EXCITE Project Funding Update

This past week Extension Directors and Administrators of the 1862, 1890, and 1994 Land-grant Universities and Colleges received an update from ECOP on funding for the CDC funded Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) project. Activity 1, Immunization Education application deadline is extended to May 7. Activity 2, Innovative Precision Programming Pilots, application deadline is May 15. More details are available at extension-5.hubspotpagebuilder.com/cdc.

COVID-19 Public Education Campaign - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a national public education campaign on April 1, 2021, to increase public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, while reinforcing basic prevention measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. To achieve these goals, toolkits were developed with tailored information and materials to help share the campaign messages throughout the Country. The USDA is working alongside federal partners to contain the pandemic and get the economy back on track. The goal of sharing of these toolkits with a network of trusted messengers is to produce consistent, fact-based public health messaging, and help the public make informed decisions about their health, and steps they can take to protect themselves and their communities. The toolkit and other material resources can be found at WeCanDoThis.HHS.gov. This toolkit also will be provided by the EXCITE Project Land Grant University Liaisons.

Broadband News - APLU seeks to award up to 18, $1500 stipends to professionals who will author and present papers on how to structure, monitor, and evaluate the new suite of internet access and adoption programs. The goal of the project is to inform the development and management of digital equity and broadband adoption programs. Winning papers will be considered for a special issue of the journal Choices. Please review the full RFP online for more details on topics and criteria for submissions; the deadline to submit an abstract is 11:59 PM EST Fri. May 28.This opportunity has been made possible with funding by USDA/NIFA. Please contact the VP, Economic Development & Community Engagement Sheila Martin with questions or concerns. 

Registration for the 2021 AAFCS Virtual Conference - The 2021 AAFCS Virtual Conference is filled with dozens of educational sessions that are focused on relevant and requested led by Family & Consumer Science experts. The schedule includes panel discussions, education experiences in Minnesota (no travel required), community service project, brain breaks, member recognition and sessions dedicated to diversity and inclusion. Find additional conference details here. 

Climate Change Forum for Extension

Climate Change in Extension: Elevating and Amplifying Action, a virtual 3-day forum will take place April 19-21, 2021, starting at noon ET each day. The event will bring together Extension faculty, staff, federal representatives, administrators, interested partners, and constituents to address the question: What can/should the Cooperative Extension System do to advance climate change programming? USDA-NIFA’s Director Carrie Castille and Cooperative Extension System/ECOP Executive Director Caroline Henney will be panelists on April 19. On April 20 Obahdiah Njue, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Rich Bonanno (ECOP), NC State University, Karl Martin (North Central), University of Wisconsin, Brian Schilling, Rutgers University, and Ken White, Utah State University, empanel a leadership deep dive.  Please share detailed registration link widely to encourage participation. For more information on the Initiative go online to the National Extension Climate Initiative.

NASS Launches Data Matters Blog - A new blog, Data Matters: Inside the Census of Agriculture, by the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) started recently. Please share the insightful series which begins with Preparing for the 2022 Census of Agriculture, with a behind-the-scenes look at the Content Test, an integral part of the scientific collection of agricultural data. The next in the series will examine the Sign Up to Be Counted initiative for the 2022 Census of Agriculture with an explanation as to why the Census is important to producers of $1,000 or more of agricultural products in a given year. The monthly posts appear at the bottom of on the Ag Census website and will be included in the ECOP Monday Minute. Please be reminded that the Cooperative Extension Section’s MOU (2018-2023) with NASS is found here. 



New Tool Establishes Baseline on Immunization Education Initiative - The Extension Foundation, the Cooperative Extension System's innovation collaboration partner, is debuting a new tool called the National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs & Assets (NRCEPA) and its portal Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching & Engagement (EXCITE). The platform tool evolved out of the need to collect resources for the Immunization Education initiative with CDC that was announced last month. EXCITE is free on the connect.extension.org Health and Well-Being Subgroup. Extension faculty and staff will contribute existing Immunization Education activity and search existing resources. The goal of the tool is to establish a baseline of all existing work in immunization education on capacity funds across the Cooperative Extension System. Metrics will be collected around Activity 1 funded projects and Activity 2 funded pilots. A step-by-step 23-minute video walkthrough is found here. 



Assistant VP, FANR Communications and External Partnerships Position Announcement - APLU’s Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) - the Cooperative Extension, Experiment Station, and Administrative Heads Sections -  seeks a Assistant Vice President, Food Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) Communications and External Partnerships. Interested individuals may send a cover letter and resume to APLU’s Human Resources Department at resume@aplu.org with the subject line: Assistant Vice President, FANR CEP. Applications will be reviewed as received and continue to be reviewed until the position is filled with preference given to those received prior to April 1, 2021. For a full position description, please visit the APLU Jobs Page. 

