Learning for Leaders First Friday: CARET 101

Learn the basics of the Council on Agriculture Research Extension and Teaching. Hear from the APLU leader of the program, CARET representatives from Tennessee and Kansas, and a panel of Extension Directors.

Nominations for Individual and Team Excellence in Extension Awards Being Accepted
Please be alert for a contact from your Regional Executive Director or Administrator regarding your region’s nomination process for the Excellence in Extension Individual and Team Awards.

Funding Opportunity: Beyond Ready—Financial Literacy

This competitive subgrant opportunity will support Cooperative Extension 4 H programs within land grant universities in delivering high quality financial literacy programming that helps young people build the skills they need to be Beyond Ready for the future.

Funding Overview

• Award amount: $132,000 per project
• Project period: April 13, 2026–November 22, 2028 (32 months)
• Total awards: Up to six (6) subgrants

Key Dates

• RFA released: February 9, 2026
• Informational call/office hours: February 19 at 1:00 PM ET (12:00 PM CT)
• Applications due: March 20 by 11:59 PM ET 
• Award notifications: On or before April 3, 2026

REMINDER: Nominations for Excellence in Extension Awards Being Accepted

Please be alert for contact from your Regional Executive Director or Administrator regarding your region’s nomination process for the Excellence in Extension Individual and Team Awards. The awards highlighted below are offered by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) in partnership with USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For a competitive edge, share the information provided below with leadership teams and potential nominees and begin the process of nominating, as soon as possible. Final online submissions are required by May 1, however, different regions (Northeast, South, 1890, North Central, West) have differing preliminary processes. Winning Cooperative Extension professionals are selected by the end of July and will travel to the APLU Annual Meeting in November to receive their awards. Learn more about all the opportunities listed below at awards.extension.org. The website hosted by Extension Foundation, is a gateway to full details and provides answers to frequently asked questions.

The Individual Awards for Excellence in Extension recognize Cooperative Extension Professionals who excel at Extension programming, make a positive impact on constituents served, and provide visionary leadership for the System. It is designed to focus national attention on the role of Extension – one that is fundamental to the lifelong education and development of residents in communities around the nation.

The Team Award for Excellence in Extension recognizes excellence of a team of Cooperative Extension Professionals in performing the work of Extension research, technical assistance, and outreach education.


USDA Extends Response Deadline for 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will continue to collect responses for the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties through April 18. Conducted every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery and specialty crop industries, including greenhouse food crops.

NASS enumerators will also continue gathering data and ask that respondents complete and return their survey form as soon as possible. If those who have received the form are no longer involved in horticultural operations, or need assistance completing the questionnaire, they can call toll free at 888-424-7828 so their record can be updated.

The 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties data will expand on the 2022 Census of Agriculture data with information on horticultural crop production, value of products, square footage used for growing crops, production expenses, and more. Learn more about the census here.


Comment on the Next Local Foods Marketing Practices Survey

The next USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Local Foods Marketing Practices Survey is open for public comment through March 31, 2025. Initially conducted in 2015 and most recently conducted in 2020, this next installment will allow USDA to collect data to measure changes and growth within the local food industry on a national basis. Conducted as a follow-up to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the target population will focus on respondents who reported product sales directly to consumers or to retail outlets that in turn sold directly to consumers. Comment on the survey here.

2023 Top Honors in Extension Excellence and Diversity

Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) for Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) announced last week the following 2023 awards to be presented in Seattle, Washington on November 12, 2023. The National Cooperative Extension Awards program is explained at awards.extension.org.

Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual: Mary Arnold, Oregon State University - The National Award is granted to Mary Arnold, professor, developmental scientist, and 4-H youth development specialist at Oregon State University. Arnold currently serves as the Director Youth Development Research and Practice at National 4-H Council, and is principle author of the 4-H Thriving Model, a model that describes a theory of change for the impact 4-H has on young people.


