Funding Opportunity: Community Cooking Demonstrations

You may be asked to partner with or write a letter of support for a funding opportunity with an August 17 application deadline.  

The purpose of the Community Cooking Demonstrations cooperative agreement is to establish and implement a nationwide cooking and nutrition education initiative. Through a coordinated network of regional and local implementation partners, the initiative will deliver recurring community cooking demonstrations and hands-on nutrition education designed to help individuals and families develop practical skills for selecting, preparing, and enjoying nutritious meals aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Department of Health and Human Services plans to make three awards of $3 million each.

Through this cooperative agreement, OASH/ODPHP anticipates making three awards. Each recipient will establish and coordinate a network of regional and local implementation partners to conduct a minimum of 600 community cooking demonstrations during a 15-week national activation period by conducting one demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations. Collectively, recipients will conduct a minimum of 1,800 cooking demonstrations nationwide.

 Link to Application: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/363453

NAAAN Connect

Join the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) from 10-11 a.m. MDT on Wednesday, August 19 for the CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT! Laura Mock, Director of Cultivator Powered by Conexus and Mandy Harle, Senior Manager, Investment & Business Growth at Economic Development Regina, will share about how Regina is a hub for agricultural innovation. You’ll hear more about how Cultivator is helping accelerate ag-tech startups and innovations across Canada while also driving deeper into the 2027 NAAAN Convening in Regina. The meeting will be conducted in English with translation options in French and Spanish. Register to join!

Stopgap funding bill seeks delay of Trump’s science funding plan (from thehill.com)

Senate Republicans are supporting a provision in the stopgap funding bill that would delay the Trump administration’s controversial plan to put political appointees in charge of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants. 

The provision marks a rare rebuke of the Trump administration by congressional Republicans. But the government funding bill only runs through Dec. 11, and the proposed rule can still take effect after that time. 

National Extension Award for Innovative Programming that Addresses New Audiences

The purpose of this award is for Extension efforts that go above and beyond in reaching new audiences. It recognizes innovative teaching models and techniques that ensure Extension programs reach all audiences, especially new and those that have not been participating in traditional Extension education. The programming should reflect how a systematic needs assessment identified the audience and influenced teaching methods, created mutual respect among audiences, promoted acceptance, fostered teamwork, and improved overall effectiveness of the programming.

Nominations must be submitted online by June 1, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Early Bird Deadline Approaching for PILD Conference – APLU President to Speak

Take the opportunity to save $100 and register for the JCEP Public Issues Leadership Development Conference by March 15. Hotel reservations must be made separately. APLU President Wadded Cruzado is scheduled to speak on day two of the conference. President Cruzado gave a great speech recently at the Council on Agriculture Research, Education, and Teaching conference.

North American Agricultural Advisory Network Multi-Language Connection

Join the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) from 10-11 a.m. MDT on Thursday, March 12 for the CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT with Mexico. Moderated by Luis Martinez, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington D.C., this session will feature a Group of Native Maize Producers from Acaxochitlán sharing about their experiences. The producers are part of a “Territorial Development of Indigenous Peoples Safeguarding Native Maize Races of Mexico” project through Mexico’s department of agriculture – AGRICULTURA. The goal of this project is to strengthen capacity, add value, and promote fair commercialization of native maize varieties.

This session will be conducted in Spanish with Wordly translation available in English and French. We look forward to seeing you there – register to join us!

Growing Together: Conversation with Krysta Harden, President and CEO, U.S. Dairy Export Council

Krysta Harden's journey from being a student at University of Georgia to become a national agricultural leader shows the power of 4‑H roots and a land‑grant education.  As president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), she leverages her experience with agriculture, sustainability, food policy, and the federal government to help fulfill USDEC’s mission to promote dairy exports and enrich the well-being of people, communities, and the planet.  Learn about Harden's perspectives at Growing Together: Conversation with Krysta Harden, President and CEO, U.S. Dairy Export Council.

North American Agricultural Advisory Network & APLU Webinar November 5

Join us on Wednesday, November 5th from 10-11 a.m. MST for the CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT with the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities(APLU). The association represents more than 250 universities and affiliated organizations across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This CONVERSATION will focus on the cross-border efforts of APLU and invite a discussion around new opportunities for collaboration in agricultural extension and rural advisory services for strengthened food security. 

Featured speakers include Waded Cruzado, President of APLU, and Doug Steele, Vice President of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU.

