ERS Releases Publication on Cooperative Extension

In mid-September, the Economic Research Service released a study titled "Cooperative Extension in Transition: Trends Through 2024.” The study discusses funding, personnel, and allocation of resources across program areas. The ECOP National Office consulted with the authors in 2024.

 

Innovation Proposals Being Accepted for Ag Outlook Forum

Innovation proposals for USDA-funded projects are now being accepted for the 2027 Agricultural Outlook Forum’s Science Innovation Exhibits, taking place Feb. 18–19 in Arlington, VA. Applicants must submit a one‑page proposal by Oct. 9 describing their innovation, its alignment with USDA priorities, its USDA funding support, and its current and projected impact. Send proposals to Dr. Rich Derksen (rich.derksen@usda.gov) and include the subject line 2027 AOF Science Innovation Proposal.

 

ECOP National Office on Capitol Hill

As a part of the Annual NCFAR Fly-In, Bill Hoffman met with staff from three Congressional offices:

• Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL)
• Rep. April McClain-Delaney (D-MD)
• Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA)

These were three of 39 visits conducted by NCFAR members. APLU was one of five event sponsors.

 

Save the Date for the 2027 National Extension Director and Administrator Annual Meeting

The 2027 NEDA meeting will take place the week of September 13 in Charlotte, NC. The planning committee meets for the first time today!

Advocacy Summit Nominations Due 9/15

Doug Steele, APLU's VP of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, is collecting nominations for a National Advocacy Leadership Summit in DC on November 1-3. Eligible candidates include leaders at various levels from these colleges and universities with interest in knowing more about Board on Agricultural Assembly (BAA) advocacy structure and priority setting. Because the BAA operates under these rules, and the Cooperative Extension Section operates under these rules, the duly-elected members of ECOP and ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee and/or those who aspire to be duly-elected by their regions, are encouraged to nominate themselves and/or nominated using this form by September 15. Registration of $200 is required for those who are selected to attend. Steele's criteria for selecting up to 100 leaders is based on the size and type of institution, geographic representation, engagement of all BAA sections, and diversity. 

Early NEDA in 2024? - ECOP present and future leadership has examined several potential dates for the 2024 National Extension Directors and Administrators Annual Meeting. Conflicts in October of that fall could necessitate holding NEDA in September. Specifically, the dates currently being examined are September 16-19, 2024. Locations in the middle of the country currently dominate the discussion. Please contact Bill Hoffman (whoffman@aplu.org) if these dates present insurmountable difficulties. 

By the way, registration fee for 2023 NEDA in Tucson, October 10-12, 2023, increases next Tuesday and hotel rooms are filling up fast. Visit neda.extension.org today for more information and check room availability before booking a flight. Negotiations for overflow hotel within walkable distance are being investigated. There are no guarantees for hotel room rate of $209/night or availability after September 18. 

Farm Safety Education Feedback Opportunity - USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a webinar to bring together formal and non-formal educators, non-profit partners, and government agencies to explore how NIFA-funded programs are supporting farm safety and farm safety education. The webinar on September 18, 2023, 1- 2:00 p.m. ET, will include a panel of project directors from the Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities (AgrAbility) and the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program. The panel will explore how communities are promoting safety in agriculture by developing agricultural educators; providing technical assistance to farm workers and farmers; and training the next generation of agriculturalists to prevent injuries and fatalities on the farm. Registration here is required to attend. To learn more, contact Courtenay Simmons at Courtenay.Simmons@usda.gov.

NCFAR Lunch-n-Learn: Genome to Phenome – Driving the Future of Innovation for Crop and Livestock Communities is a virtual lunch-n-learn presentation designed to educate Congressional staff on increasing global population and multiple environmental stressors on agricultural production will take place on Thursday, September 28, at 1302 Longworth House Office Building. The goal of the in-person session is to provide a more thorough understanding of how genotype and environment influence phenotype for the complex traits of crops and livestock that are of economic importance to agriculture. The Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) and similar work conducts research that is ultimately translated by Cooperative Extension to foster adoption. Please share more information and the opportunity to register, with relevant parties. ECOP is an official sponsor of the event.

