NEDA Meeting Speaker Announced

On the evening of October 10 at the NEDA Meeting neda.extension.org in Tucson, National 4-H Council in alignment with the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee, is sponsoring a plated dinner and special keynote speaker. Richard Maltsbarger (pictured left), President & CEO, Pet Valu Holdings Ltd., is a member of the Council Board of Trustees. Since joining Pet Valu in 2018, Richard Maltsbarger and his leadership team have grown Pet Valu into Canada’s leading pet specialty retailer, through the modernization of its omni-channel and loyalty capabilities, development of proprietary real-estate selection processes and deepened investment into expertise, training, and franchise relationships. Prior to joining the company, he held multiple senior positions at Lowe’s Companies over a 14-year tenure, serving most recently as COO for U.S. operations and President of International. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri, earned an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and is an alumni of Missouri 4-H. Richard served from 2015-2020 on advisory boards to two successive Deans of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources of the University of Missouri. Richard's entertaining keynote will be based on this year's theme, Transforming Extension: People, Partners, and the Profession. 

Cooperative Extension Receives $11M to Combat Obesity - Sixteen land grant universities will receive first-year CDC awards totaling more than $11 million to help reduce health disparities in US counties with high rates of obesity. Through these awards, Cooperative Extension at these sixteen institutions will work to increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods and safe, convenient places for physical activity. The awards are part of the 5-year, $57M High Obesity Program (HOP). Most HOP awards are in rural areas where there may be limited access to healthy foods and fewer opportunities to be active. HOP recipients leverage state investments, partnerships, and resources from various sectors, such as agriculture, transportation, education, healthcare, parks and recreation, business, housing, and military. Obesity in the US affects more than 100 million (42%) adults and 14 million (20%) children. Obesity also accounts for approximately $173 billion in annual health care costs. More information about HOP and a list of award recipients can be found here. For more information, contact rogerrennekamp@extension.org.

APLU Annual Meeting Registration is Open - While members of the Cooperative Extension Section and ECOP are not scheduled to meet formally, some Extension Leaders will choose to attend the APLU Annual Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 12-14. On Sunday afternoon, Nov. 12, the Board and Agriculture Assembly (BAA) sessions (concurrent with sessions of other APLU Councils and Commissions) include the USDA-NIFA awards ceremony when Extension Awards are presented and the Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lecture. Most Office of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR) sessions will take place between Noon Sunday, Nov. 12 and the evening of Monday, Nov. 13. The registration link is 

https://web.cvent.com/event/91d11caf-866f-4dca-bad3-4c22c2f4d6b6/summary. 

2018 Top Honors in Extension

Ron Cox,
Oklahoma State University

Lesia Oesterreich,
Iowa State University

On November 11 in New Orleans at the APLU Annual Meeting the Cooperative Extension Section and USDA-NIFA will recognize the following for visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming.

--> National Diversity in Extension Award: Ron Cox, Oklahoma State University, for the leadership and impact of ¡Unidos Se Puede!
(United We Can!), the comprehensive approach to programming, collaboration tactics, and potential for the program to expand to other states.

--> National Excellence in Extension (EiE) Award: Lesia Oesterreich, Iowa State University, for innovative educational partnerships and programming with vulnerable families and early childhood education professionals.
     -- 1890 Region EiE Award: Jason de Koff, Tennessee State University.
     -- North Central Region EiE Award: Joe Luck, University of Nebraska.
     -- Northeast Region EiE Award: Molly Donovan, University of New Hampshire.
     -- Southern Region EiE Award: Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University.

L-R: Jason de Koff, Tennessee State University; Molly Donovan, University of New Hampshire;
Joe Luck, University of Nebraska, and Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University.

CLICK HERE to read entire article and to learn more about future nominations go to www.aplu.org/CESAwards.


Inspire Kids to Do STEM With 2018 4-H National Youth Science Day - Now in its eleventh year, 4-H NYSD was created by National 4-H Council, USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension to ignite an early interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among young people. The 2018 National Youth Science Day challenge, Code Your World, co-developed by West Virginia University Extension Service and Google, is a four-part challenge that teaches kids ages 8-14 to apply computer science to the world around them through hands-on activities. Code Your World is easier than ever to facilitate, with each kit including a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction. The national NYSD celebration kicks off October 1, and coding events can take place throughout the month of October. Click here to purchase NYSD kits and inspire kids to do STEM this fall.


Registration for the Impact Collaborative Summit Extended to September 27 - More than 160 professionals including Key Informants, teams from 26 eXtension member institutions, and external partners will be joining us at the Summit on October 16-18, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN. The deadline is extended it until September 27 to accommodate any remaining teams that still wish to attend. Five free registrations are offered to premium member institution teams, and 3 free registrations are offered to basic member teams. Community partners are welcome. The purpose of this Summit is to guide project and program teams from your institutions through the Impact Collaborative Innovation Process and send them home with a project or program better informed by Key Informants and capacity-building Partners that is ready to be implemented at their institutions or within their communities. Learn more and register here.

Extension Serves as Outreach Leader for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Program - The CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity is pleased to announce funding to 15 land-grant universities across the country through the High Obesity Program (HOP)--CDC-RFA-DP18-1809. The land-grant universities will leverage community extension services to increase access to healthier foods and opportunities for physical activity in counties that have more than 40% of adults with obesity. Since 2014, CDC has funded land-grant universities to work with existing county Cooperative Extension and outreach services in predominantly rural areas that have less access to healthy foods and fewer opportunities to be physically active. The High Obesity Program has demonstrated communities’ progress to improve access to healthy foods and physical activity across different settings. Please email DNPAOPolicy@cdc.gov if you have any questions about this announcement.

eXtension Announces Fellowships

Applications are now being accepted for four eXtension fellowships offered in partnership with USDA-NIFA. Three of the fellowships are for developing innovations for application in the Cooperative Extension System. The fourth is a new fellowship offered in partnership with GODAN (Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition) to focus on applied innovation in the access and use of open data linking research and U.S. Cooperative Extension information. Deadline for applications is July 7, 2016. For details, see https://extension.org/2016/06/09/new-fellowship-opportunities/. 