NASS to release key reports despite shutdown

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release key data in November for the following reports:

• Milk Production – November 10, 2025 (previously scheduled for October 22, 2025)
• Crop Production – November 14, 2025 (previously scheduled for November 10, 2025)
• Cattle on Feed – November 21, 2025 (as previously scheduled)
• Milk Production – November 21, 2025 (as previously scheduled)
• The World Agricultural Outlook Board will release the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) in conjunction with the Crop Production release on November 14th.

Keystone Policy Center RFP – Due November 15

Keystone Policy Center has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on enhancing agricultural technical assistance (TA) to achieve conservation outcomes and efficiencies. The RFP deadline is November 15, and the anticipated award size is $30,000. The group is looking for a research team to identify the appropriate tools, new technologies, as well as potential opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance TA delivery.  The selected research team will:

• Identify key technology and data challenges that impact TA delivery

• Conduct a landscape analysis of AI applications relevant to conservation TA

• Conduct a landscape analysis of technology and data applications that can streamline delivery

• Engage with Keystone’s working group to refine research questions and share interim findings

• Develop a draft white paper that includes the following: streamlining technical aspects of TA delivery, data access and compatibility, information access for producers, AI tools for producer use, risks/tradeoffs, and potential pilots 

New Administrator Orientation Program Webinar on Oct. 23

On behalf of Dr. Chris Daubert, Chair of the Administrative Heads Section (AHS), we would like to invite you to join an upcoming webinar on the use of social media as a new administrator.  This webinar is part of the 2025 New Administrators Orientation (NAO) program that has a blended format of Zoom meetings and two in-person meetings (the final in-person meeting will be held at the conclusion of the APLU Annual Meeting in Philadelphia PA).  We feel that this topic is both timely and relevant for administrators in today’s social media environment.

Webinar Specifics:

Webinar Title: Effectively Navigating Social Media as a New Administrator

October 23, from 4:00-5:15 pm Eastern.

North American Agricultural Advisory Network

The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) is a North American platform among extension and rural advisory services organizations promoting and supporting innovation, knowledge utilization, and information sharing in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. They share North American best practices and facilitate learning from global expertise.

You are invited to join NAAAN on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 10-11 a.m. MST for the CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT with the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. This conversation will focus on the cross-border efforts of APLU and invite a discussion around new opportunities for collaboration. Featured speakers include Waded Cruzado, President of APLU, and Doug Steele, Vice President of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU.

See more information and register.

New ECOP Chair shares implementation recommendations to agInnovation

Via email last week, Lisa Townson shared some recommendations on the implementation of the Research Facilities Act:

It is vital that stakeholders, particularly but not exclusively farmers and ranchers, achieve the maximum benefit from this historic investment. While every institution is different, for most institutions this will mean balancing research facility investments on campus and off campus. These off-campus facilities are an important part of demonstrating an innovation’s relevance to local conditions, including soil types, weather patterns, and ecosystems. They provide context specific knowledge that can directly lead to the next logical adoption step, on-operation trial. Investment in these off-campus facilities has the added benefit of widening the perceived value to a broader cross section of the state’s or territory’s citizenry.

Further, as we invest in off-campus research facilities, it is important that these investments include state of the art Extension facilities, capable of demonstrating innovations in the most effective possible manner. Any investment in research facilities without a clear vision and plan to ultimately communicate the resulting innovation to producers would be short-sighted.

Finally, the implementation of this program should not be rushed. The process for making such a large federal investment should allow time for states and territories to consult with stakeholders of all varieties, particularly farmers and ranchers, and undertake local planning processes to leverage this investment to the maximum possible benefit. 

On campus discussions are encouraged among Agricultural Experiment Station Directors and Extension Directors and Administrators to maximize the ultimate demonstration benefit of this investment. These same sentiments will be communicated with NIFA with the hopes of giving them priority in the call for proposals, which is expected during the first quarter of calendar year 2026.  

Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program

The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program was authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21) and empowers states to strengthen rural communities across America by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem. Through innovative system-wide change, the RHT Program invests in the rural healthcare delivery ecosystem for future generations.
 
State Departments of Health are often implementing the program, and some are involving their Cooperative Extension Service as a subcontractor. Sources have indicated that the deadline for state submissions is November 5, 2025.

Congratulations Daryl Jones - 2024 Excellence in Extension Award Winner

 

Upcoming NAAAN Webinar

The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) will take an in-depth look at how Canada’s Living Labs bring together farmers, scientists, innovators and leaders to collaboratively tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges. The webinar, CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT on Canada’s Living Labs, will be Thursday, Dec.12 at noon EST.