Meet the ECOP Chair-Elect

ECOP’s Chair-elect, Damona Doye (pictured left), is Associate Vice President of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and a Regents Professor in Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University (OSU). An OSU faculty member since June 1986, Dr. Doye served as an Extension farm management specialist for 32 years and held the Rainbolt Chair of Agricultural Finance in the Department of Agricultural Economics. She is a Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, the highest honor given by the organization in recognition of lifetime achievement. Before her AVP appointment, she received the 2017 Southern Region Excellence in Extension Award from USDA-NIFA and ECOP. The Southern Region Extension Directors appointed her to ECOP in the fall of 2021, and she has served until now on the Program Committee by taking leadership of the Broadband Program Action Team. Until taking the Chair's gavel in October 2023, Dr. Doye will serve as a voting member of the Executive Committee and as ECOP Liaison to ESCOP.




Welcome New ECOP Members

· Northeast Region – Roy Beckford, University of Vermont

Fitzroy B “Roy” Beckford spent over a decade with the University of Florida Extension as a County Extension director, managing work in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, horticultural sciences, marine and aquatic environments, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, food systems, small farms initiatives, and environmental sustainability. During his tenure as the state Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) program leader at North Carolina A&T State University's College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, he provided administrative, financial, marketing and communications leadership. Dr. Beckford began as associate dean and director of University of Vermont Extension on May 1, 2021, and brings a global perspective. He has worked in agricultural consulting around the world, including service with the government of the British Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, as well as in Qatar and Belize. His national role is that of Executive Committee of ECOP. 

· Western Region - Jon C. Boren, New Mexico State University

Dr. Boren, Associate Dean & Director of NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, returns to ECOP voting membership. He is highly familiar with the National scene as he has represented the System in various capacities since 2012. His extraordinary commitment to the System includes, ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee Chair and Vice-chair, Co-chair of the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee, Extension International Workgroup, Section Representative to the BAA/PBD Budget and Advocacy Committee, and ECOP Program Committee. In addition, Jon represents the Cooperative Extension System on the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. 

USDA Regional Food Business Centers RFA - National Extension Webinar - Attention Extension Directors and Administrators (1994, 1890, 1862) and more importantly the extension practitioners from interested land-grant institutions! A national webinar for the Cooperative Extension System about funding for USDA Regional Food Business Centers will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. The hour is intended to provide information on the AMS Regional Food Business Center RFA, share available resources, and answer questions that are most relevant to the Cooperative Extension System.
Here is the link to register: https://pages.extension.org/regional-food 

Educating Capitol Hill Staff on Adapting to Climate Change - Please share the following opportunity with congressional contacts: Join the National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) and Resources for the Future for a webinar featuring Margaret Walls, Ph.D, Senior Fellow with Resources for the Future on Adapting to Climate Change: Wildfire, Outdoor Recreation, and Rural Communities in the American West. Registration is required here to receive connection details for Tuesday, October 18, 2022, 11:00 AM ET.

2023 National 4-H Conference

Save-the-Date - USDA NIFA announced dates for 2023 National 4-H Conference, to be held April 14-19, 2023 in-person at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia and online. More specific details will be announced this fall. Read more details and know who to contact here. 

Source: NIFA's Division of Youth and 4-H

NCFAR Latte-N-Learn Features USDA Under Secretary 9/15 -  NCFAR's next informative webinar is this week, September 15, 2022 at 10AM ET. USDA Under Secretary Chavonda Jacobs-Young presents how USDA's research community is working to advance climate-smart agriculture and nutrition security. Also, receive an update on the latest priorities from the leadership at ARS, ERS, NIFA, and NASS. The goal of these signature events is to educate and empower staff on Capitol Hill and policy stakeholders about the value of public investment in food and agricultural research. Registration here is required to attend this event. Please help spread the word through land-grant university government affairs networks. Thank you.

USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture - According to its MOU with NASS, the Cooperative Extension Section helps spread the word to farmers and ranchers about the importance of being represented in these widely used and influential data. NASS's 2022 Census of Agriculture national press release is ready to share (also available in Spanish). Additionally, leaders and communicators may follow @usda_nass on Twitter and USDA’s Facebook page to share ag census content, including a video from NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer, infographics, kids’ ag census activity pages, blog, and more. NASS’s Partner Tools site has resources that will keep outreach momentum going through this fall and winter. There, find ads for  newsletters and social media, banners for  web pages and email signatures, videos, brochures and flyers for use at events, FAQs, and talking points. Check the page periodically for new and updated materials.

