Explore 5 Extension Regions and Tribal College Resources

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus on July 4, 2022. Have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.

Explore 5 Extension Regions and Tribal College Resources - As a refresher for seasoned Extension Directors and Administrators and a reference for newer Extension leaders, the Cooperative Extension Section, a unit of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly, is structured in 5 regions, partnering with our 1994 Extension colleagues. Membership on ECOP committees and task forces is distributed across the regions to assure balanced representation. Take some time to explore each region, along with the 1994 Tribal College resources and learn about the unique work we do across Extension.

· 1890 Region - Association of Extension Administrators (AEA)

· North Central Region - North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA)

· Northeast Region - Association of Northeast Extension Directors (NEED)

· Southern Region – Association of Southern Region Extension Directors (ASRED)

· Western Region – Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA)

· Map of 1994 Tribal Colleges and organizational resources AIHEC and FALCON

NCFAR Virtual Lunch-n-Learn Co-sponsored by ECOP Focuses on Climate Change - A virtual lunch-n-learn presentation designed to educate Congressional staff, The Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Production and Rural Communities, will take place on Tuesday, June 28, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. ECOP is co-sponsoring the event to help highlight the work of the ECOP Program Action Team (PAT) on Climate and to leverage ECOP’s membership in NCFAR to the fullest. The National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, consensus-based, and customer-led coalition that brings together food, agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and natural resource stakeholders to serve as a forum and unified voice supporting increased federal investment in USDA Research, Education, and Economics (USDA REE). Please share the opportunity to register here with relevant parties.

Seeking Nominations for the 2022 Hatch Lecture - Each year NIFA joins APLU to sponsor a lecture presented at the  2022 APLU Annual Meeting. The lecture honors one of the three most important historical figures of the Land-grant University System, William Henry Hatch for research, Seaman A. Knapp for extension, and Justin Smith Morrill for whom the Morrill Act, which created the Land-grant University System, is named. This year on rotation, nominations for the prestigious Hatch Lecture are sought. The lecture commemorates the efforts of William H. Hatch, Congressman from Missouri who championed the Agricultural Experiment Stations Act of 1887, or Hatch Act, and celebrates the accomplishments of the Experiment Station System. Nominations are encouraged from all sources. Recommendations should include the name of the nominee, title, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and topic that could be discussed. Please submit on or before July 29, 2022 to Davida Vanderpuye Tengey at Davida.tengey@usda.gov.



HHS and USDA Announce Public Call for Nominations to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee - The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and USDA have announced the public call for nominations to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee). The committee will review scientific evidence to help inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (Dietary Guidelines). The Departments will seek to appoint a committee that is balanced in expertise, experience, and education, and is reflective of the racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity within the United States. Members of the public are invited to submit nominations for themselves or other qualified experts by July 15, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET.



Getting Started with the Extension Foundation - With a mission to help Cooperative Extension make a greater impact on local issues, the Extension Foundation has an interactive website to help Cooperative Extension professionals become familiar with tools, national funded programs, services, and to learn how the Foundation can partner. Explore here.

Funding Opportunity Information Session

New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) is a grant from USDA-NIFA in partnership with Oklahoma State University and begins its fourth year on September 1, 2022. The Extension Foundation invites land-grant university Extension project and program teams to apply for up to $60K in Fellowships available and 1 year of support from Catalysts, Coaches, and Key Informants. Programs with a focus on DEI, Climate, Economic/Workforce Development, Health Equity, Positive Youth Development, Urban Programs, and Broadband Access/Digital Skills are encouraged but not required. According to ECOP's Workplan with Extension Foundation, application is encouraged. To learn more and register for information sessions visit pages.extension.org/ntae. The first session available to all land-grant universities is on April 27, 2022. Direct questions to Beverly Coberly at beverlycoberly@extension.org.



National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) Update - NCFAR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, consensus-based, and customer-led coalition that brings together food, agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and natural resource stakeholders to serve as a forum and unified voice supporting federal investment in the USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) enterprise. This USDA mission area underlies the tools necessary to build resiliency for humanity’s most basic needs, particularly relating to climate change and nutrition security for all Americans. ECOP is a member and sponsor of NCFAR Outreach, and well-represented by Rich Bonanno, Associate Dean and Director of Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University. See the updated NCFAR website leadership here.



How to Inform the Development of the Dietary Guidelines, 2025-2030 - The process to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 is kicking off. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the proposed scientific questions that will inform the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines. HHS and USDA is requesting public comments on the proposed questions. This is the first of several opportunities for public input on the Dietary Guidelines development process. Written comments on the proposed questions will be accepted from Friday, April 15 to Monday, May 16, 2022. HHS and USDA will carefully consider all relevant comments in refining the scientific questions. Learn about the process to identify the proposed scientific questions, read through the proposed scientific questions, learn how to submit a comment, and check out the frequently asked questions.

