Extension for All Anniversary

Just as the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 marked the beginning of a globally admired ideal, funding for a higher education for all who aspire, the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 marked the beginning of another: to reach all aspiring learners outside of higher education with the scientific, technological advances for a better life. These advances helped increase American agricultural productivity and community and household well-being dramatically throughout the twentieth century. Today, the struggles for all to be granted public access to learn and prosper through Extension cannot be ignored. As we commemorate the anniversary of Smith-Lever on May 8, let us work together as a system, all land-grant universities and missions, to unite efforts to offer community-based learning opportunities for persons of every generation and culture in the states, territories, localities, and tribal nations. According to the 2021-2022 ECOP Goals, the intended outcome is a cohesive Cooperative Extension System and stronger member programs, inclusive of all.

Free Mobile App Supplies Easy Access to ERS Updates - Extension Directors and Administrators should know that USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) has launched a new Charts of Note Mobile App designed to deliver digital snapshots of research straight to mobile devices. The app mirrors the popular ERS Charts of Note series, which highlights economic research and analysis on agriculture, food, the environment and rural America. Each week, this series highlights charts of interest from current and past ERS research. Access to thousands of high-resolution USDA ERS’s charts, and ways to mark favorites and share on social media, includes links to relevant ERS research and the means to tailor notifications. Field educators may click here, to either sign up to receive the latest charts via email or download the mobile App.

 

 

National Association of Counties Annual Conference - The National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference & Exposition to be held July 21-24, 2022, is the largest meeting of county elected and appointed officials from across the country. Participants from counties of all sizes come together to shape NACo's federal policy agenda, share proven practices and strengthen knowledge networks to help improve residents’ lives and the efficiency of county government. Find registration and other important information here.

 


Placemaking in Small and Rural Communities Conference - In partnership with USDA Rural Development, University of Kentucky is hosting the 2022 Rural Placemaking Online Conference May 23-24, 2022. Who is the audience? Extension specialists, agents, non-profits, and local communities. Placemaking is a collaborative process among public, private, philanthropic and community partners to strategically improve the social, cultural, and economic structure of a community. The 2022 Rural Placemaking Conference aims to showcase effective placemaking strategies for rural areas, introduce attendees to placemaking resources and tools, and connect them to placemaking experts and potential funders. Sessions will highlight Initiating Place, Public Spaces & Gathering Places, Community Cultural Planning & Assessments, and Cross-Sector Engagement. Register here.

Communications and Marketing Committee Proposal Vote is Coming

The voting members of the Cooperative Extension Section can expect to receive a letter this week from the ECOP Executive Committee asking for a vote to support the Communications and Marketing Committee's proposal to hire personnel that will be employed by APLU and headquartered in the Office of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources within the Board on Agriculture Assembly. The personnel will be responsible for implementing the Strategic Communications Roadmap that is in final stages of development by Forbes Tate Partners. Background and FAQ's will accompany the message.

Celebrating Excellence Events Registration - Register at the links provided.

OCT 28, 2020,  3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Eastern Time
A Community of Scholars Celebrating Excellence: Cooperative Extension and Research Awards Presentation and Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lecture

NOV 3, 2020, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time
2020 BoHS Celebrating Excellence in the Human Sciences

Summit on Mental Health and Well-Being Resources Available - In this unprecedented time, we are witnessing mental health challenges playing out across our nation, impacting all communities and creating stress and hardship across all sectors of society. Making available science-based mental health resources to our communities and institutions has never been more important. On October 1, 2020, the APLU Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR) hosted a National Resource Summit on Mental Health and Well-Being for all CFERR Boards/Councils/Sections/Committees and their members. Each of the CFERR Boards-Board on Human Sciences; Board on Agriculture Assembly; Board on Veterinary Medicine; Board on Oceans, Atmosphere and Climate; and Board on Natural Resources were provided time during the Summit to share an overview of the current mental health challenges they are seeing in their particular sector, examples, and relevant resources and programs. Resources from the Summit are available here.

