Vice President meets with 4-H’ers, Leveraging Extension & University Engagement, Washington Update from Lewis Burke, Time is Running Out: NEDA Registration Reminder

Recently, the White House invited 4-H’ers to join Vice President Kamala Harris on the tarmac of Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, MA for an official visit. A group of 33 Massachusetts 4-H youth and volunteers, proudly represented the 4-H community, receiving gratitude and encouragement from the Vice President. This recognition highlights the importance of 4-H in nurturing future leaders and fostering a strong, vibrant America.

This opportunity was made possible by the leadership of Dr. Bill Miller, Massachusetts Extension Director, Meaghan McDermott, Massachusetts 4-H State Program Leader, and the support of National 4-H Council.



Leveraging Extension and University Engagement: Developing and Implementing Novel Projects Using Transdisciplinary Approaches

September 9, 2024 | 1:00pm ET | Virtual

You're invited to a webinar series highlighting opportunities and challenges of transdisciplinary approaches within agricultural research. Presented by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the National Agricultural Library, the seminar series will examine strategies for implementing transdisciplinary approaches, team-building and overcoming challenges to encourage the adoption of and training in transdisciplinary systems.

Speakers:

Marshall Stewart (Moderator)
Kansas State University
Senior Vice President for Executive Affairs, University Engagement and Partnerships, and Chief of Staff

Chancellor Robert Jones
University of Illinois
Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Wendy Powers
Washington State University
Dean, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

Jay Akridge
Purdue University
Trustee Chair in Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor of Agricultural Economics

See more information and register here.



Washington Update from Lewis-Burke 

The most recent update from Lewis-Burke provides states of play for both Farm Bill and FY 2025 appropriations as well as simple messages to use when engaging with your delegation. As always, we strongly encourage you to connect with your campus’s government relations office to coordinate any meetings, visits, or other events that might involve your delegation. Thank you for all your efforts, it is making a difference!

Time is Running Out: NEDA Registration Reminder

Time is running out to register for the National Extension Director and Administrator's Conference. While the deadline is technically August 29th, if you wait until after this week, your access to the River Cruise and hotel options will be limited. Go to neda.extension.org today to register.

The Federal Appropriations Ask for FY2026 In Process

In a recent series of meetings, the ECOP approved the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee's recommendation for the Board on Agriculture Assembly's Unified Ask for Appropriations (capacity funding) for Fiscal Year 2026. The following is a summary of the 4 Extension lines of the Unified Ask that was put forward to the BAA Policy Board of of Director's sub-committee on Budget and Advocacy for consideration and approval. To see the complete list of 13 lines, review the FY2025 Budget here.

NEDA Meeting Reminder - Challenges and Opportunities of Integrating Extension into the Land-grant University Learning Ecosystem - On Wednesday, September 18 during the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting in Louisville, a panel of experts will delve into a case study on microcredentials. An increasing number of higher education institutions are offering nondegree credentials to expand educational opportunities to working adults. Increasingly, employers want their employees to upskill and reskill through microcredential programs. The panel will present the issues and variability across the system regarding the integration of Extension into Land-grant University learning ecosystems that must be addressed. The goal of the session is to initiate a system-wide discussion that will lead to better integration of Extension in university learning ecosystems. Go to neda.extension.org today to check out all of the sessions for the 2024 NEDA meeting, and to register and book a hotel room by August 26 to avoid paying higher rates.

Extension AFRI Commodity Board Co-funding Topic: Pork (A1811) - The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative offers commodity board co-funded awards. For the first time, there is one that is completely Extension oriented. The goal is to educate Extension agents, health professionals and community leaders on: 1) the role of fresh lean meats, such as pork, in averting nutritional deficiencies and promoting optimal health while adhering to dietary guidelines; 2) the economic advantages associated with accessible low-cost animal protein choices; and 3) availability of environmentally-friendly animal source protein options, such as pork. a. Projects covering this commodity board topic must not exceed $300,000 total per project for extension projects (including indirect costs) for project periods of two to three years. Search for A1811.

AFRI Animal Systems Technical Assistance Webinar Recording Now Available - The Agriculture Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the flagship funding program for NIFA. In this recorded webinar, you will learn more about the Animal Systems Division programs within the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Request For Applications (RFA). Information covered includes RFA due dates, program priorities, eligibility and application details.