Search Begins for National Office Executive

The ECOP Monday Minute is on hiatus until September 12, 2022. Have a safe Labor Day!

Search Begins for National Office Executive - Under the leadership of its Chair and Chair-elect, ECOP, the 15-member Governing Board of the Cooperative Extension System, is seeking to hire a highly skilled Executive Director to serve and guide its mission "to strengthen Cooperative Extension at national, state and local levels." Successful candidates will have extensive experience with the System, be an exceptional leader and communicator, and possess the ability to develop partnerships and relationships across a variety of constituencies, including the federal enterprise. A select 7-member search team consists of 5 Extension Section members from each of its Regions, 1 person representing the EDA Team, and 1 person to liaise with the hiring authority that is the APLU. ECOP's commission of the team includes recruiting candidates, screening applications, conducting interviews, gathering input from across the System and Extension's Strategic Partners, advising the Board, and influencing the process to hire. Please share this announcement widely. Priority will be given to applications received by September 15, 2022. Thank you.

Joint ESS/CES-NEDA Meeting Only 4 Weeks Away - The annual National Extension Directors and Administrators gathering will occur jointly with the Experimental Station Directors in Baltimore September 25-28. So far, 55 members of the Cooperative Extension Section (76) have responded to their invitation. The extended deadline to reserve a room at the Marriott Waterfront is September 4. The absolute deadline to register is September 18. Links to vital meeting information is found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/392702001257. 

Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan - On September 7, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET USDA NIFA will hold an informational webinar about the recently published NIFA Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which represents the agency’s coordinated, collaborative response to the vulnerabilities and impacts caused by our changing climate. This one-hour webinar will provide an overview of the plan’s contents, and time will be reserved for audience questions. Registration for the webinar if found here.




ECOP/ACOP at 2022 JointCOPs - At the 2022 JointCOPs meeting in July in Washington, DC, ECOP met with leaders from the APLU's Board on Agriculture Assembly Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP), the executive committee of the Academic Programs Section. The lively discussion addressed the questions: How can Extension and youth programs help with student recruitment, and how can ACOP help with Extension workforce development? Many resources and efforts were shared during the session, including partnerships between the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska and Nebraska Extension. Check out the following resources:
· Rural Prosperity Nebraska Fellowship Program
· Early College and Career Pathways (Examples)
· Digital Badges
· Master of Applied Science (online)



Next NCFAR's Lunch-N-Learn Series Features Advances in Food Science and Technology- For more than 40 years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have provided science-based guidance for healthy eating, yet the quality of American diets has shown limited improvement. Please make congressional contacts aware of the National Coalition on Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) webinar on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, 11:00 AM ET, Helping Americans Meet the Dietary Guidelines - Advances and Opportunities in Food Science and Technology, featuring Dr. Noel Anderson, Mosaic Food Advisors LLC. NCFAR’s "Lunch-N-Learn" series features experts from across the country sharing expertise on a wide range of topics. These events educate and empower staff on Capitol Hill and policy stakeholders about the value of public investment in food and agricultural research and Extension. Pre-registration here is required.

EXCITE Newsletter - The EXCITE Newsletter is a weekly communication to provide an inclusive and concise update on important happenings related to Immunization Education. Included in the newsletter is information on workshops, resources, requests, and updates. Check out the newsletter and the means to subscribe here.

Verizon Renews Support of 1890 4-H Programs

Verizon has committed an additional $5M to National 4-H Council for continued support of the 4-H Tech Changemakers program increasing the total commitment to $12.5M since 2020, with $10M focused on 1890s. Rose Stuckey Kirk – Verizon’s Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer (pictured on the right)– attended the AEA 2022 System-Wide Extension Conference, where Florida A&M University 4-H’er Stephen Hayes (pictured on the left) presented her the 4-H Opportunity For All Visionary Award. Read more about Verizon’s commitment to bridging the digital divide here.

