NEW eXtension Elects Governing Board Members

NEW eXtension Elects Governing Board Members – Members of the NEW eXtension have elected the following regional representatives for the Board of Governors: 1890s, VERNON JONES – Associate Administrator, Langston University; North Central, JASON HENDERSON, Extension Director, Purdue University; Northeast, DENNIS CALVIN, Extension Director, Pennsylvania State University; Southern, DOUG STEELE – Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; Western, FRED SCHLUTT – Extension Director, University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Additional members will be added as specified in the final report about the NEW eXtension. Among the initial tasks of the NEW eXtension Board of Governors will be to launch a search process of a chief executive officer. Elbert Dickey continues as interim director through April. 

FY 2016 USDA-NIFA Budget Review – NIFA Director, Sonny Ramaswamy will conduct a webinar on the Agency’s Fiscal Year 2016 President’s Budget Proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. EST. Up to 250 users may connect to the webinar at http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/sonny. The webinar will be recorded. Participants have the option to use a teleconference line in lieu of their computer sound system or dial into the teleconference line for audio only. The presentation is not expected to be graphic intensive. You may join the teleconference up to 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start. The dial in numbers are as follows: Dial-in: 1-888-621-9649 or 1-617-231-2734. 

ECOP Names Social Media Associate – Extension: The Next Century – Extending Knowledge, Changing Lives is the central message of ECOP’s social media endeavors in 2015. Bill Woodrum, former Extension Administrator, West Virginia State University, has been named the ECOP Social Media Associate through December. The goal is to expand the strong social media presence on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) established during the centennial last year. Please encourage Extension professionals at all levels and partners to connect at facebook.com/Extension100years and twitter.com/#ext100years. Ideas for social media content may be sent to Bill at extensioncentennial@gmail.com. 

Grant Workshops Focus on Local Foods – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) are partnering on the Agricultural Marketing Service Technical Assistance (AMSTA) Project to conduct workshops that will help potential grant applicants understand, develop, and submit their Federal grant applications for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. The effort is directed by Stephan J. Goetz of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development based at Penn State University. A list of upcoming grant workshop dates and locations can be found at http://www.amsta.net. 

2015 Assessments – APLU has distributed electronic assessment statements to the 75 universities in the Board on Agriculture Assembly Cooperative Extension Section. ECOP’s national leadership is solely funded through assessments for two accounts, the Office of the Executive Director, which covers salary, benefits, indirect costs paid to APLU, and travel and office expenses for the Executive Director and Staff Associate; and Strategic Priorities and Operations, which supports ECOP committees, teams and projects. An additional assessment covers work of the SNAP-ED National Program Development Team and goes to those Extension Services providing education for SNAP recipients. Based on a vote of the Cooperative Extension Section as of 11.17.14, the eXtension assessment is replaced by a membership funding model. 

Volunteerism Conference – The 2015 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism is May 4-7, 2015, Portland, ME. It is designed for Cooperative Extension professionals who manage volunteers. Details are at http://extension.umaine.edu/programs/necv/. Registration is due April 15, 2015. 

On Climate Change – Mike Hoffmann, Cornell University and past chair of the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) has released a TEDx talk on YouTube “Climate change: It’s time to raise our voices". He leads a Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada climate change initiative, and established an Institute for Climate Change and Agriculture that helps food growers adapt to changing conditions. ECOP, ESCOP and USDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2014 pledging to work together to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Enhancing Energy Literacy – The Department of Energy (DOE), along with the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), released the first four videos in a series highlighting each of the seven essential principles presented in the DOE Energy Literacy Framework. The Framework seeks to help educators of all disciplines and age groups incorporate a multidisciplinary approach to energy into their lessons and programs. The final three videos are expected by September 2015. In addition, DOE is also announcing the Spanish-language version of its Get Current coloring book, which is part of an ongoing effort to expand educational resources for the growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States. ECOP continues involvement with the State Energy Extension Partnership, chaired by Beverly Samuels, USDA-NIFA.

SAVE THE DATE NEDA 2015

SAVE THE DATE NEDA 2015 – Innovation: Driving Extension’s Next Century is the theme of the National Extension Directors and Administrators and Meeting October 12-14, 2015 at the St. Louis Downtown Embassy Suites. Registration details will be available soon. Dynamic, highly interactive programming is being planned by a team chaired by ECOP immediate past chair, Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky. Team members are Ed Jones, Virginia Tech; Dan Lerner, University of Vermont; Carolyn Williams, Prairie View A&M University; Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University; Brian Higginbotham, Utah State University, and ECOP members Jon Boren, New Mexico State University, and Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut.

NEW ECOP Monday Minute – This weekly communication is now being posted to a searchable blog at http://ecopmondayminute.blogspot.com. The purpose of this communication is to summarize action and information of key interest to Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators. Comments, questions, and input for items to include may be sent to Jane Schuchardt, Executive Director, Cooperative Extension/ECOP at jane.schuchardt@extension.org.

Fence Post Features Producer Education Project – USDA Farm Services Administration weekly blog, Fence Post provided details on the producer education project implemented in cooperation with Cooperative Extension and partially funded by the Agriculture Act of 2014 (farm bill). CLICK HERE to read the entire article that was released on 1.23.15.

ECOP Liaison to ESCOP – Beverly Durgan, University of Minnesota, and a new member of ECOP, will serve as the liaison to the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy. She replaces Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, who completed ECOP responsibilities 2014 year-end.

AgrAbility Workshop – To learn more about educational programs related to issues of disability in agriculture, see http://agrability.org/ntw/_SaveTheDate.html for details about the 2015 AgrAbility National Training Workshop April 13-16 in Rochester, NY. 