CDC’s Flu Season Digital Media Toolkit Available

As a trusted community resource, Cooperative Extension can play an important role in educating the public about the importance of immunizations, particularly in the months immediately preceding flu season. The CDC’s digital media tool kit is available to partners like Cooperative Extension to assist them in communicating the importance of vaccinations. This digital toolkit includes sample social media images, newsletter content, web assets, and media preparation materials. This material is downloadable, shareable, and some of the material is customizable. To access the media tool kit, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/toolkit/index.htm or to go directly to their #SleeveUp to #FightFlu social media resources, at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/sleeveup/index.htm 

Calendar Update - A Learning for Leaders Event on the topic of Urban Extension on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 3-4:00 p.m. ET, was recently added to the ECOP Calendar. Extension Directors and Administrators should should save the date and stay tuned to email for more details and the official invitation from ECOP Chair Chris Watkins (Cornell University) and Caroline Henney, Cooperative Extension System/ECOP Executive Director. 

Quick Tip: For all things ECOP, Calendar, Lists, etc., go to www.extension.org/ecop. 



SNAP-Ed Program Development Team Update - The SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) would like to welcome Lauren Sweeney to the new role of SNAP-Ed LGU Assistant. Lauren is no stranger to SNAP-Ed through the Land-Grant System, as she has previous experience as the Program Coordinator of SNAP-Ed at the University of Florida, served as chair of the ASNNA leadership committee (the national SNAP-Ed organization), and has served as a consultant for the SNAP-Ed PDT for the past year. The PDT looks forward to the expertise Lauren can provide in assisting LGUs across the nation serve our SNAP eligible population. Soon all Extension Directors will receive the annual request for data that Lauren has responsibility to collect. Please feel free to reach out to Lauren (lauren.sweeney@sdstate.edu) if you have any SNAP-Ed questions or concerns.



Updated NIFA RFA Calendar Available - NIFA has updated its RFA calendar. Note that target dates are subject to change until the RFAs are published in Grants.gov. The current list applies to continuations, directed and second year RFAs of a multi-year solicitation. Bookmark this list and check back often for updates as target dates draw near. A new notification will signal when AFRI RFAs are added to the schedule.



Summer Internship Job Opportunities - For sharing with widely throughout the land-grant system, the OneUSDA Summer Pathways Student Internship Program is an exciting opportunity for both students and Extension's federal partner, USDA. Pathways interns have been an excellent source of talent helping advance the USDA mission. The deadline for summer 2021 internship applications is Monday, November 16. Application review will begin immediately and candidate notification will take place in early spring 2021. For more information on the program and eligibility, email internship@usda.gov.

The ECOP Monday Minute will resume on June 1. Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Invitation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Cooperative Extension is invited to nominate professionals to the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF). The Richard Dunville (CDC), member of the ECOP Innovation Health Task Force, indicates experts in rural health are needed to serve. The CPSTF is an independent, nonfederal panel of public health and prevention experts whose members represent a broad range of research, practice, and policy expertise in community preventive services, public health, health promotion, and disease prevention. Complete details and means of submission are found here. Nomination packages must be received on or before 5:00 p.m. EDT, on Friday, June 26, 2020.
 

Online NIFA Urban, Indoor and Emerging Ag Stakeholder Listening Sessions - NIFA is accepting stakeholder input to help inform and set priorities for $40 million of grant funding for research, education and extension around urban, indoor and emerging agriculture. To respond to NIFA during the pandemic with aggregated and organized comments, the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL), Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER), and a number of local Farm Bureau chapters located in urban counties from across the country are partnering to host four online, interactive stakeholder listening sessions on May 28 and May 29. For more information and to register, visit the WCMER website.



The National Urban Extension Implementation Plan - Advancing the Cooperative Extension System’s work in urban areas continues to be an ECOP priority. Since 2015, ECOP has helped to formally organize the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) and asked NUEL to identify opportunities to increase the capacity within the Extension system to serve urban residents. In April 2019 ECOP approved the National Urban Extension Implementation Plan that outlines six goals for helping the national Extension system achieve measurable results. To learn more about NUEL visit the NUEL website or contact Jason Henderson (Purdue University), ECOP Liaison to NUEL and member of the steering committee.



USDA Grants Available for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production - Competitive grants ($3 Million) are available for urban agriculture and innovative production projects. USDA will accept applications on Grants.gov until midnight July 6, 2020. Planning Projects should initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education; business and start-up costs for new farmers; and development of policies related to zoning and other needs of urban production. Implementation Projects should accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor, and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers. Projects will improve local food access and collaborate with partner organizations and may support infrastructure needs; emerging technologies; educational endeavors; and urban farming policy development. Click Here for details.