Military Family Readiness Academy Disaster and Hazard Session - Session 2 of the 2020 Military Family Readiness Academy, Impacts and Responses in Disaster and Hazard Readiness, will be held Wednesday, October 28 from 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. ET. The session looks in-depth at disaster and hazard impacts and responses. Dr. Angie Lindsey, University of Florida/IFAS, discusses social and emotional, family and community, agricultural and environment, and housing and food security impacts. She addresses response phases, factors impacting community recovery, and what professionals and families can do now for better outcomes using a whole community response and recovery approach. The session will also feature a case study by Commander Brendan T. Byrne, Deputy Force Surgeon, USMC Central Command, MacDill AFB. Dr. Byrne is an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine of the University of Michigan Medical School. The 90-minute session is free and several continuing education credits are also available. To register and get more information go to: https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/event/mfra2020/

NACo Virtual Federal Policy Summit Announced October 21-22, 2020 - NACo’s Virtual Federal Policy Summit will connect county officials, members of Congress, federal agency partners, and other key decision makers and thought leaders. Please join us for this two-day summit featuring informative speakers with practical advice on a range of policy issues and updates on the federal policy landscape – broadband, healthcare, infrastructure, COVID-19 relief, public lands, disaster assistance and more. With ongoing challenges related to in-person meetings, NACo’s Virtual Federal Policy Summit is a prime opportunity to connect, learn and share practical information and resources to help strengthen your county. Register here.

Welcome New ECOP Members

New ECOP Members, L-R - Debby Sheely, University of Rhode Island; John Lawrence,
Iowa State University; Nick Place, University of Florida

ECOP Chair Mark Latimore, Jr., Fort Valley State University, welcomes the newest members of ECOP. Deborah "Debby" Sheely, Associate Associate Director, Cooperative Extension, University of Rhode Island, was appointed by the Northeast Region Directors, John Lawrence, Vice President of Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University, by the North Central Region Directors, and Nick Place, Dean, Extension Director, University of Florida, by the Southern Region Directors. One term of office is four years. Click here to view/download the 2020 lists of Cooperative Extension/ECOP National leadership. Contact Assistant Director Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org to provide updates.

National Impacts Database (NIDB) Opportunity - Steve Loring, Communications and Marketing Committee Chair, New Mexico State University, recently requested that impact statements be submitted by December 11, 2019, to the National Impacts Database https://landgrantimpacts.org. This database is a repository of the Extension and Research impacts that Land-Grant Universities associated with the Board on Agriculture Assembly. The database is used by NIFA and advocating stakeholders of the Land-Grant system to make the case for the value of and increased investment in capacity and competitive funding for institutions and colleagues across the country. Direct technical questions to Impact Team expert, Scott Cummings, Texas A&M University. Direct all other questions regarding the Communications and Marketing Committee to Extension Director colleague and Impact Team Co-chair Karla Trautman, South Dakota State University.

L-R: Class of 2022 - Jorge Atiles, Associate Dean, Extension and Engagement, Oklahoma State University
Class of 2021 - Shelly Nickols-Richardson, Associate Dean and Director of Extension, University of Illinois;
Ashley Stokes, Associate Vice President for Engagement and Extension, Colorado State University, and
Marshall Stewart, Vice Chancellor for Extension and Engagement, University of Missouri.

Cooperative Extension Leadership on APLU Commission - Earlier this month, Sheila Martin, Vice President for Economic Development and Community Engagement, APLU, proudly announced the latest update to the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) Executive Committee; broadly representative of the chief economic and community engagement leaders across the diverse perspectives and missions of APLU member institutions. Shelia says, “We are confident that this Executive Committee will help APLU to demonstrate and elevate the importance of university efforts to strengthening our communities. We look forward to working with these talented leaders .” ECOP congratulates colleagues Jorge Atiles, Shelly Nickols-Richardson, Ashley Stokes, and Marshall Stewart and thanks them for communicating the Cooperative Extension, land-grant perspective to CECE!