Beyond Ready: Laying the foundation for lifelong success.

Dr. Robert J. Jones (pictured left/above), Chancellor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will address Cooperative Extension Leaders from across the system on Tuesday, September 17 at the Annual National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting neda.extension.org in Louisville, Kentucky. The keynote entitled Beyond Ready: Laying the foundation for lifelong success, will be presented during a dinner hosted by National 4-H Council and the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee. 

There are several other informative and leadership enrichment sessions to look forward to at this year's NEDA meeting themed Innovations & Disruptions: Strategies for Success. Register here by August 26, 2024 and save!

Secretary Vilsack Announces USDA and FFAR Innovation Challenge to Catalyze Agricultural Solutions - On June 11, the USDA and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) launched a global challenge to advance scientific research that will produce major breakthroughs for nutrition security while mitigating climate change impacts and advancing equity for underserved communities. The Nourishing Next Generation Agrifood Breakthroughs (Innovation Challenge) funding opportunity will fund transdisciplinary teams led by early-career scientists (those who have received a Ph.D. within the past ten years) to catalyze new discoveries and mobilize transformative research that simultaneously tackle our most important societal challenges. Applications found here are due Monday, July 29, 2024.



FY 2025 Appropriations: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture/FDA Markup Advances FY 2025 Bill - On June 11, the House Appropriations Agriculture/FDA Subcommittee held its markup for its fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill and advanced it to the full Committee on a party line vote. The bill text has been released along with accompanying summaries from both Republicans and Democrats. The markup devotes $1,714,850 to NIFA for FY 2025, $5M lower than FY 2024. The integrated category, which contains the Crop Protection and Pest Management line item, is flat funded. No line-by-line analysis is available, as of this writing.



Funding Opportunity from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service - USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service has announced a funding opportunity to support technical assistance to enhance the capacity of women farmers to participate in school meals value chains in one or two of the following three African countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. This opportunity is available to state cooperative institutions or other colleges and universities in the United States, as defined at 7 USC 3103. It is intended to enhance African women farmers’ capacity to participate in school meals value chains, through agricultural education following a Home Grown School Feeding program approach. For more information on this funding opportunity including application procedures, visit the funding notice on Grants.gov. Application deadline is August 9.

The National Office is closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 as APLU commemorates the Juneteeth Federal Holiday. The USDA AgLearn website makes available several resources about the historic, cultural celebration.  

Artificial Intelligence in Cooperative Extension

On June 7, 2024, Extension Directors from across the System joined ECOP Chair Damona Doye (Oklahoma State University) and her special guest David Warren, Senior Director Integrated Digital Strategies at Oklahoma State University, and AI Program Leader at the Extension Foundation. Dr. Doye updated the delegation on several important Section-related Action Plan objectives. Then, Members were introduced to basic understanding of AI and to the dynamic ExtensionBot that has been piloted in several states. Slides to accompany the follow 1-hour YouTube Recording posted below are available here. David will also facilitate a deeper dive into this topic at the 2024 NEDA Meeting. Proceed to learn more and register for the NEDA meeting here by August 26. The next First Friday event will not take place until August 2, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. 

JCEP seeking Administrator input on Hill Visits - The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) is gathering information about Hill Visits associated with the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference, to assess the value of those experiences. Response to this form by June 30, 2024,will help the JCEP Board form future activities and opportunities for our member Associations. Please take a couple of minutes to provide input. The ECOP members who have already submitted their own input during the Spring Meeting in Oklahoma City, are asked to share the form with others with PILD conference experience. 




Webinar Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health -The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine will be releasing their report entitled Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health next Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Members of the study committee will be sharing where to locate the report and present key takeaways and recommendations. The audience will be able to submit questions during the webinar. Register for the webinar here.




USDA Publishes Request for Information to Support Next Steps in Implementing the Growing Climate Solutions Act - USDA is seeking information from the public on protocols that may be considered for inclusion in a new Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program, the main program of the Growing Climate Solutions Act. The input is being collected through a Request for Information and will be considered in the preparation of a proposed rule to establish the program. Read more here, about how to provide feedback here.