The Living Labs are leading the way in sustainable farming solutions, focusing on critical issues like soil health, water quality and biodiversity. The webinar will explore this network of more than 1,000 active participants and 200+ innovation activities.

This session will be accessible in English, Spanish and French. Register here.

NIFA Outlines Progress and Sets New Goals on Advancing Climate Change Science in New Report

In May 2022, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outlined an ambitious action agenda for how the agency would address the climate crisis.

More than two years on, a new report outlines the various initiatives NIFA has since undertaken to advance climate-related research, strengthen food supply chains and support communities responding to climate challenges.

Published earlier this month, the NIFA Climate Change Priority Team: Accomplishments and Action Agenda Report highlights the agency’s progress on the 44 unique actions outlined in the NIFA Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan. These concrete, near-term actions, developed through several rounds of staff and external stakeholder input, were identified to reflect a coordinated, collaborative response to the vulnerabilities and impacts caused by a changing climate.

The new report provides descriptions and overviews of NIFA’s accomplishments in the following categories: climate change programming; strategic planning; organizational effectiveness; and stakeholder outreach and engagement. It highlights NIFA’s broad climate change-relevant funding opportunities, exciting projects spearheaded by our partners and stakeholders, actions NIFA has taken to support staff and grantees, and where we plan to go next. Learn more about the report.

2024 NEDA Registration

Last week, members of the Cooperative Extension Section and partners received an invitation to the 2024 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting. The NEDA Meeting is September 17-19, 2024. The meeting is organized by the ECOP and will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville Downtown, located at 501 South Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40202. The theme of this year's meeting is "Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success." Check out the registration website with links to Hotel & Transportation, Information, Fees and Policies, the River Excursion, and FAQs. Take action by August 26 and save on fees!

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education Program Development Team (SNAP-Ed) Report - The Land-Grant University SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) convened in Las Vegas, NV, April 23-25 to meet with federal partners, hear updates from Western Region SNAP-Ed programs, review Farm Bill talking points, update strategic plan implementation, and develop action steps for the upcoming year. Work is conducted through monthly conference calls, subcommittee work, and an annual face-to-face meeting. This year, a particular focus was building and maintaining relationships within the LGU system and with state and federal partners and advocating for LGU SNAP-Ed Programs with legislators and government affairs liaisons. Check out the highly informative  complete report.




WIC National Workforce Strategy Grants - In support of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Workforce National Strategy, USDA NIFA has published two new funding opportunities open now to eligible applicants. 

• The WIC Workforce Development Implementation Projects grant program, funded at approximately $19,365,790, seeks projects that will increase the diversity and cultural competency of the WIC workforce and address barriers to recruitment and retention of WIC staff. Projects will develop outreach plans for engaging with WIC State and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and territories, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutes (MSIs) and/or underserved communities. Applications are due July 1, and there is a technical assistance webinar for applicants tomorrow, June 6, 2024, 3:00 PM ET.
  
  
• A second funding opportunity is available for a WIC Workforce Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center Cooperative Agreement. The amount available is approximately $10 million for a Cooperative Agreement for a center to provide technical assistance and evaluation oversight to implementation projects that are funded to respond to the National Strategy. Applications are due July 1 and there is a technical assistance webinar, for applicants today, June 3, 3:00 PM.

NAAAN Connection Opportunity – National Climate Change Roadmap - The North American Agricultural Advisory Network North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) Connect community receives regular invitations to a series of events called, The Conversation. The next event is June 13, 2024, Noon-1:00 PM ET, when NAAAN will converse with the two scientists behind USDA's 2023 resource entitled National Climate Change Roadmap: a research framework for U.S. agriculture, forestry and working lands. Click here to learn more and to register. The NAAAN promotes engagement among Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. agricultural and rural development advisory services and their counterparts worldwide – three countries, one agricultural partnership.

ECOP Spring Meeting This Week

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is a standing committee created by the Cooperative Extension Section Rules of Operation. The 15-member board represents the 76 state, territorial, and 1890 land-grant universities in policy decisions, and provides nationwide program and organizational leadership. ECOP functions as a board of directors with authority to make decisions consistent with a common mission to strengthen Cooperative Extension at national, state and local levels, in concert with APLU and USDA-NIFA, to initiate strategic planning and identify nationwide issues that lead to program and budget priorities; represents the states, territories, and 1890s in legislative matters before Congress, and develops and maintains linkages and supportive relationships with other national organizations and associations. This week the ECOP board gathers for its Spring Meeting in Oklahoma City. Some of the themes of meeting are the annual launch of priorities selection process, sustainability of National Program Leadership, and collaboration with academia on microcredentialing.