NACo County News Available On Line - The National Association of Counties represents 3,069 county governments across the country. These county governments provide essential services for our nation’s residents, often including funding for our boots on the ground colleagues. County governments frequently partner on developing educational programs to address issues important to county clientele. One way to keep up with what the national organization (NACo) is doing to is to follow the bi-weekly publication, County News, available on line at https://www.naco.org/news.

Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders: Collaboration With NRCS

ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd (L) and 1890s Region Executive Administrator,
Albert Essel (R) presenting during CES/ESS/USDA-NRCS Meeting, Ft. Collins, 8/15/18.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Land-grant University Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station Sections have worked collaboratively for decades on issues important to natural resource conservation, profitability of agricultural and natural resource enterprises and quality of life. Leaders from these three organizations from across the country met in Fort Collins, Colorado on August 14-15 to discuss potential strategies for how future collaboration can be even stronger. Meeting participants identified natural resource issues and functional and organizational initiatives to improve local, state and national partnerships across these three organizations. To learn more, go to the message to the Cooperative Extension Section dated 8/28/18. SAVE THE DATE: A special edition of Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders is scheduled for 3-4:00 p.m ET on Friday, September 14 for Directors and Administrators to have a conversation with NRCS. Connection details will be included in the invitation to attend.


Calls to Action In Review - Directors and Administrators are encouraged to view to the recorded conversation from last Friday, September 7 when Members of the Section conversed with ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd, ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee Chair Jon Boren, CES Representative to Committee on Legislation and Policy, and Cornerstone Government Affairs' Hunt Shipman about how to make calls to action more effective. Please send questions and requests for more information to ecopblog@gmail.com.
     Recording: https://youtu.be/1u84ViHZO-s
     Important links to remember: www.agisamerica.org and www.land-grant.org
     PowerPoint: Calls to Action
     Survey Summary: Results


NEDA Registration Fee Increase - TODAY is the last day to register at the rate of $350 to attend the 2018 NEDA and Cooperative Extension Section Business Meeting, October 1-3. Also, the Embassy Suite Hotel Room Block, $224/night, expires today, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Go to http://www.cvent.com/d/0gqxkw for more information.

2018 EDEN Annual Conference - EDEN's Annual Meeting is taking place October 16th-19th in College Station, Texas. This meeting will celebrate the 24th anniversary of EDEN, a collaborative multistate effort by extension services across the country to improve the delivery of services to citizens affected by disasters. EDEN Annual Meeting Committee and local Texas hosts are preparing to make this meeting the most impactful meeting yet. The meeting is an opportunity for collaboration by providing a forum where important issues and big ideas can be discussed. Breakout sessions, panel discussions and keynote speakers will provide a glimpse into disaster programming throughout Extension. See https://eden.lsu.edu/educate/resources/2018-annual-meeting-college-station-texas/?tab=menu-registration for registration. Hotel information is included in the registration link. 

L-R: Co-facilitators Cathy Howard, Virginia Commonwealth University's Vice Provost,
Eric Barron, Penn State's President, and with panelists Jeff Alexander, RTI International,
Debbie Hughes, Business-Higher Education Forum, and Doug Steele incoming APLU
VP of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU, September 5, 2018

Cooperative Extension Involved in the CEO-CICEP Policy Briefing - The APLU CEO-CICEP (Council on Engagement and Outreach/Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity) Public Policy Working Group, including Stephan Goetz from the Northeast Regional Rural Development Center, has prepared a set of federal- and university-level policy imperatives in Advancing University-engaged Economic and Societal Prosperity. The imperatives address five key national priorities in advancing economic and social prosperity: 1. Build a thriving rural America. 2. Meet the demands for 21st century talent through workforce development. 3. Secure American leadership in advanced manufacturing. 4. Stimulate and accelerate university-based innovation and entrepreneurship. 5. Foster equitable, inclusive economic opportunity and mobility. On September 5, Doug Steele, incoming APLU Vice President for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources served as one of three thought leaders on the discussion panel. Directors and Administrators are encouraged to send comment/questions about this paper to Executive Director Rick Klemme rickklemme@extension.org, who will keep the Section informed in follow-up efforts.