Regional Awards for Excellence in Extension for an Individual: NIFA, ECOP, and APLU will also present four regional awards to individual professionals for excellence this year. The recipients are:

1890s Region: Cedric Ogden, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Fort Valley State University, for Leading innovative engagement with diverse communities and using technology to address economic and environmental challenges.

North Central Region: Elaine Johannes, State Extension Specialist – Community Health, Kansas State University, for leading innovative engagement and partnerships for community health.

Northeast Region: Jiff Martin, Extension Educator – Food Systems, University of Connecticut, for providing solid ground for an inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable agriculture industry and food supply.

Southern Region: A. Stanley Culpepper, Extension Agronomist – Weed Science, University of Georgia, for innovative research and outreach to improve weed management and pesticide stewardship practices on family farms.

Excellence in Extension Team Award: The Growing Together Multi-State Collaborative - Growing Together bit.ly/23-EiETeam-Award is a multi-state SNAP-Ed donation garden collaborative that aims to promote healthy food access and offer nutrition and garden education for individuals who are nutrition insecure. This multi-state collaborative, including Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and most recently, South Dakota, meets regularly to share resources, promising practices, and challenges, while also building relationships and connections across state lines. Each state has tailored their effort to best meet their specific programmatic and community needs. 

National Extension Diversity Award: The University of Florida's “Café Latino” Project - The Coalition of Florida Extension for Latino Communities (CAFÉ Latino) is achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. CAFÉ Latino is gaining visibility in Cooperative Extension System and in other countries. Since the Spring 2018, University of Florida’s Dr. John Diaz, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, has led the development of CAFÉ Latino in collaboration with Dr. Karla Shelnutt, Professor, Jonael Bosques-Mendez, County Extension Director, and Laura Valencia, 4-H Agent, to help increase the capacity and competency for Extension to serve the needs of Florida’s growing Latinx population. CAFÉ Latino focuses on enhancing the access and efficacy of Extension programs.



NOMINATE by 10/18/23 - ECOP Climate PAT Convening  - On January 31 and February 1, 2024, the ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT will convene and host a dynamic cohort of up to 70 climate leaders  in Tucson, AZ. Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to submit nominations of Extension Professionals to attend! These individuals will collaborate to develop an Extension Climate Action Plan, a blueprint that will empower Extension directors and strategic partners to harness the full potential of the Cooperative Extension System in combating the pressing challenges posed by the climate crises. Please send the nominee's name, contact information, and area of expertise to Jason Henderson at jhender5@iastate.edu or Regan Emmons at reganemmons@extension.org by Wednesday, October 18, 5 PM PST. Or use this form link to easily submit nominations.

ECOP Monday Minute 4.29.13

ACTION: Nominate Extension Professionals for Awards – The ECOP Program Subcommittee chair, Mary Jane Willis, Rutgers University, and Personnel Subcommittee co-chair, James Trapp, Oklahoma State University, together with USDA-NIFA, encourage you to submit applications for the 2013 Excellence in Extension and Extension Diversity awards. Awardees will be honored at the November 10-12, 2013 APLU Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. This is an opportunity to celebrate exemplary work of individuals and teams, gain notoriety for your university, and showcase how Cooperative Extension extends knowledge and changes lives. Application deadline is June 1, 2013. Details will be sent to all directors and administrators and associate directors and administrators in a separate email in order to provide unique access links to the online nomination forms.

SAVE THE DATE: 21st Century Extension Professional Webinar – ECOP member Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska, invites you to an update on the 21st Century Extension Professionals Project during a webinar 2-3 pm ET, Thursday, June 20, 2013. In addition to learning more about the critical skills and attributes of today’s Extension professional, participants will have opportunity to contribute additional insight to the findings and focus on applications. To participate, go to https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop.

EDEN Update on Avian Flu – ECOP liaison to the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), Nick Place, University of Florida, alerts you to the new EDEN H7N9 Topic Page on H7N9. H7N9 is an avian influenza which until now has not been known to infect humans. The EDEN Avian Influenza Response Team is hosting a webinar 11 a.m.- Noon, Thursday, May 2, 2013. The link is https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/h7n9/. Information also will be available from the EDEN Community of Practice at www.extension.org. At this time, H7N9 is a human health concern, especially for those traveling to China, and is not an issue for the poultry industry.

