hamby, a Tennessee native, grew up on his family’s cow-calf operation and developed a deep connection to agriculture through 4-H and FFA, eventually serving as a national FFA officer. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from the University of Tennessee before completing his master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural education at Oklahoma State University. Over the course of his career, he has directed hundreds of research efforts specializing in concept testing, product marketing, value driver analysis, and following market trends and strategies to support agricultural producers.


AgriProspects Webinar on Workforce Development Clearinghouse

The AgriProspects Workforce Development Network, a national program of the Extension Foundation open to all Land-grant Institutions regardless of Extension Foundation membership, recently announced a system wide data gathering initiative to build a Clearinghouse for Extension’s adult agricultural workforce development programs. This Clearinghouse will serve as the underlying structure for the AgriProspects Marketplace, a one-stop information portal to assist connecting learners, earners, and employers to the breadth and depth of Extension’s work within adult ag workforce development. Listing is optional and institutions can request to not be included in the Clearinghouse and Marketplace. A webinar was held on March 19th to roll-out the Marketplace concept and initiative. To learn more about AgriProspects visit the link above or reach out to Dr. Jason L. Weigle, Agriprospects Program Manager, at agriprospects@extension.org.

New Issue of the Journal of Extension

There is a new issue of the Journal of Extension. Scholars from the following states are represented: 

Alabama, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.