NACo’s Creative Counties Placemaking Initiative - The National Association of Counties (NACo) and Americans for the Arts are collaborating on a multi-year project funded by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support counties as they work to identify and strengthen ways to integrate arts into solutions to local challenges. This project delivers a mix of in-person workshops, conference calls, webinars, and a monthly Creative Counties newsletter. Learn more about this project and sign-up for the free newsletter at www.naco.org/creativecounties. resources at: www.nado.org/readytodiversify. Questions or ideas? Contact Jenna Moran, NACo Program Manager for Resilience, at jmoran@naco.org.

Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup Update—New Information on Extension Opioid Programming Available

The Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup has completed its goal of providing information about Extension substance abuse programming that can be quickly shared across state lines to help address the opioid crisis. The new Opioid Response website provides content on eight existing opioid-related programs. The following summary information is available for each of the programs: 1) brief description; 2) format, duration, and approach, 3) target audience; 4) degree to which the program is research-based/evidence-based; and 5) costs of adoption and use. Contact information, links to key resources and webinar recordings offer more detailed descriptions of the programs. ECOP and Workgroup members believe these resources are useful to those seeking opportunities to address the opioid crisis in their states. Over time, new content will be added. Directors and Administrators may access details on this initiative and others in the "Learning and Initiatives" section of this blog - see menu, right found on the full view of this blog.

LGU SNAP-Ed Marketing Brochure Published - A newly developed tri-fold brochure is available featuring results of the most recent Land-grant University (LGU) SNAP-Ed report designed to share the collective successes of the nationwide system in limited-resource nutrition education. The LGU SNAP-Ed Program Development Team created the handout highlighting the impacts of LGU SNAP-Ed outreach. The one-page legal-size trifold document lists quick facts about the program, behavior and health outcomes, and how partnerships and collaboration enhance the work. Copies have been sent to each of the LGU coordinators. The document can be viewed and printed on the Community Nutrition Education community of practice on eXtension.org at http://articles.extension.org/pages/74699/snap-ed-brochure. Additional printed copies are available by contacting Sandra Jensen at Sandra.jensen@sdstate.edu.

Breakthroughs 2030 Report to be Released on July 18 - The National Academies of Science-Engineering-Medicine (NASEM) are pleased to announce that Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 (Breakthroughs 2030) - a study to identify the greatest research opportunities in food and agricultural science for the next 10 years - will be released on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. This unprecedented report communicates a compelling vision and rationale for additional investment in Food and Ag research for Congress and other research funders to consider. In June 2017 ECOP and ESCOP each provided support funding for the study due to the broad definition of Ag research and the element of applied science (Extension). An in-depth, live public webinar with members of the report’s authoring committee will be hosted by NASEM on July 18, 1-2:00 PM EDT. For a list of presenters, other details, and to register, Click Here.

Supporting Economic Diversification in Coal-Reliant Communities - The National Association of Counties (NACo) and the NADO Research Foundation (NADO RF) are collaborating on a multi-year project funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Denver Regional Office to support economic resilience and diversification in coal-reliant communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. This project delivers a mix of in-person workshops, conference calls, webinars, and a bi-weekly newsletter, “Growing Stronger Economies in Our Nation’s Coal Communities.” Learn more about this project at www.diversifyeconomies.org. Sign-up for the free newsletter (relevant for coal communities across the country) that has news, funding information, and other resources at: www.nado.org/readytodiversify. Questions or ideas? Contact NADO RF Associate Director Brett Schwartz at bschwartz@nado.org.

