New Leaders in Programs and Professional Development

During the Spring Meeting in Oklahoma City last month, two new Cooperative Extension System Leaders were announced. Lisa Townson, University of Rhode Island, is Chair of the ECOP Program Committee, and Karl Martin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, is Chair of the ECOP Program Committee. Click on the images below to learn more about each Chair. Thank you Lisa and Karl!

Lisa Townson, Chair
ECOP Program Committee Chair

The ECOP Program Committee actively identifies, recommends action on emerging future Extension programs, program related issues, and delivery systems important to the Extension System and scans the System to identify critical issues and determine if an issue requires a rapid system-wide response. Guided by ECOP, the committee oversees the work of the Program Action Teams (PATs). The committee also currently provides leadership for the National Extension Diversity Award recognizing, honoring, and promoting inclusive programming for and with diverse audiences.

Karl Martin, Chair
ECOP Professional Development
Committee

The ECOP Professional Development Committee actively identifies, recommends, and directs professional and organizational development activities for Extension Directors and Administrators and all Extension professionals. This includes leading some First Friday Events and the orientation and onboarding session for new Extension Directors and Administrators at the annual NEDA Meeting. The committee also provides leadership for the national Excellence in Extension awards.

Learn more about the organizational structure of ECOP using it's organization chart.

Update on Efforts to Build Capacity - ECOP will spend a block of time on building capacity funding during the July face-to-face meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. This is the next step in a process lead by ECOP Past-chair, Bev Durgan, Dean of Cooperative Extension, University of Minnesota. A few weeks ago, a dialogue session on the initiative was conducted with Extension Directors and Administrators attending the PILD meeting. Notes from that meeting are available upon request.

A long-term joint “Capacity Funding Task Force” of Administrative Heads, agInnovation and Cooperative Extension is also in progress. The tri-chairs of the group advancing this effort are Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota; George Smith, AgBioResearch Director, Michigan State University; Moses T. Kairo, Dean, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Other members are:

• Steve Lommel, Associate Dean and Director, NC Agricultural Research Service
• M. Ray McKinnie, Virginia State University
• Jason Henderson, Vice President for Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University
• Dennis Becker, Dean of the College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho
• Malcolm Warbrick, Director of Federal Relations, Penn State University
• Tom Thompson, Associate Dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Virginia Tech, Director of CALS Global
• Stacey Stearns, Communications Specialist, University of Connecticut
• Rich Bonanno, Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement, North Carolina State University
• Stephan Goetz, Professor of Agricultural and Regional Economics, Penn State University and Director of The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
• Jeanette Thurston, North Central Executive agInnovation Executive Director
• Lewis-Burke Associates LLC
• Staff lead: Doug Steele, APLU VP Office of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources

APLU has distributed a Request for Proposals to consulting firms that will help the group gather data, author a report, and develop common and consistent language surrounding this issue. Several firms have expressed interest and some have formulated preliminary proposals. Full proposals were to be examined by the tri-chairs last week after an APLU triage. 



Collaborations Between 1890 and 1862 Land-Grant Institutions - A new publication from the Southern Region Rural Development Center titled, “Collaborations that Work Analysis of Successful Extension Efforts between 1890 and 1862 Land-Grant Institutions” is now available.

USDA-NIFA Grants Modernization Stakeholder Survey - NIFA has launched a short Stakeholder Survey to assist with the Grants Modernization Initiative (GMI). Participation is a crucial component in ensuring that GMI is successful and can help improve user experience over time. The agency requests that all relevant voices be heard. This survey is designed to take approximately 10 minutes to complete.




Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding - NIFA offers several technical assistance events to help prospective applicants understand NIFA funding opportunities. Supporting material from these events — which also provide guidance on grant development and grant management — is available here. The next session, that may be of interest is Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding on May 2, 2024, 12:00 PM ET. Click here to register to attend and submit questions ahead of time. While this session is conducted by NIFA, the concepts taught in the session will be transferrable to other granting agencies.

Award Nominations Reminder

Now is a good time to check in on the status of preparing nominations for the three categories of National Cooperative Extension Awards offered by ECOP and USDA-NIFA. The deadline to submit nominations online is less than a month away, May 1, 2024. Letters from respective members of Section are required for the individual and team Excellence in Extension award nominations. The gateway to all of the details may be found at awards.extension.org. Questions about these awards may be directed to Sandy Ruble, Assistant Director, Cooperative Extension System/ECOP at sandyruble@extension.org. The value of the prizes exceed $38,000 annually.