New Link for Summer 4-H Pathways Institutes Application - There is a new link to apply to the Summer 2022 4-H Pathways Leadership Institutes that was announced in detail here last week. Extension Directors and Administrators with interest in registering a 3-person team should use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Institue22. If there are questions go here or contact lead communicator Andy Turner at ast4@cornell.edu.

Extension Leaders Explore Steps Toward Inclusive and Equitable Organizations

At Friday's Learning for Leaders meeting with participation by 31 leaders (1862, 1890 and 1994), from 21 states, Guam and American Samoa, participants learned the interdependent steps for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. ECOP Chair Chris Watkins, Cornell University, encourages his colleagues from across the System to familiarize themselves with the materials listed below and join him on Friday, February 5, 3-4:30 PM ET, for the next Learning for Leaders session, Improving Inclusivity in Our Institutions and ECOP.  Contact Assistant Director Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org for details on required registration.

-- YouTube Recording https://youtu.be/MyFrmSeyyuA

-- Slides found here

-- Theory and Practice of Multicultural Organization Development

2021 Outlook for Cooperative Extension System's Health Initiative - All Land-grant University Health Leaders, Extension Deans, Directors and Administrators and Friends are invited to register for a "State of Health" webinar for Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Noon-1:00 PM Eastern Time. 2020 was an exciting year for the Cooperative Extension System, particularly for its work related to health and well-being. Responding to a global pandemic, expanding the portfolio of programming related to mental health, continuing the extraordinary work in the area of food and nutrition, and working with scores of new partners was just a beginning! Distinguished panelists representing various components of the Cooperative Extension System including USDA-NIFA, National 4-H Council, the eXtension Foundation, and ECOP, will present the latest information about the partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the work of the Health Innovation Task Force, and the expanding health presence on Connect Extension. Register in advance at Webinar Registration - Zoom to either attend and/or receive the link to the recording. 

USDA Announces Castille as New NIFA Director - Dr. Carrie Castille has been named as the new, permanent director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. She started her role as NIFA director on Monday, January 4, 2021, and will be the first female NIFA director in a non-acting role. Dr. Castille has a wide range of experience with the agency as a NIFA stakeholder, a faculty member at a partner land-grant university, as a USDA colleague, and as a leader in both the Vilsack and Perdue USDA administrations. Having worked with NIFA in so many different aspects gives her a unique view of the organization and the customers served. 

USDA Seeks Members for Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture - The USDA is seeking members for a new 12-person advisory committee on urban agriculture, including two representatives from an institution of higher education or Extension. This is part of a broader effort to focus on the needs of urban farmers. including two representatives from an institution of higher education or Extension. The committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices as well as identify any barriers to urban agriculture. Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals, with a broad spectrum of expertise. Self-nominations are also welcome. Read more here. and respond by March 5, 2021.



Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 - Updated jointly by the USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the Dietary Guidelines provides science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, help reduce risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 is the first set of guidelines that provide guidance for healthy dietary patterns by life stage, from birth through older adulthood, including pregnant and lactating women. To develop the Dietary Guidelines, the Departments built upon the previous edition of the Dietary Guidelines with updates grounded in the scientific review of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, along with comments from the public and input from Federal agencies.

Leadership Transition for NIFA

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced that Dr. Parag Chitnis (pictured left) will serve as Acting Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) upon the departure of Dr. Scott Angle. “Dr. Chitnis brings more than 31 years of scientific research and experience to the Director’s office. He has been instrumental in providing steady leadership and support to NIFA during its transition to Kansas City last fall, in addition to playing a lead role on NIFA’s Project CAFÉ (Collaboratively Achieving Functional Excellence) initiative which aims to help NIFA maximize business operations to better serve its customers,” said Secretary Perdue. “We thank Dr. Angle for his many contributions to NIFA and service to USDA and U.S. Agriculture.” For more information, read the USDA press release. 

ECOP Meetings this Week - Extension Directors and Administrators can the learn more about the ECOP Meetings occurring July 21^st  and 23^rd by viewing the APLU Commission on Food, Environment, & Renewable Resources (CFERR) Calendar for July 2020. All members of the Section are encouraged to attend the USDA/REE National Partnership Virtual Webinar Updates on July 22^nd. 