Webinar Addresses Farmers and Ranchers Health-related Risks

Health, access to care, and health insurance, affect the vitality of agricultural enterprises and farm and ranch families, according to results from a national research project funded by the USDA. A free webinar taking place on October 10, 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET is designed for Extension, tax, loan, health and other agricultural advisors. Connecting Health Insurance & Ag Viability will provide an overview of the research findings to help farmers and ranchers make informed decisions for their businesses and households. The webinar will be hosted by Scott Loveridge (North Central Regional Center for Rural Development). Shoshanah Inwood (The Ohio State University), Bonnie Braun (University of Maryland Extension), Maria Pippidis (University of Delaware), and Bob Parsons and Jake Jacobs (University of Vermont Extension) will also present. Webinar participants will understand the intersection of health and agricultural business viability, grounded in 2016-2017 national research finding; receive tools they can use in their work farmers, including worksheets, videos and other informational resources, and questions to ask farmers and ranchers to help incorporate health costs into farm enterprise and risk management planning.


Apply Now For the Creative Counties Placemaking Challenge! - National Association of Counties (NACo) – in partnership with Americans for the Arts and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts – has launched the Creative Counties Placemaking Challenge to train local leaders from rural and mid-sized counties on how to advance arts-based economic and community development to address local challenges. NACo invites counties with populations of less than 250,000 to form multidisciplinary teams to apply. Recognizing the intimate working relationships extension networks have with rural counties, NACo welcomes applications that feature county extension agents as team members. Selected teams will attend a training and peer exchange workshop on March 28-30, 2018. Deadline: Friday, October 13, 2017. Questions? Contact Jenna Moran at jmoran@naco.org; 202-942-4224. Twitter announcement: https://twitter.com/NACoTweets/status/907264996555542529.


Fostering Positive Youth Development - Positive youth development is an intentional approach to promote positive outcomes for young people through family and community youth engagement for the benefit of society. Positive youth development focuses on building relationships while delivering learning content, ultimately giving youth the skillsets they need to navigate socially: respect, teamwork, and self-care. NIFA prioritizes positive youth development programming to ensure the future employability of America’s children and support our nation’s economy. See https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Fostering-Positive-Youth-Development.pdf for more on this informative infographic.

ECOP Monday Minute 7.22.13

Extension Centennial on Social Media – The ECOP Extension Centennial Committee has started social media sites to promote the centennial and celebrate the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. Please promote and use these sites as a vehicle for the centennial celebration. On Facebook, we are promoting centennial activities, nationally and in the states, go to: https://www.facebook.com/Extension100Years. Twitter will push out links and stories related to our initiative and spur discussions, go to: https://twitter.com/ext100years. Pinterest will provide a sharing board for pinning images and links of Extension’s past and present, as we move into the next 100 years, go to: http://pinterest.com/ext100years/pins/.

Integrated Programs Showcased at Joint COPs –  Research Extension and Teaching: Innovative Mission Collaboration and Integration is the theme of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Joint COPs meeting in Manhattan, KS, this week. About 85 key leaders from Cooperative Extension, experiment stations, academic programs, international programs, and deans of agriculture meet to discuss national leadership issues. Director Sonny Ramaswamy will speak about how USDA-NIFA views program integration. Also included will be a session on the new USDA-NIFA strategic plan under development. ECOP, represented by Chair-elect Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, led the planning for this year’s meeting and moderates the joint session.

Benning to Retire  – Linda Kay Benning, Executive Director, Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) has announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2013. As part of the national Extension Director and Administrator Team since 2010, Benning has provided significant leadership to the work of the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, Measuring Excellence in Extension Implementation Team, ECOP Marketing and Communication Brand Value Implementation Team, and the PILD Conference Planning Team, among other ECOP priorities. Before assuming the position in the northeast region, she served as Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement at APLU beginning in August 1994.

JOE 50th Celebration at Galaxy – Extension directors and administrators are invited to a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Extension from 4-6 p.m., Monday, September 16, 2013 at the David Lawrence Convention Center, Hall A, during the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh. RSVP by September 4, 2013 to Alice Moore, ammoore@udel.edu. ECOP member Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, is the ECOP liaison to the JOE Board of Directors. For more information about Galaxy, go to www.jcep.org.