NEDA 2013 Evaluation – Thanks to the 104 Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators and other invited guests who attending NEDA 2013 March 18-20, 2013 in San Antonio. The meeting evaluation is at https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4458.

4-H Legacy Awards Recap – National 4-H Council held its annual 4-H Legacy Awards Gala in New York City on April 18th. A special THANK YOU to the 40+ current and previous Extension Directors and Administrators from all five regions who sponsored a table at the Gala for the 4-H Youth in Action award winner! Now in its fourth year, this special evening of celebration honors the remarkable achievements of individuals and corporations that have made lasting contributions to 4-H. Since its inception, the 4-H Legacy Awards have raised more than $2 million in support of 4-H programs.  This year, the 4-H Legacy Awards honored Tractor Supply Company (TSC) with the Corporate Leadership Award, Oklahoma 4-H’er Elisabeth Willis with the 4-H Youth in Action Award, and Temple Grandin, Ph.D. with the Distinguished Alumni Medallion. Dr. Grandin is a world famous animal scientist, researcher and professor at Colorado State University, known for her revolutionary work in the livestock industry, and as an animal welfare and autism activist. Her life story sparked a self-titled, award-winning HBO film starring Claire Danes, who joined the celebration by video to present the award. For more information on the 4-H Legacy Awards Gala and its honorees, visit www.4-H.org/gala.

ECOP Monday Minute 4.15.2013

ACTION: Meeting with OMB 4.23.13 – Daryl Buchholz, ECOP Chair, invites all Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators attending the PILD conference next week at the Westin Alexandria, VA to attend the 7:45 a.m. Tuesday morning breakfast and discussion with Noah Engelberg of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The purpose will be to highlight impacts resulting from capacity funding. Please bring a summary of state Cooperative Extension impacts to provide to OMB. This office of the White House is instrumental in influencing the President’s budget presented each year to Congress.

FY 2014 USDA-NIFA Budget Update – The USDA portion of the President’s FY 2014 budget, released 4.10.13, is available at www.usda.gov/budget (see pp. 94-95 for USDA-NIFA). Further information, including explanatory notes, is expected from USDA-NIFA at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/offices/budget.html. Advocacy documents prepared by the BAA Budget and Advocacy Committee can be found at www.land-grant.org.

Post Job Announcements to National Job Bank Site (by Michelle Rodgers, ECOP representative to the JOE Board of Directors) – Each week, at the end of this ECOP Monday Minute, you will see the “jobs” site managed by the Journal of Extension. The site has recently been redesigned to enhance the experience of universities posting and those seeking jobs. The site (http://jobs.joe.org/) is for all Extension, outreach, research or higher education positions. An advantage of using this site is to cut down on all of the individual emails and attachments that come to the Director’s inbox. Please share this with individuals responsible for posting your position openings. You are encouraged to use this site to post state and local job Cooperative Extension openings.

Cooperative Extension on Capitol Hill – Last week, Elizabeth Andress, the 2012 Excellence in Extension national award winner, provided seminars on Safe Food: Research to Practice for Senate and House staffers and other guests. Organized by the National Coalition on Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR) the seminar series is designed to show impacts of research and extension programs. Andress is a professor and food safety extension specialist at the University of Georgia. See https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4432.

SNAP-Ed Update – See the summary of accomplishments and action items from the LGU SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) meeting that took place on April 2-4, 2013 in Washington, DC. Paula Peters, Kansas State University, chairs this group which seeks to increase opportunity for Cooperative Extension to engage in SNAP-Ed education, improve programming, and communicate impacts.

First 'Waste to Worth' Conference Deemed Success -- The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center (LPELC), an eXtension community of practice, brought more than 235 experts, business practitioners, government officials, and university faculty together for the first “Waste to Worth” conference on April 1-5.  Select keynote addresses and sessions were streamed on the Internet and recorded. Event information can be found at https://learn.extension.org/events/1022.