New Report: Social Mobility in Rural America

Social mobility is often determined by where you’re born: 43% of children born into families at the lowest income levels remain at those income levels as adults. A newly released joint study, Social Mobility in Rural America, by The Bridgespan Group and National 4-H Council, in partnership with Cooperative Extension, offers a close-up view of rural communities whose young people are climbing the income ladder. It reveals six common factors that seem to support young people’s economic advancement in these high-opportunity places—factors that other communities might build on.


Deadline Approaching for Comment Period for 2020 Capacity Budget - The USDA-NIFA Office of Budget and Management (OMB) seeks feedback and comments from land-grant institution stakeholders by 5:00 p.m. ET December 15, 2018. This is a follow up to the letter from Rick Klemme sent on November 13. Extension Directors and Administrator are strongly encouraged to respond! CLICK HERE to learn more. OMB contacts for this effort are Erin Daly (edaly@nifa.usda.gov) or Maggie Ewell (Margaret.ewell@nifa.usda.gov).

eXtension Facilitation Training and Development - Registration is now open for the January 2019 Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training & Development. This eXtension member benefit allows for each Director or Administrator to appoint one individual from your institution to be trained in the Impact Collaborative innovation skill-building process. Registration, travel, lodging, meals/per diem are provided by eXtension. Deadline for registration is December 21, 2018 and institutions must have membership status for 2019. Facilitators help bring new state-wide contextualized innovation to the Cooperative Extension System. The invitation with a promo code for the one free registration was released to members recently. Contact Aaron Weibe at aaronweibe@eXtension.org if your institution did not receive one. Go to the website for more information.

Unlocking Potential Webinar: Engaging young people in community change -
When? December 11 at 3:00 PM ET
How? Register Here
Young people are key players leading community change to achieve greater results. Directors and Administrators are invited to join co-hosts from the Well Connected Communities initiative (including our colleagues from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps) to learn how communities across the country are forming youth-adult partnerships to facilitate innovative ideas to improve health and advance equity. During this webinar youth and field experts will share ways in which young people are informing decisions and taking action. Well Connected Communities is a nationwide effort to cultivate wellness led by the Cooperative Extension System in partnership with National 4-H Council and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.


USDA-NASS Census Special Studies – Please help spread the word to Producers: two Census of Agriculture Special Studies will be conducted this winter. As part of the Census of Agriculture program, both are conducted once every five years. Everyone who receives a report form is required to respond (Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113), even if they did not operate a farm in 2018. The 2018 Census of Aquaculture expands on the data collected during the Census of Agriculture and provides a comprehensive picture of the aquaculture sector. The Census of Aquaculture mails out December 17. Deadline for response is January 14. The Irrigation and Water Management Survey (formerly the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey) will be mailed on January 3 to a sample of farmers who indicated on their Census of Agriculture that they use irrigation on their operation and has a deadline to respond by February 15. For more information and/or promotion tools, visit www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.

Newest Member of ECOP - Barbara Petty

ECOP Monday Minute RETURNS on Monday, December 3 - Happy Thanksgiving!!

Barbara Petty, Associate Dean and Director Extension, University of Idaho (UI), is the newest member of ECOP. Barbara was appointed by the Western Extension Directors Association and began serving a 4-year term this month. Barbara also Chairs the Board of Directors of eXtension Foundation. Barbara became an Extension Director in 2016 after serving 2 years as interim at UI. Welcome Barbara!

The most recent list of National Cooperative Extension Leaders is now available at www.extension.org/ecop. Please forward corrections and updates to Assistant Director Sandy Ruble at sandyruble@extension.org. Thank you.

Learning for Leaders: December 7, 3-4 p.m. ET - Last Thursday at the first meeting of the new year, ECOP endorsed the topic for the December 2018 edition of Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders. To continue the robust national dialogue on Extension's Role in the Broader University Mission and Engagement, ECOP Chair Ed Jones has invited Sheila Martin, APLU Vice President, Economic Development and Community Engagement, and ECOP Member Scott Reed to introduce the new APLU Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE). During the one-hour Zoom conference, Directors and Administrators will explore Extension's involvement with CECE. Use the following details to add to date/time to calendars: Join Zoom Meeting https://extension.zoom.us/j/129450710. Dial by location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 129 450 710.

What Project & Program Teams Said About the 2018 Impact Collaborative Summit

More About eXtension Membership - eXtension helps Extension professionals generate a more visible, measurable, local impact. Here are some of the benefits of eXtension membership:

• Equipping Extension Educators and Agents with innovation skills that will help accelerate projects & programs towards having a greater impact.
• Professional development opportunities locally, nationally, and online centered upon collective impact to address institutions' most critical issues.
• Connecting project and program teams to strategic partners & key informants that brings new capacity to each state/institution.
• Implementing an Impact Collaborative Facilitator within each institution to bring fresh approaches, and hold skill-building sessions, for project teams and priority task forces.
• Access to interactive eFieldbooks: a “go-to” resource for Extension professionals and project/program teams to begin discussion, help establish processes, and assist with the delivery of new programs focused on priority issues.