Opportunity with Climate Change – ECOP is coordinating with the USDA Climate Change Program Office to encourage Cooperative Extension’s involvement with regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change. USDA hosted a webinar last week outlining the RFA process (open to USDA agencies only) for identifying the regional hubs, with the goals of providing technical support, assessments and forecasts, and outreach and education. USDA is interested in identifying Cooperative Extension’s role with the issue of climate change with a focus on being part of the regional hubs. Go to http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/regional_hubs.htm for a fact sheet, the webinar PPT presentation, and the draft Terms of Reference for the hubs. Cooperative Extension is encouraged to contact representatives at state and local levels to be included as a partner in the application process. The application deadline is August 21, 2013. The hub locations are expected to be named by USDA in October 2013.

View Counties Count Webinar –  Click here to view the recorded webinar presented by the National Association of Counties (NACo) called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar featured a state and local example from Wisconsin by Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair.

ECOP Monday Minute 6.24.13

ECOP Monday Minute will return on July 15, 2013. Happy Independence Day!

SAVE THE DATES Extension Centennial – Extension Centennial Task Force co-chairs Bill Woodrum, West Virginia State University, and Frankie Gould, Louisiana State University AgCenter, ask you to hold dates in March, April and May next year as outlined here. The celebration will launch as part of the Galaxy IV Conference, September 16-20, 2013 in Pittsburgh, PA. Watch www.extension100years.net for updates.

More on NACo Webinar 6.26.13 – There is still time to register for the webinar sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The topic is Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar will feature a state and local example from Wisconsin. Featured speakers are Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair. To register, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/689139986. Following registration, the connection information will be provided.

21st Century Extension Professional Project – Click here to view the webinar Chuck Hibberd, Dean and Director of Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, presented last week. In addition to reviewing findings from this ECOP-sponsored study on the skills and attributes of Extension professionals of today and the future, the session focused on appropriate applications for Cooperative Extension at state and local levels. The webinar content expands on the presentation at NEDA 2013.

eXtension Virtual Conference 6.27.13 – Dave Gray, author of Game Storming and The Connected Company, will speak in a virtual conference on Thursday, June 27 at 1 p.m. ET.  Gray is one keynote speaker for the NEDA/NeXC2014 Joint Meeting in March 2014.  Join the conversation!  Go to https://learn.extension.org/events/1096 for details and to join the Google+ Hangout On Air.  This virtual conference is sponsored by eXtension and the Network Literacy Community of Practice.

World Agriculture Prize – July 31, 2013 is the deadline for the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research (GCHERA) World Agriculture Prize nominations. For details, see http://www.gchera-wap.org.

ECOP Monday Minute 6.17.13

Join NACo Webinar 6.26.13 – The National Association of Counties (NACo) invites all Extension professionals to join a webinar called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Eastern Time. ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz will provide an overview of contemporary Cooperative Extension followed by a state and local perspective using Wisconsin as a model. To register for the webinar, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/689139986. Following registration, the connection information will be provided.

Congratulations, ECOP Chair! – Epsilon Sigma Phi has announced that ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz will give the prestigious Epsilon Sigma Phi Ruby Lecture for distinguished service http://espnational.org/news-job-announcements/current-news/611-2013-recognition-recipients.html on Wednesday, 9.18.13 at the Galaxy Conference in Pittsburgh.

Global Extension  – The Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) invites you to view its webinar Global Extension: Is it Right for You?.

Climate Change – See http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=climate-change for USDA’s recent announcement of efforts to address climate change through mitigation and adaptation.

Rural Broadband – During Doug Steele’s tenure as ECOP chair in 2012, discussions occurred with the USDA Rural Utilities Service related to Cooperative Extension’s role in helping communities understand the importance of broadband investments; showing businesses how to use the internet for e-commerce, and engaging city and county governments in the use of the internet for delivery of government services, health care, and non-formal education of citizens. See http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahomecontentidonly=true&contentid=2013/06/0120.xml for USDA’s recent announcement of funding for broadband in remote areas.