Hales Returns to Serve ECOP Through 2027 - The Western Extension Directors Association has appointed Dr. Brent Hales (picture left) is Associate Vice President of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) to serve on ECOP. The required 4-year term ends in the fall of 2027. Brent returns to ECOP after serving for the Association of Northeast Extension Directors from 2020-2023 when he was Associate Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of Penn State Extension. In addition, Brent returns to the ECOP Program Committee which he chaired in his earlier term. More about Brent is found here. Thank you and welcome back to Dr. Brent Hales!

First Friday Event on Cooperative Extension’s Growing Health Infrastructure - Last Friday, the Extension Health Director Roger Rennekamp and researchers from the Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle, reported that Cooperative Extension has made great strides in building its capacity for health-related work over the past five years. According to the fifty-one responding land-grant institutions, 81% indicated that they had increased external funding for health-related programming. The total amount of external funding received by these institutions was approximately $140 million (excluding EFNEP and SNAP-Ed). Elements from the presentation are available at the following links:

• The 19-page report summary
• The Slide Deck
• The video is available on ECOP's YouTube Channel - 

EDEN Mini-Grant RFA Deadline is May 10 - The deadline for the EDEN Mini-Grants program RFA Advancing Disaster Education in America is set for May 10. The goal of the grants program is to fuel the development of creative educational resources and Extension initiatives. These resources will empower EDEN's mission and the broader land-grant and sea-grant systems to effectively address all phases of disaster management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.




Partnering Opportunities with Cities - Land-grant University research and Extension professionals are invited to participate in a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) by Washington State University Extension's National Urban Research & Extension Center (NUREC) to determine where the opportunities lie for partnership and collaboration with the National League of Cities. NUREC will utilize RFEI data to assess interest and gather information to create projects, build project teams and/or craft responses to RFP’s. Learn more here.

Extension Foundation 2023 Annual Report Available

Since 2006, the Extension Foundation has been a steadfast partner to the Cooperative Extension System. Through innovative technology solutions, professional development, and strategic collaborations, the Foundation has helped Extension programs scale, adopt new models, and make a more visible and measurable impact on local issues across the nation. The Extension Foundation partners with Cooperative Extension through liaison roles and a formal plan of work with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) to increase system capacity. Learn more about the organization and our work by reading the Extension Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report.

Reminder for 2024 PILD Participants - The ECOP Program Committee asks Extension Directors and Administrators with delegations attending the PILD Conference to raise awareness of the concurrent sessions by the ECOP Program Action Teams (PATs) slated for the 8:15-10:00 a.m., April 16, 2024 as described in the final 2024 PILD Conference program. This will be an excellent opportunity for PILD attendees to understand how various PATs work, what they do, and account for the benefits locally. 

Also, please be mindful that Extension Directors and Administrators who are attending the PILD Conference should mark their calendar to attend their in-person meeting on, Monday April 15, 2:00 p.m.




National Cooperative Extension Awards Nominations Reminder - Now is a good time to check in on the status of preparing nominations for the three categories of National Cooperative Extension Awards offered by ECOP and USDA-NIFA. The deadline to submit nominations online is about five weeks away, May 1, 2024. Letters from respective members of Section are required for the individual and team Excellence in Extension award nominations. The gateway to all of the details may be found at awards.extension.org. Questions about these awards may be directed to Sandy Ruble, Assistant Director, Cooperative Extension System/ECOP at sandyruble@extension.org. The value of the prizes exceed $38,000 annually. 

JCEP Excellence in Extension Engagement Award Applications Due May 31 - JCEP’s Excellence in Extension Engagement Award recognizes high-quality, evidence-based Extension work with documented outstanding outcomes and impacts. The award is for an individual or a team, members of these seven JCEP organizations, whose programs are driven by local needs, grounded in scholarly practice, adequately evaluated, showing adoption beyond initial audiences, within or across states, and bringing innovation to Extension. First place is $750 and includes being an invited speaker at ELC 2025 with registration waived. Honorable mention receives $250 and ELC 2025 registration is waived. Applications open at PILD and are due by May 31. Details and application are at www.jcep.org/awards. Also online is a synopsis of The Remote Online Initiative from our 2024 winner, Dr. Paul Hill, Extension Professor & Program Director, Utah State University.




Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding - NIFA offers several technical assistance events to help prospective applicants understand NIFA funding opportunities. Supporting material from these events — which also provide guidance on grant development and grant management — is available here. The next session, that may be of interest is Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding on May 2, 2024, 12:00 PM ET. Click here to register to attend and submit questions ahead of time. While this session is conducted by NIFA, the concepts taught in the session will be transferrable to other granting agencies.

USDA Outlines Vision to Strengthen the American Bioeconomy Through a More Resilient Biomass Supply Chain - USDA has released a plan that will boost biomass supply chain resiliency for domestic biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing environmental sustainability and market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. The report — Building a Resilient Biomass Supply: A Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America — calls for three broad areas of activity: (1) research, development, and demonstration for innovation in newly emerging biomass supply systems; (2) capacity building to expand existing biomass supply systems; and (3) market development and assessment to match biomass supply to demand for the biobased products. Read more here on how this roadmap will strengthen biomass production and preprocessing systems.

News From ECOP Program Action Teams

Last Friday, March 1, 2024, members of the Cooperative Extension Section from as far away as American Samoa discovered who to contact for more information about each of the ECOP Program Action Teams (PATs), including the new Food Systems and Food Waste PAT. Check out the video recording for insights from recent visits to Washington, DC by ECOP Chair Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University, and interesting activities from the Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT. ECOP's First Friday events are for the benefit of new and seasoned land-grant university (1862, 1890, 1994) Extension Director and Administrators and are archived on ECOP's YouTube Channel. Topics of these regular meetings are searchable here on the ECOP Monday Minute. 

2022 Census of Agriculture Released - On February 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced the results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, spanning more than 6 million data points about America’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them down to the county level. The full Census of Agriculture report as well as publication dates for additional ag census data products can be found at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. Ag census data can also be found in NASS’s searchable online database, Quick Stats.

Economic Development Administration Technology Hubs - Last year, the U. S. Economic Development Administration, a bureau of the U. S. Department of Commerce, designated 31 inaugural Tech Hubs, as well as awarded 29 Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grants. The 31 Tech Hubs found here focus on developing and growing innovative industries in regions across the country, including semiconductors, clean energy, critical minerals, biotechnology, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and more. Tech Hubs bring together private industry, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, Tribal communities and nonprofit organizations to compete for up to $75 million implementation grants to further develop these fields and make transformative investments in innovation, supply chain resilience, and job creation.



Still Time to Submit Ideas to NSF Through CASA-Bio - Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) was inspired by the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. Released by the White House in September of 2022, the EO laid out a grand vision to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing through foundational and use-inspired research and development in five thematic areas (Bioeconomy EO Themes): climate change, food and agriculture, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross cutting areas to advance all these areas. While their four February listening sessions are done, their written feedback forms are still working.



Kenya: March 8 Zoom Meeting Reminder - Remember that this Friday, March 8, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET, APLU and Executive Director Bill Hoffman will host an information sharing Zoom meeting regarding Extension and related activities in Kenya. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture recently held a trade mission to that country and there is a very positive US agricultural benefit proposition to cooperation in Kenya. Please register here for this meeting. Also, contact Dr. Hoffman at whoffman@aplu.org to request the opportunity to share an institution’s work in Kenya during the session.



About Contacting the USDA Foreign Ag Service - Extension leaders and professionals who are conducting Extension work in countries and regions around the world, are encouraged to contact the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) which serves as a great connection to a particular country’s American embassy. Contacting FAS by email is easy to do using Ag(name of country's capital)@usda.gov. Examples include aglondon@usda.gov, agtokyo@usda.gov, or agbeijing@usda.gov. FAS is interested and supportive of the work of Extension. 

Program Action Teams Take Center Stage

Click Photo to view Album

A significant portion of last week's ECOP meeting in Bloomington, MN was devoted considering the successes of and opportunities facing the national ECOP Program Committee (PC) Action Teams (PATs). Each of the PATs are featured at pats.extension.org. 

ECOP established the APTs to connect Extension professionals, provide program leadership, build partnerships, and explore nation-wide opportunities for the Cooperative Extension System. The PATs received $305,500 of seed funding from ECOP, and with the support from NIFA and Extension Foundation went to work on behalf of the System. 

The activities and successes of each PAT are available in this 12-page report. 

Success is measured by:

• Multi-state cooperation/collaboration on key Cooperative Extension System (System) programming areas
• Increased funding for the System
• Active involvement of NIFA, other Federal Agencies, and many liaisons Experiment Stations, Regional Rural Development Centers, and Private Partners
• Identification/cultivation of current and new partners external to the System
• Alignment of work of System-related groups with similar goals

Workforce PAT Opportunity

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until January 9, 2023.