Follow ECOP on Web – ECOP Chair Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, points you to www.extension.org/ecop to learn more about how ECOP manages its day-to-day commitment to national leadership for the benefit of state and local Cooperative Extension programming. Bookmark this site or call the ECOP National Office at 202.478.6088 if you have questions.

NEW eXtension Board of Governors Vote

In recognition of the Martin Luther King holiday, ECOP Monday Minute will return 1.26.15. 

VOTE: NEW eXtension Board of Governors – Cooperative Extension administrative representatives from your institution who made a commitment to the NEW eXtension as either a premiere or basic member have received a ballot to elect the NEW eXtension Board of Governors. Your vote as applicable, due 1.20.15, is critical to naming the new Board and beginning work on the hiring process for a Chief Executive Officer. Elbert Dickey continues as the interim director. The slate of candidates, all Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators, has been provided by each region and, if elected, have agreed to serve. Eligible voters are asked to choose one candidate for each of the five Cooperative Extension regions. Questions about the NEW eXtension can be directed to Elbert Dickey edickey1@unl.edu. Questions about voting logistics can be directed to Sandy Ruble sandy.ruble@extension.org. 

USDA-FSA Blog Features Producer Education Project – The USDA Farm Services Administration weekly blog called Fence Post will soon provide details on the producer education project implemented in cooperation with Cooperative Extension and partially funded by the Agriculture Act of 2014 (farm bill). To read more, see http://fsa.blogs.govdelivery.com. 

Food Safety Letters of Intent Due 2.16.15 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA-NIFA have joined in a collaborative partnership to administer and manage the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Program. The purpose is to develop a comprehensive food safety training, education and technical assistance program for those affected by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to include owners and operators of small and medium-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. FDA has issued a Request for Applications for the establishment of a National Coordination Center (NCC). The Letters of Intent for the NCC are due February 16, 2015 and full applications are due March 16, 2015. For additional information and the full request for application, please visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-FD-15-003.html. The programmatic contacts are Mary Tijerina (Mary.Tijerina@fda.hhs.gov) and Scarlett Salem (scarlett.salem@fda.hhs.gov). NIFA and FDA will also issue separate RFAs in the near future to request applications for the establishment of four Regional Centers (RC) which will be coordinated under the NCC. The NCC will provide national leadership, support and coordination for the RCs. Each RC will lead, manage, and coordinate the regional development and implementation of the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Program. 

NC-FAR Dialogue on Food and Ag Engagement – In mid-December 2014, the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR) hosted a dialogue with Cooperative Extension Directors Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, and Michael Ouart, University of Missouri. The session Why Cooperative Extension? A Century of Food and Ag Engagement was the first in what NC-FAR hopes to be a continuing discussion on how Cooperative Extension can best meet the educational needs of farmers, ranchers and others in the food industry. See http://goo.gl/eh9juK for the presentation outline complete with participant comments in the notes section or go to http://ncfar.org/video-Extension-Dialog.asp for the video recording. 

NACo Election Analysis – With the new Congress in session, the National Association of Counties (NACo) provides an analysis of how the shift in power may affect counties. See http://www.naco.org/legislation/Documents/NACo-2014-Election-Analysis.pdf.

ECOP to Name Social Media Associate

ECOP to Name Social Media Associate – Extension Directors and Administrators are asked to encourage applications for an ECOP Social Media Associate. This one-year assignment is designed to augment the national social media presence established during the Cooperative Extension centennial in 2014. Details are at http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5665. The application deadline is 1.16.15.

Centennial Celebration Social Media Milestone – In 2014, the ECOP Extension Centennial Committee promoted events related to the anniversary through social media. The Facebook page www.facebook.com/Extension100Years recently passed 5,000 Likes. There were an average of 12 posts per week and a weekly average reach of close to 20,000 with several spikes of more than 100,000. The posts included vintage and contemporary imagery as well as impact stories. The most popular posts were related to farming, local foods, and 4-H. Bill Woodrum, former Extension associate administrator, led the social media effort as well as assisted with other efforts of the Centennial Committee. His report is at http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5664. ECOP thanks everyone who participated in a terrific celebration and helped to position Cooperative Extension for a new century of innovative excellence.

ECOP Releases 2015 Infographic – See http://bit.ly/2015ECOP for ECOP’s new handout Extending Knowledge, Changing Lives: A New Century of Engagement. It features impact statements, a summary of what Extension does and how to learn more, and a special focus on the 125th anniversary of 1890 land-grant universities. Editing and production was provided by Louisiana State University AgCenter.

ECOP/ESCOP Chairs Visit DC Colleagues – ECOP Chair Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, and ESCOP Chair Bob Shulstad, University of Georgia, continued joint efforts to build strategic partnerships and advance understanding about Experiment Station research and Cooperative Extension education. In mid-December 2014, Foster and Shulstad visited USDA colleagues Cathy Woteki, REE Undersecretary, and Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA Director. Additional discussions occurred with Randy Johnson, USDA Climate Hubs Leader, and Cornerstone Government Affairs and kglobal colleagues. A separate Extension meeting occurred with USDA-FSA colleagues including the new administrator, Val Dolcini.

APLU Annual Meeting Early Bird Registration – You have until 1.19.15 to get the early bird discount for the 2015 APLU Annual Meeting November 15-17 in Indianapolis. To register, go to www.cvent.com/d/hrq7hn.

AFRI Report Released – The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is NIFA’s premier agricultural competitive grants program. It is a tool for funding research, education, and Extension projects that bring practical solutions to societal challenges. NIFA recently released the 2012 AFRI Annual Synopsis Overview that includes the number of applications, awards, and total dollars awarded for each AFRI program by area. The synopsis also includes characteristics of AFRI peer review panelists and number of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral jobs that were provided by AFRI awards. Several research impacts show how these grant programs continue to solve societal challenges.