USDA Announces Expansion of Interagency Collaboration to Help Reduce Food Loss and Waste - USDA has signed a formal agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to renew their Federal Interagency Collaboration to Reduce Food Loss and Waste. The U.S. Agency for International Development also joined the collaboration to help reduce food loss and waste internationally. Read more here, about USDA food loss and waste reduction efforts, which includes a $10M partnership with National 4-H Council.

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 Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT Update

The ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation Program Action Team (Climate PAT) recently hosted a gathering from 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions and leaders from the USDA. Through focused conversations, participants identified opportunities in three areas where Extension is uniquely suited to deliver climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions: communities, natural resources, and working lands. For more information, click here.

Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success - The National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting planning committee recently has decided on a theme for 2024 even, Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success. The following leaders are hard at work organizing meaningful, interactive sessions for Members of the Section. More details on topics such as artificial intelligence and Extension's evolving role in outreach and engagement by institutions of higher education. Stay tuned for more details.

>> North Central Region – Bev Durgan, Chair, University of Minnesota

>> 1890s Region – De'Shoin York, Southern University

>> Northeast Region – Jenn Volk, University of Delaware

>> Southern Region – Mike Gutter, Virginia Tech

>> Western – Kris Elliott, Oregon State University

Energy Department Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops - The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently released an RFP for a program titled Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops. These are going to be very large, multi-million dollar and multi-institutional hubs. Team Partners - like Cooperative Extension Services - can sign up here today! The earlier potential partners sign on, the better the outcome to get involved.

2024 National Health Outreach & Engagement Conference - Registration is now open for the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference to be held May 13-15 in Greenville, South Carolina. The conference is co-hosted by Clemson University, University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University. The conference schedule is packed full of keynote speakers, educational workshops, poster presentations, and an awards banquet. The early bird rate of $450 is available from now through April 15. Special lodging rates are available at the Westin Poinsett and SpringHill Suites in downtown Greenville. For more information and to register for the conference, visit https://t.uga.edu/9FF.




AMS Infrastructure Grants to/from State Departments of Agriculture - States and territories are partnering with USDA to competitively subaward Infrastructure Grants to projects that support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. Individual states and territories are opening their Request for Applications (RFA) as state plans become finalized. Interested applicants must apply through their state’s department of agriculture. While the application widow has closed for some states, it is still open for many states and territories.

2024 NEDA Meeting in Louisville

The 2024 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting will take place in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky on September 17-19. Please update calendars with the location. The ECOP Meeting, New Extension Directors and Administrators orientation, and kick-off dinner will take place on September 17. Cooperative Extension Section business, dialogue, and leadership learning experiences will begin the morning of September 18, and conclude midday on September 19. Registration details, hotel information, and much more will be released during the second quarter of 2024. 

Speaking of Calendars - Click Here to view ECOP's Calendar that includes a few recent updates. 

USDA Announces Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have released a Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. The strategy was shared at the USDA-NIFA's Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition (IFSN) Community Nutrition Project Directors' Meeting in New Orleans on December 4. The four main objectives in the draft National Strategy are:

• Prevent the loss of food where possible.
• Prevent the waste of food where possible.
• Increase the recycling rate for all organic waste.
• Support policies that incentivize and encourage food loss and waste prevention and organics recycling.

USDA National Climate Change Roadmap - A new resource, National Climate Change Roadmap - A Research Framework for Agriculture, Forestry and Working Lands, funded by USDA-NIFA and led by researchers from Colorado State University and Meridian Institute, was released recently. Within USDA, this report is a resource for program leaders to consider when developing strategies to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry as part of the research, Extension and education work at Land-grant Institutions and non-Land-grant Colleges and Universities. This resource was presented at the APLU Annual Meeting in Seattle.

USDA Now Accepting Loan Applications Online - The USDA has launched an online application for Direct Loan customers. More than 26,000 customers who submit a Direct Loan application each year can now use an online, interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet and build a farm operating plan.

Through a personalized dashboard, borrowers can borrowers track the progress of their loan application. It can be accessed on farmers.gov or by completing FSA’s Loan Assistance Tool at farmers.gov/loan-assistance-tool. To use the online loan application tool, producers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication (eAuth) account or a Login.gov account. For the initial stage, the online application tool is only available for producers who will be, or are currently, operating their farm as an individual. FSA is expanding the tools availability to married couples applying jointly and other legal entities in 2024.

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.