USDA-NIFA Releases Results of State Energy Extension Partnership – Promoting an Energy Efficient America with Outreach Education is a new infographic released by USDA-NIFA. It highlights State Energy Extension Partnership projects at the Universities of Nebraska, Kentucky and Wisconsin, the Colorado Energy Master Program, and the Montana State University and University of Wyoming’s E³A Program. View the infographic as part of the series at NIFA’s Flickr site. 

Funding Opportunity – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces funding for programs to reduce obesity in targeted areas. Cooperative Extension in states with high obesity rate counties (adult obesity prevalence of more than 40 percent) are eligible to apply by the August 2, 2016 deadline. Funding will support intervention strategies through existing Cooperative Extension and outreach services at the county level to improve physical activity and nutrition, reduce obesity, and prevent and control diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. For details, see http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=284395. 

SNAP-ED Program Development Team (PDT) Update – For more information on the work of the PDT, funded by assessments to universities participating in SNAP-ED, see http://articles.extension.org/pages/73812/2016-snap-ed-program-development-team-meeting. A national report on SNAP-Ed provided by land-grant universities is in process. 

Reaching Urban Veterans Through Urban Horticulture – Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6124637483114134785 for the 3:00 p.m. ET webinar 6.21.16 describing a structured learning environment to introduce unemployed or underemployed U.S. military veterans to urban agriculture, aquaponics and organic land care as career options. Veterans are encouraged to become business owners in their communities through entrepreneurship training in collaboration with the Rutgers-Newark School of Business. This webinar is part of a series provided by the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research and aligns with a 2016 ECOP goal on urban programming. 

USDA-NIFA Equipment Prior Approval Webinars This Week – USDA-NIFA Office of Grants and financial Management will host webinars June 15 and 16, 2016 to get feedback from capacity fund recipients on prior approval requirements for equipment purchases. Among capacity funds to be addressed are 1890 Research and Extension and Smith-Lever. The prior approval for equipment requirements are located in OMB’s Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.407. The definition of equipment is located at 2 CFR 200.33. The two sessions are each about 45 minutes and are identical. To connect at 10:00 a.m. ET on 6.15.16, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/equipmentcapacity/ or dial 877-369-5243 or 617-668-3633, Access Code: 0776001#. For the 1:00 p.m. ET, 6.16.16 session, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/equipmentcapacity/ or dial 877-369-5243 or 617-668-3633 Access Code: 0470116#.

ECOP Monday Minute - 6.9.14

ECOP Recommends Distribution of Ag Act Funding – USDA Secretary Vilsack announced $6 million in funding, primarily to Cooperative Extension, to educate farmers about key programs authorized through the Agriculture Act of 2014. ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, and ECOP Member James Trapp, along with others, were key contributors in framing the process for distributing the $3 million non-competitive portion of the funding. View a list of allocations to 1862 and 1890 institutions and $75K for eXtension in the chart at http://www.usda.gov/documents/StateExtensionServicesFunding.pdf. For more details, see http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=ner&newstype=newsrel&type=detail&item=nr_20140529_rel_0106.html. Continued discussion relates to an evaluation process. Additional details will be shared when available. 

UPDATE: Disruptive E-nnovation – eXtension Strategy Committee Chair Keith Smith, Ohio State University, reports four targets for the new eXtension: 

• Innovation as the engine to move and keep digital Cooperative Extension in the forefront of open access online learning; 
• Engagement and retention of new and existing audiences, and digital professional development of Extension educators to bring new opportunities to Extension, enhance use of local resources, and increase institution’s capacities; 
• Leadership and management structured as a nonprofit cooperative to support the flexibility, innovation and entrepreneurship needed in fast paced digital environments; and 
• Entrepreneurship supporting a new “investment” business model that includes institutional choices to invest, public and private national and global partnerships, fees for services and leveraging revenue streams. 

Smith said the eXtension Strategy Committee is taking into account the pace of technology advancements to mobile devices, young and old engaging in digital personal learning networks, and that forty-five percent of those seeking information go to a friend first. Details will be provided to ECOP at its Tuesday, July 22, 2014 meeting in San Diego by Smith, together with Elbert Dickey, interim eXtension director, and Dennis Calvin, eXtension Governing Committee Chair, Pennsylvania State University, with additional information provided to Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators shortly thereafter. 

CDC Funding for Obesity Reduction -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announces about $4.7 million to fund up to six land-grant colleges and universities located in states with counties with an adult obesity prevalence of more than 40 percent of the population. The pilot project will include intervention strategies through existing Cooperative Extension and outreach efforts at the county level. See http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/highobesitycounties/index.html for details. The deadline for submitting applications is July 23, 2014. 

Alabama Extension Centennial News – Alabama Extension celebrated 100 years with a Commendation from the Governor’s Office https://sites.aces.edu/group/comm/newsline/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=787.

Teens Take on Health – The National 4-H Council and Molina Healthcare released findings from an 18-month project listening to teens about their health concerns http://www.4-h.org/about/youth-development-research/health-research/?utm_campaign=MOLINATTOH&utm_source=4HORG&utm_medium=CAROUSEL. 

USDA-NIFA Releases “Hot Spot” Maps – See http://www.reeis.usda.gov/portal/page?_pageid=193,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL for new maps showing funding received by State and Congressional District.