Capacity Funding Whiteboard Videos Unveiled - At the recent Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) spring meeting in Washington, DC, three APLU produced videos were unveiled. These videos endeavor to explain the importance of federal capacity funding to those not familiar with those funds or even the Land-grant University system. They are themed around capacity investments using three example concepts. ECOP's YouTube playlist, Investing in People with Solutions in Food Security, is a great place from which to share and embed the videos. Each video, about one minute long, can quickly educate the untutored about capacity funding.

The AI Revolution: An Inflection Point for Higher Ed - At the 2023 Seattle APLU meeting, there was an interesting session regarding how Artificial Intelligence could affect the work of public universities. As we will have further discussions on this technology as a section, I encourage you to watch the video of this presentation. Tune in at 20:45, as the first AI panel is introduced.




Check Out New Land-grant Impacts Educational Materials - Impact statements from last year are captured with excellence in National Land-grant Impacts Database. Anyone can use the impact statements throughout the year to help tell the stories and accomplishments of land-grant universities’ research, education, and Extension. Join ECOP to congratulate the team of professional land-grant university communicators who recently prepared educational materials with 2024 impact stories and summaries highlighting outstanding examples of LGU impacts.

NAAAN Connect Goes Live - The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) has developed the NAAAN CONNECT platform to assist in growth and engagement. This is a community for extension and rural advisory services experts, practitioners, researchers, and those interested in agriculture across Canada, Mexico, and the United States to engage with one another.

Join NAAAN CONNECT to interact with colleagues and share your extension resources across the continent around themes of biodefense and biosecurity, soil health and water management, and building the next generation of leaders in agriculture. The NAAAN looks forward to hearing your voice and learning more of the work underway for food security in North America.

We are excited to announce a new chapter of engagement, collaboration, and work across our three countries.” – Chancellor Tony Frank, CSU System and Chair of the NAAAN Steering Committee.




$26 Million LAMP Program from USDA-AMS - On February 27th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of approximately $26 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to help local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting applications for the grant program until May 14, 2024. Additionally, AMS has added to the suite of resources available to support communities and practitioners in local and regional food systems development.

Kenya: Extension and Related Activities, March 8 Zoom Meeting

On March 8 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.



NSF Virtual Town Halls - The National Science Foundation (NSF) is hosting a series of events this month as part of its new Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) initiative. CASA-Bio is the latest federal effort to organize activities across agencies related to biotechnology, synthetic biology, and the bioeconomy, and follows from the September 2022 Executive Order and the March 2023 Bold Goals report on the bioeconomy. CASA-Bio aims to provide direction to the federal government (including research funding agencies) on which specific priorities within the broad bioeconomy landscape are most pressing and ripe for cross-sector collaboration. Slides from an informational webinar about CASA-Bio are available here.

CASA-Bio is hosting a series of town halls in February as an opportunity for stakeholders to provide their perspectives on the most important challenges in this space.

There are four virtual town halls scheduled for this month, all of which will have the same agenda and content according to NSF. Registration is on the CASA-Bio home page:

· Monday, February 12 – 7 PM ET
· Thursday, February 15 – 9 AM ET
· Wednesday, February 21 – 12 PM ET
· Thursday, February 22 – 5 PM ET



North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) - The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN…pronounced like the flat bread…nahn) is launching NAAAN CONNECT, an online community for extension and rural advisory services professionals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, this March. Subscribe to the NAAAN Newsletter to stay updated on the launch and be a part of fostering collaboration and innovation in agricultural and rural development. This network represents an opportunity to share your state’s Cooperative Extension resources and research results across our nation, as well as with Canada and Mexico.



Priester Health Awards - Nominations and self-nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Jeanne M. Priester Extension Health Awards. The awards are named for Jeanne Priester, former National Program Leader at ES-USDA involved in the development of such landmark programs such EFNEP and Mulligan Stew. Today, these awards recognize extraordinary programs and professionals that are modeling next generation work in health and well-being. Awards are presented in six different categories. Award recipients will be recognized at the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference in Greenville, SC in May. The nomination deadline is March 20. For more information regarding the nomination process can be found here.

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until February 26. 