USDA Agricultural Innovation Agenda Listening Sessions - The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) invites Extension Directors and Administrators to participate in the USDA Agricultural Innovation Agenda Listening Sessions on Monday, July 27^th and Tuesday, July 28^th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET. The Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA) seeks to stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing U.S. agricultural production by 40 percent, while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050. Participants are encouraged to share this invitation with producer groups. Use these links to learn more and register:

-- Monday, July 27^th  from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET
   Driving Innovation Through Breeding Technologies in Livestock and Dairy Production, and

-- Tuesday, July 28^th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET
    Conservation Data to Improve Environmental Outcomes/Productivity in Farming Systems. 

Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee - The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has completed their review of the evidence on nutrition and health, and their Scientific Report is now available online. The final report, which provides critical information to inform future Extension programming, reflects the Advisory Committee’s full examination of the evidence using three rigorous approaches: data analysis, systematic reviews, and food pattern modeling. The Report includes their conclusions and advice to the United States Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, their rationale and, finally, their recommendation for future research. The public is encouraged to submit comments to the Departments on the Scientific Report. This is an ongoing public comment period that will end on August 13, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

NIFA Invites Partners’ Continued Participation in Capacity Grant Budget Pilot for FY 2021 - In FY 2020, to enhance financial accountability for capacity grant funds, NIFA implemented a high-level capacity budget submission process as a pilot. Over 30 institutions voluntarily participated in that pilot. For FY 2021, NIFA has decided to continue the successful FY 2020 pilot and allow institutions to get additional experience preparing and submitting these budgets. NIFA intends to require capacity grantees to submit high-level capacity grant budgets with their grant applications in FY 2022 (with the exception of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) grantees, who already have budget submission requirements). Webinar information will be posted on NIFA’s capacity budget resource page, along with sample budgets and updated FAQs. 

Funding Opportunity: Military-Connected Youth/Families Program

The purpose of the CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development and Technical Assistance Program is to support the implementation and capacity of the 4-H Military Partnership and Outreach Support Program. Professional development and technical assistance are provided to the Land-Grant institutions and Cooperative Extension System, so that, in collaboration with other organizations, they can develop and deliver educational programs for military-connected youth. Eligibility to apply - Cooperative Extension at 1890, 1862, and 1994 Land-grant Colleges and Universities (one per institution). See Request for Applications for more information. The closing date is Friday, July 26, 2019 and the Estimated Total Program Funding is $550,000. To apply go to Apply for Grant.

2020 Dietary Guidelines – Background, Importance and LGU Connects - The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has recently been populated with Rachel Novotny, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources – University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, serving as a Land-Grant Faculty representative. Rachel has provided leadership with the USDA NIFA funded Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Center of Excellence Policy Systems Environment (RNECE PSE) to support community coalition readiness assessment and planning for limited resource nutrition education programs across the nation. The work of this advisory committee and resulting changes in the guidelines will definitely impact the underlying curriculum for EFNEP, SNAP-Ed and other nutrition education programming. Extension Directors and Administrators should note that there are multiple opportunities for the Public to become involved; next Public meeting in DC takes place on July 10-11.

Extension Featured in NCFAR Seminar - The National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research, of which ECOP and ESCOP are members, sponsors a series of seminars for House and Senate Ag Staffers. On June 17, 2019, Bob Craven, Extension Economist and Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, presented two seminars (65 attendees) entitled Extension and Partner Response to Farm Financial and Mental Health Stress. The presentation addressed two of the most challenging issues facing farmers (and by connection; youth, families and communities) - farm financial and mental stress. These issues are clearly interrelated with farm profitability issues exacerbating challenging mental health and a growing number of suicides across the country. Bob showcased how a University, a Department of Agriculture and other partners’ are addressing these issues in Minnesota. He pointed out the importance of leveraging federal, state and county investments to address these and other critical issues.


Use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Examined by eXtension - Cooperative Extension professionals are invited to complete a survey about the use of customer relationship management (CRM) software within their organizations. The 5-minute survey is available here. Results will be shared within the Cooperative Extension System. As Cooperative Extension organizations assess or implement new software tools and strategies, it is often useful for them to communicate with other Extension organizations that have similar objectives and experiences. This survey is intended to identify what Extension organizations are doing or considering when it comes to CRM platforms. The results will be available through the eXtension website. This work is part of the eXtension CRM Fellow program. Any questions or comments can be directed to Stephen Judd, eXtension CRM Fellow.


Leadership in the City Course for Urban Extension Professionals - The Leadership in the City 10-month comprehensive online professional development program prepares Extension professionals working in urban areas, to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally. The program was developed based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and builds upon existing leadership experiences, management training, and Extension professional development. Participants have represented 27 states during the first two years of the program. This course is led by Julie Fox from the Ohio State University Extension. The investment in the program is $500. Multiple participants from the same institute are entitled to a $100 discount (Discount code: LITC19-100). Complete details and registration can be found at https://cityextension.osu.edu/leadership.