 

Workforce PAT Opportunity - ECOP Program Committee's Economic & Workforce Program Action Team (Workforce PAT) developed a new organizational structure designed to enhance their work and build Extension’s presence in workforce development. Learn more here. The new subcommittees are:

• National Oversight
• National Engagement
• Program Inventory
• Credentials

The Workforce PAT is looking for new members, especially from North Central, Northeast, and 1890s Regions and 1994 Extension Programs, who are ready to dig in and help move Extension’s efforts in workforce development forward. Please contact Brittain Avants at brittainavants@extension.org for more information. Over the past few months, the Workforce PAT created a Connect Extension group (join here) to share program ideas and answer questions about workforce development. The National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs & Assets found here is the collection point for Extension workforce programs.

National Impacts Database Update - Karla Trautman, South Dakota State University, is pleased to share with fellow Extension Directors and Administrators the informative presentation made to the new Communications and Marketing Committee (CMC) on November 17 about the National Impacts Database (NIDB) landgrantimpacts.org. In 2023 the CMC becomes a sub-committee of the Policy Board of Directors and NIDB becomes an important part of the CMC. The link to the presentation with live links to video training and talking points is found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CfqvwU2cbQatWFckgy4PA8CC6L5cAz8x/view?usp=sharing. All are encouraged to share the information with all communications staff. 

Consider the 2023 USDA Ag Outlook Forum - USDA says that the Ag Outlook Forum is its oldest and largest annual gathering that it hosts. The next event takes place at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on February 23-24, 2023, and all sessions will be livestreamed on a virtual platform. To learn more and register, visit https://www.usda.gov/oce/ag-outlook-forum.

NIFA Listens Stakeholder Opportunity Ends Soon

Extension Directors and Administrators and others across the System are encouraged to submit written comment to NIFA to answer several questions posed by the agency to invest in science and transform lives. ECOP Members Vonda Richardson, Florida A&M University, Jason Henderson, Purdue University, Chair of the Budget & Legislative Committee, and folks from the 4-H Program Area gave NIFA their verbal answers live on November 2. ECOP Chair Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, is pleased to share the document she submitted and that Vonda and Jason used as guidance at the following link. The deadline NIFA has set to receive as many comments/answers as possible is 5:00 p.m. ET on November 30. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2O1VJ4gj05eHyptI55TPUgmztCq6BhC/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117572418052990065789&rtpof=true&sd=true

Health Framework Lightning Sessions - Hear how twelve land-grant universities across the nation are utilizing Cooperative Extension's National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to experience lifelong health. Presenting on Tuesday, November 15 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET in a lightning round format (five slides in seven minutes) are the University of New Hampshire, University of Florida, The Ohio State University, Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Georgia. Six additional institutions will present in a similar format on Thursday, December 15. The sessions are open to all Extension personnel. Register for the November 15 session here.

DEI PAT Engages with Section - At ECOP's "First Friday" Zoom event on November 4, the Professional Development Committee organized an engaging session by the Program Committee's DEI Program Action Team (PAT). After and quick update, the delegation of 1994, 1890, and 1862 Extension leaders shared what was most needed in three areas of interest:

• Developing a Community of Practice/Resource Depository
• Establishing Metrics
• Fostering Collaboration Among 1890, 1994, and 1862 Institutions

A full report of what took place, including a collection of recommendations and who to contact for other ideas, is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uFGAeAOFpr_CB7lMkQrYsGU87aSiUOiP/view?usp=sharing. The DEI PAT is always recruiting new members and is the primary source of information made available at advocacy.extension.org/#diversity. 

Cooperative Extension Health Funding Approaches $300M

Dedicated funding to support the Cooperative Extension System’s portfolio of health-related work increased to nearly $300M in FY22. Funds originated from a variety of federal agencies and foundations including the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation. National 4-H Council and the Extension Foundation both played important roles in distributing these funds to land-grant universities across the nation. This amount does not include federal capacity funds or funds appropriated at the state or county level to support Extension’s health-related work. For more information, contact Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director at rogerrennekamp@extension.org. ECOP contributed $12,000 of its reserves held at APLU to the cause of the Health Program Action Team.