To read more about eXtension's single membership level, the All-Access Membership, click here. To learn more about how to become a member, contact Beverly Coberly at beverlycoberly@eXtension.org.

Extension Lauded by the Nation in New Orleans

The 2018 National Cooperative Extension program culminated yesterday in New Orleans with a celebration by the Board on Agriculture Assembly and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) during the 131st APLU Annual Meeting. Policy Board of Directors Chair Orlando McMeans, West Virginia State University, and new NIFA Director Scott Angle officiated. Click Here to read more about each recipient and their programs. Directors and Administrators are reminded to save the date of Friday, 2/1/2019, 3-4:00 p.m. ET for the Zoom meeting launch the next round of nominations. Read more at www.aplu.org/CESAwards.

L-R: Scott Angle, Director of USDA-NIFA; Ron Cox, Oklahoma State University; Joe Luck, University of Nebraska; Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University; Jason de Koff, Tennessee State University; Lesia Oesterriech, Iowa State University; Ken La Valley accepting on behalf of Molly Donovan, University of New Hampshire, and Ed Jones, ECOP Chair, Virginia Tech.

SNAP-Ed & EFNEP Core Compentancy RFP Deadline Extended - In response to time concerns, the proposal deadline for the Core Competency Project RFP has been extended to November 30, 2018. To view/download the updated RFP and Addendum us the link found below and scroll down the page to Event ID #1512. More details are found in the October 29, 2018 ECOP Monday Minute post. Please share with those who might be interested. Direct question to to Vicki Soren, South Dakota State University, 605-688-4989. Go to: https://www.mercurycommerce.com/secure/SourcingEventPostingBoard/default.asp?sID=%7B1CFAA89E7-35C9-49B9-B091-AF5C3C0EEED1%7D&PagingID=&RefreshOption=3


15th Annual National Land-Grant Diversity Conference - The National Land-Grant Diversity committee is excited for you to join them at their 15th Annual National Land-Grant Diversity Conference happening February 6th-8th 2019. The theme is Do The Right Thing: Transforming Diversity; the keynote speaker is Dionardo Pizaña from Michigan State University Extension. The Pre-Conference and Capnote will be presented by Bleuzette Marshall, University of Cincinnati Office of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact.

• Click here for  periodic updates, additional information on the conference diversity award application, call for proposals, and poster presentations
• Click here for registration
• Click here to reserve your hotel

eXtension Revamps Membership Structure

Beginning in 2019 there will no longer be two categories of Membership for eXtension, Premium and Basic. Key to this change was the Board of Directors' recent approval of a two-year budget through 2020. A strategic investment fund, the expansion of resources and revenue, and strong outlook for 2021 helped to inform the decision. The new membership model is meant to supply more Cooperative Extension Section institutions with professional development opportunities through the Impact Collaborative and equal access to the full range of benefits. New Members may immediately begin at no cost for the November and December 2018. Current Basic Members will be grandfathered into the new model without percentage increase for the next two years. Click here to read the full announcement. Contact CFO Peter Armodt peteraamodt@extension.org with questions about membership fees and COO Beverly Coberly beverlycoberly@extension.org about membership benefits.

Farm Stress Management Summit Opportunity - Michigan State University Extension is hosting the Farm Stress Management Summit to equip Extension professionals around the country with tools to work with farmers and to educate agribusiness stakeholders during stressful times. Join us in Lansing, Michigan, January 24-25, 2019, and learn to teach the Farm Stress Management curriculum that provides two workshops to help farmers manage stress and to help those who work with them learn techniques to connect farmers with resources. To learn more go to http://bit.ly/farm-stress-summit and/or join a 30 min. eXtension webinar with MSU Extension professional Suzanne Pish on November 9, at 2:00 p.m. ET.


Market Facilitation Program (MFP) Update - Extension Directors and Administrators should know that the MFP, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency, provides direct payments to help corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean, wheat, dairy, hog, shelled almonds and fresh sweet cherries producers who have been directly impacted by illegal retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. Payments are equal to the producer’s 2018 total production times 50 percent times the MFP rate. A second payment, if deemed necessary, may be issued using a different MFP rate. Producers may apply at a local FSA office or submit an application electronically either by scanning and emailing, or by fax. The deadline to apply for MFP is January 15, 2019. For more information about MFP, including payment rates and eligibility requirements, visit www.farmers.gov/MFP.

Deadline Reminder - November 21, 2018 is the deadline for proposals for presentations, workshops, posters, and panels for the 2019 National Urban Extension Conference (NUEC; Seattle, Washington, May 20-23, 2019).  Submissions with particular emphasis on abstracts that highlight research and/or outreach activities with partnerships between researchers, practitioners and Extension professionals are encouraged. See https://sites.google.com/view/nuec2019/Proposals for details.