Evaluating End-use Potential for Process Food Wastes - The next National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) Virtual Lunch-N-Learn to help educate Congress on the Hill is about process food waste generated by large-scale food producers. The waste is generally comprised of inedible portions of organic matter like fruit and vegetable trimmings, skins and peels, and brewing and wine waste. Diversion of these wastes from the landfill to higher value products can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and give additional value to a once discarded source. Process food waste is rich in carbon and often contain various nutraceuticals or bioactive compounds that can be recovered. Alternatively, the process food waste can be upgraded to methane via anaerobic digestion. The Extension System may encourage policy makers and their staffers to register here for the event scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 11:00 AM ET. 

USDA Household Food Security Survey Webinar - NIFA will host a webinar, The Development of New Measures to Complement the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, on August 30, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET on the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). The intended audience are NIFA stakeholders including academics, practitioners, and decision makers working to prioritize nutrition security. And any organization that seeks to help their clients get access to healthful food and/or eat in a healthier way, including hospitals and non-profits concerned with public nutrition. Dr. Eric Calloway will explain that, while the definition of food security is holistic and nuanced, measurement has not traditionally been operationalized more fully. The Household Food Security Survey Module is the primary tool used to assess food security in the United States. For more details, click here. 

NIFA Conducts Live FAQ Session: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems - Small businesses, land-grant institutions, state controlled institutions of higher learning, and NGO's are eligible to apply for the AFRI-funded Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems (A1712) program area priority. Those with interest are invited to attend a live FAQ event September 14, 2022, at 3 p.m. ET, to learn more about the program area priority and meet the NIFA team. The A1712 is designed to rapidly identify and implement strategies to protect the nation’s food and agricultural supply chains and the people who support them during and after extreme weather events. 

RRDCs Connect with ECOP Priorities

The Regional Rural Development Centers have been working to assemble ways of demonstrating support for the ECOP Priorities and to continue to lift up the interests of the land-grants in mutually supporting these great efforts. Check out two publications, Regional Rural Development Centers Leadership Contributions, and Alignment with the ECOP Advocacy Topics for more information.

NCFAR Virtual Lunch-N-Learn Recording Now Available - The 2022 NCFAR Lunch-N-Learn series kicked off with a dynamic presentation by Dr. Jourdan Bell (Texas A&M University) on the impact of climate change on agricultural production and rural communities in the Texas High Plains. ECOP, Eversole Associates, and SoAR Foundation were series sponsors. Click here to watch a recording of the session.

National Extension Conference on Volunteerism Planning Committee Host Site Request - The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism Planning Committee is pleased to open the host site bid RFP for the 2023 AND 2025 conferences. Please review this document if a land-grant institution is interested. There is no requirement or restriction for one state to host both conferences, but a separate bid for each year is required. 2023 proposals are due by August 12, 2022. 2025 proposals are due by October 29, 2022.

FALCON 2022 Conference Registration Now Open - The First Americans Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its 18^th Annual Conference, scheduled for October 21-24, 2022. This will be an IN-PERSON conference at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. As always, the conference will include sessions in 1994 land-grant teaching, Extension programs and research that benefit Native American students, communities, governments, and lands. There will be a strong student focus and tribal college students are especially invited to participate and present their work. The conference will also include an USDA NIFA update, as well training workshops and information-sharing and networking opportunities. Read full details here. 



Leadership in the City Professional Development Program Offered - Leadership in the City is a 6-month online professional development program that prepares Extension professionals working in urban areas to be locally relevant, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally. To date 127 Extension professionals from 31 states have participated. This online professional development program offers learning about leadership, networks, innovation, marketing, management, and more. The program is based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and will build upon existing leadership experiences. This year the course instructor is Ramona Madhosingh-Hector University of Florida/IFAS Extension and course advisor is Julie Fox, Ohio State University Extension. The investment in the program is $500. Multiple participants from the same institute are entitled to a $100 discount (Discount code: LITC23-MULT). Complete details and registration can be found at go.osu.edu/urbanleadership.

Explore 5 Extension Regions and Tribal College Resources

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

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

· 1890 Region - Association of Extension Administrators (AEA)

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

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

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

· Western Region – Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA)

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

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

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



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



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

Funding Opportunity Information Session

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



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



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

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