Farm Bureau Survey on Drought’s Increasing Toll - Drought is taking an increasing toll on farmers and ranchers, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Market Intel service said after releasing the results of a third survey it has taken on the subject. With over 60% of the American West, Southwest and Central Plains categorized as D3 (severe) drought or higher, the American Farm Bureau Foundation conducted a third round of its survey to evaluate drought’s continued impact on farm and ranch businesses. "Given the region’s vital role in providing nearly half of American agricultural production by value, discussing and undertaking effective drought mitigation efforts is key to a secure domestic food supply and to protecting our farm and ranch families", concluded Daniel Munch, a Farm Bureau economist with ties to land-grant universities. Read the full report here.

New EXCITE Programming Opportunities - EXCITE is a nation-wide local response  by the Cooperative Extension System to increase immunization education, emphasizing boosting vaccination confidence with focus on adult immunization other than COVID-19. EXCITE is made possible through an interagency agreement between USDA-NIFA and the CDC that integrates partners and funders. The newest phase of funding will support projects addressing adult immunization education and vaccine confidence in land-grant Extension communities and is open to all land-grant institutions (1994, 1890, 1862) even if not currently involved with EXCITE. An introductory virtual session will occur September 22, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. ET. The project's elements, timelines, and goals will be covered, along with Q&A. Click here to register attend and/or receive the recording of the session.

New Program Action Teams Website Launched - pats.extension.org is a new website that provides an overview of the ECOP Program Committee's Action Teams (PATs) including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Climate Mitigation, Resiliency and Adaptation; Economic and Workforce Development; Health Equity and Well Being; 4-H Positive Youth Development; Broadband Access and Digital Tools; and Urban Programs. The PATs provide a mechanism for interested Extension professionals, as well as internal and external partners, from across the country to collaborate on high priority programs. Anyone with interest in these program areas can access contact information and get connected with colleagues.



USDA Resource Guides for American Indians, Alaska Natives - The USDA Office of Tribal Relations has released the USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives 2022 and the USDA Native Youth Resource Guide 2022. The announcement by the agency including a quote by Secretary Vilsack is found here. These resources offer insights into the  Cooperative Extension System's connectivity with 1994s, 1890s, and 1862s within USDA.

Climate Topic Learning for Leaders

Last Friday, 31 of the 76 members of the Cooperative Extension Section, plus 1, 1994 Extension Director participated in the Learning for Leaders organized by the ECOP Professional Development Committee. Participants learned about the national collaboration between National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) grassroots effort and ECOP Program Action Team (PAT) grasstops effort on Climate programming. The 2 organizations are still recruiting while considering next steps to determining the role of Extension in Climate Resiliency. The 2 groups will work together to continually inform the Advocacy Toolkit on Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation. The recording of the session is available for review at https://youtu.be/Esd5gi90qZQ and slides with active links is found here. 

Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities - ECOP wants to assure that the Cooperative Extension Section is aware of this important development and funding opportunity. On Feb. 7, 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. USDA is now accepting project applications here for fiscal year 2022. A range of public and private entities may apply including Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education. Please note that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (page 11) specifically lists university Extension as eligible to apply. Grant deadlines are: April 8, 2022, for the first funding pool (proposals from $5 million to $100 million), and May 27, 2022, for the second funding pool (proposals from $250,000 to $4,999,999). 

Military Families Learning Network is Now OneOp - OneOp continues a tradition of free quality information and education for professionals helping military families. OneOp is a single-point-of-entry professional development resource for service providers. For more than 10 years OneOp has collaborated with DoD and the US Department of Agriculture to provide free and open-access learning opportunities within a full spectrum of family service subject areas. This long-standing DoD partnership allows OneOp to meet the professional development needs of service providers with programming that reflects complex and dynamic DoD priority areas. As a virtual organization with global reach, OneOp facilitates the connections and shared knowledge required of providers within DoD’s Military Family Readiness System. Please share this announcement, recommend bookmarking of the new website oneop.org, and connecting with OneOp on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Recap of 2022 Agricultural Outlook Forum - 5,900 people attended our 98th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum last month. In case you missed it, a recap is available using the links to speeches and slides embedded into the program here. This year’s event included: The release of the 2022 Outlook for the U.S. Ag Economy and Trade, Keynote address by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and discussion on China, and 25 sessions covering topics ranging from commodity outlooks and supply chain resilience to climate change adaptation and ag innovation.

The ECOP Calendar is updated frequently and found here. Contact Caroline Henney carolinecrocoll@extension.org if you have any questions. Thank you.