 

Representing Cooperative Extension Section on BAA Policy Board of Directors - Last April, ECOP appointed Dr. Quentin R. Tyler, Senior Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement and Director for Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) to represent the Section with the BAA Policy Board of Directors, beginning July 2023. He also has held roles such as the Associate Dean and Director for Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Administration at Michigan State University in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He currently serves on the advisory board for LEAD21 representing Cooperative Extension. He has 3 degrees from the University of Kentucky and a graduate of Harvard’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Opportunities for Internationalizing of Extension - On Friday, August 4, 2023, the ECOP Chair Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, moderated a conversation by the Cooperative Extension Section on Internationalizing Extension. The YouTube recording is available at https://youtu.be/UCyKoB2RPAg on the ECOP Learning for Leaders Playlist. Other relevant links:

• Presentation by the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) 

          Slides by NAAAN Representatives

          Feeding North America through Agricultural Extension 

          GFRAS Annual Meeting one-pager 

• Presentation by Board on Agriculture Assembly International Agriculture Section (IAS) 

           Slides on Globalizing Extension Innovation Network

NEDA Meeting Session on Transforming the Extension Profession - At the 2023 NEDA Meeting (October 10-12) in Tucson, Rob Russell, Senior Program Director of University of Missouri Extension's Business & Communities Program, will lead Tackling Extension's Workforce Challenges. Employers continue to feel the pinch of a historically tight labor market, and Extension programs are no exception. The interactive discussion will highlight some of the reasons why we’re facing such significant challenges in attracting and retaining workers and will discuss ways that Extension systems – and other employers – are working to overcome these challenges. This is just one of the great opportunities awaiting members of the Cooperative Extension Section. Browse the entire schedule and register at neda.extension.org for NEDA by September 18 and save $100 and secure lodging at the NEDA rate. Stay tuned for more details.

Leading Through COVID-19 and the New World of Virtual Extension

Last Friday Cooperative Extension/ECOP Executive Director Rick Klemme, on behalf of ECOP Chair Mark Latimore (Fort Valley State University), invited members of the Cooperative Extension Section to meet via Zoom on Friday, March 27, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. This special Learning for Leaders session is called Leading Through COVID-19 and the New World of Virtual Extension. Five colleagues, one from every region, will share ideas on how to be an effective leader in a world pandemic or similar emergency. Directors and Administrators are encouraged to send questions to be posed during the hour and links to resources to Health Extension Director Roger Rennekamp rogerrennekamp@extension.org. The recorded version of the session will be released in next week's ECOP Monday Minute. Click here to download/save calendar file or contact Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org for connection details.



Cooperative Extension Learning Resources for COVID-19 - A collection of relevant learning resources for supporting institutional response to COVID-19 can be found at virtual.extension.org. Under "Extension Responses to COVID-19", discover outward-facing resources for the general public and internal guidance for Extension professionals developed by contributing institutions. Additionally, resources designed to help Extension professionals adapt to working in remotely is found under “Working Collaboratively in a Virtual World”. To submit resources by region and institution, forward links (no attachments, please) to contact-us@extension.org. Questions or comments regarding Extension System’s COVID-19 response can be directed to Roger Rennekamp rogerrennekamp@extension.org.



System-Wide Announcement: Powerful and FREE to ALL Extension Professionals - All Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to share the following opportunities widely with Cooperative Extension Professionals everywhere and across all areas of Extension programming and on-line learning/communications professionals.

• Connect Extension Hub connect.extension.org, is a new, open and very powerful way to engage system-wide for rapid response and collaboration. Aaron Weibe aaronweibe@extension.org may be contacted with questions/concerns. There is no cost to join to connect on rapid ground-breaking topics like this one:
  
• National Action Dialogue for Community Based Programming (CBP) in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age, March 26 & April 1, 3 - 4:30 PM ET. The purpose of this series is to support Extension colleagues in their rapid response to CBP in the Digital networked COVID-19 issue by delving in, capturing collective wisdom, inspiring innovative thinking, and focusing on new opportunities, partnerships, solutions, tangible actions and collaborations on issues for farms, families, businesses, and communities that will exist long beyond this public health crisis. This is open to ALL Cooperative Extension professionals. Facilitated by Molly Immendorf, eXtension Foundation; joined by a panel of innovative thinkers from around Extension. Register here.    

International Scene Update - The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) is being established as an affiliate of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). GFRAS is an international NGO that provides networking, learning, and information exchange for agricultural extension programs, practitioners, and stakeholders across the world. GFRAS has regional network affiliates covering most countries in the world. NAAAN aspires to link agricultural extension communities of practice (and related stakeholders) in Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. with each other, and through GFRAS, with their counterparts in other countries across the globe. For more information, contact David Nielson dnielson0427@gmail.com, Kerri Wright Platais at Kerri.Wright.Platais@ColoState.edu, or Ashley Stokes Ashley.Stokes@colostate.edu. Click here to learn where NAAAN will be housed in Denver at  Colorado State University System's Northwestern Center.