Message from Doug Steele on Rapidly Changing Washington Dynamics

I want to assure our Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR) constituents and Board on Agriculture Assembly members that we are working with the APLU Office of Governmental Affairs and Lewis-Burke Associates to closely monitor all federal actions and announcements.

While there are numerous reports in the news on Executive Orders, Agency Reviews and potential Budget Freezes, we are committed to not reporting to our membership until we can verify the action and ensuring impacts. We are closely tracking announcements and working tirelessly on your behalf and will continue to keep you apprised when we have reliable information and/or guidance to share. We are actively talking with both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill to keep them informed of potential impacts, questions, and concerns from the BAA community.

We understand there is particular concern about NIFA and we are working to understand what any potential freeze or pause will entail and how the deferred resignation process may impact NIFA’s workforce. We are in constant communications with BAA elected leaders, advocacy committees and research/Extension regional Executive Directors. We will continue to communicate as appropriate messages are identified and double-down on the value of the land-grant and public university to our country.

Please feel free to contact either myself (dsteele@aplu.org) or Marcus Glassman, Director of Government Affairs, Ag and International Development (mglassman@aplu.org) if we can provide additional information or if you have any updates you would like to share.

Douglas L. Steele
Vice President, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
dsteele@aplu.org

Extension Health Program Manager Position Available

The Extension Foundation is currently receiving applications for an individual to provide managerial support to the Cooperative Extension System’s ongoing work in health and well-being. More specifically, work of this individual will focus on supporting implementation of the five high-level recommendations emanating from Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Well-Being, approved by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) in 2021.

The contract may be executed directly with an individual or with the institution with which the individual is currently employed. The successful candidate is expected to devote the equivalent of roughly 10 hours per week (.25 FTE) to the performance of the duties identified in the announcement. Performance of the stated duties is performed at a flat rate of $40,000.

Contract begins March 1, 2025 and continues through February 28, 2026. See the Extension Foundation announcement for more details.


CARET Washington Conference Registration Reminder

The 2025 CARET/BAA Washington Conference, Securing Our Future, begins in less than a month! Registration is filling up, so if you haven't already done so, please register here as you are if you are interested in attending. The Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) is a national grassroots organization of volunteers created in 1982 by the Board on Agriculture Assembly of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). CARET seeks to enhance national support and understanding of the land-grant university system’s food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs that enhance the quality of life for all people.

A draft agenda is available for viewing. Please note that we will send out materials for the meeting in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact Flannery Bethel.

We look forward to seeing you in DC!

Avian Influenza: Call for Updates

Based on the current situation the United States is facing with the avian flu, the APLU staff is updating the previously published June 2024 Toolkit: AVIAN FLU THREATS: The United States Needs to Prepare and Prevent Mutations that could Spread Among Humans. Please send updated information and activities to Andrea Putman at aputman@aplu.org.

Special Invitation: National 4-H Council Winter Town Hall (Virtual) – January 30th (3-4 pm ET)

Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to join National 4-H Council CEO, Jill Bramble, to learn more about how 4-H will rally supporters and tell our Beyond Ready story this spring and summer. The Virtual Town Hall will take place January 30, at 3:00 PM Eastern. Jill will be joined by three special guests:

• Dr. Lisa Diaz, National 4-H Beyond Ready Initiative Director (Illinois 4-H),
  
  
• Madison Powell, Young Alumni Advisor Committee Member (Indiana 4-H) and member of the National 4-H Beyond Ready Leadership Team, and
  
  
• Mark Berven, Chair, National 4-H Council Board of Trustees and President and COO, Nationwide Property and Casualty

You are welcome and encouraged to invite your institution’s Extension and 4-H communications professionals to attend along with you. Advanced registration is required. Register HERE.

 

Introducing NIFA’s New Acting Associate Director for Programs and Acting Chief of Staff

NIFA announces two important changes in agency leadership. Dr. Kevin Kephart will assume the role of Acting Associate Director for Programs and Brent Elrod is the agency’s new Acting Chief of Staff.

Dr. Kevin Kephart

Kevin Kephart, who currently serves as NIFA’s Deputy Director of the Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment, joined the agency in 2020. Prior to his role as deputy director, he was the division director for NIFA's Agricultural Systems Division. He succeeds Dr. Dionne Toombs, who accepted a position with USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Brent Elrod

In the vital role of Acting Chief of Staff, Brent Elrod will work closely with NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra to synchronize and facilitate a wide range of activities that ensure the smooth operation of the agency. As the central point of coordination for both internal and external requests for information, Brent will play a pivotal role in aligning efforts and supporting the agency's mission.

Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) 2025 Conferences

The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) provides learning opportunities for Extension professionals. Details will be posted at www.jcep.org.

• Extension Leadership Conference (ELC) will be held February 19-20, 2025 in Savannah, GA.
• Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) will be held April 7-9, 2025 in Arlington, VA, with April 9 reserved for Hill visits.

Latest from the Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension’s own scholarly Journal of Extension, has a new issue. See articles authored by Extension Professionals from:

• University of Georgia,
• University of Wisconsin,
• North Dakota State University,
• University of Minnesota,
• Kansas State University,
• University of Illinois,
• Auburn University,
• The Ohio State University,
• University of Maryland,
• University of Florida,
• University of Maine,
• West Virginia State University,
• Iowa State University,
• Michigan State University,
• University of Nevada - Reno,
• University of Vermont,
• Oklahoma State University,
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
• University of Arizona,
• University of the Virgin Islands,
• North Carolina State University, and
• Other organizations.

Fall 2025 Joint Cooperative Extension & agInnovation Directors & Administrators Meeting

The Joint 2025 Cooperative Extension and agInnovation Directors and Administrators meeting will take place September 15-18 in Milwaukee, WI. While the hotel location is to be determined, the following information may be useful for planning purposes:

• Monday, September 15 - The meeting will begin at 3:00 pm with New Director Orientation, with an afternoon/evening reception.
• Tuesday, September 16 - ECOP will hold a breakfast meeting from 7:00 to 9:00 am. This will be followed by a full day of joint activities. The day will culminate in an evening team-building activity. 
• Wednesday, September 17 - This day will feature a morning of joint activities, followed by the Cooperative Extension Section meeting in the afternoon. 
• Thursday, September 18 - agInnovation and two Cooperative Extension Regions (Northeast and West) will hold regional meetings. 

More information to come!

APLU Welcomes Marcus Glassman 

We are pleased to share that Marcus Glassman joined APLU within the Offices of Governmental Affairs (OGA) and Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR) on January 6th. He replaces Caron Gala as Director, Governmental Affairs, Agriculture and International Development and as Executive Director, Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET).

Marcus previously served as Policy Engagement Director with the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium. Earlier, he held relevant positions at Supporters of Agriculture Research (SoAR) Foundation and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Marcus earned his undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Public Health from The George Washington University.

Within OGA and FANR, Marcus will help drive multiple synergistic efforts to advance APLU appropriations and policy priorities in agriculture and international development with an emphasis on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He will ensure coordinated efforts of government relations representatives through the Council on Governmental Affairs (CGA), Deans of Colleges of Agriculture and other Administrative Heads within the Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA), and influential citizen advocates through the Council on Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET). As Executive Director of CARET, Marcus will work closely with the Executive Committee on the continued implementation of the strategic plan and engagement support to CARET delegates in national advocacy efforts.

Please join APLU in welcoming Marcus!

Remembering US President & Cooperative Extension Supporter Jimmy Carter

As our nation celebrates President Jimmy Carter’s extraordinary legacy of public service, volunteering, and peacemaking, we’re reminded of the role Cooperative Extension had on the trajectory of his own life.

He recognized the critical role of Cooperative Extension on his life, saying in a tribute to Extension during its 100th anniversary: "In all the ways that I had an early developmental life in earning a living and learning how to live as a productive citizen, I would say that the Extension Service had a major beneficial effect on me."

Enjoy these videos made possible by the University of Georgia: President Jimmy Carter celebrating the Centennial of Cooperative Extension and Jimmy Carter - Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame Winner 2018.

Washington Update from Lewis-Burke Associates

Happy New Year! There has been considerable activity in Washington, DC since many of your institution's began their winter break. Below is a lightly edited version of an update from Lewis-Burke Associates, which some ECOP leaders received on December 23. One other update, based on activities that have happened since December 23, is that Mike Johnson (R-LA) has been elected as Speaker of the House. He served in this role at the end of the most recent Congress, as well. 

Continuing Resolution/Farm Bill Extension

As you may have seen, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution package to avoid a government shutdown.

Key aspects of the package: 

• Extends government funding at mostly FY 2024 funding levels through March 14
• $100 billion emergency disaster relief to address recent natural disasters
• Farm bill extension, including $10 billion in disaster aid for farmers
• Extension of certain healthcare programs and policies

While an earlier draft package provided continued mandatory funding for Title VII “orphan programs”, the final version did not include this bridge funding. The lack of inclusion does not mean these programs will not be included in the next version of the farm bill it only means the programs will not receive mandatory funding in this one-year extension. Programs impacted: 

• Scholarships for Students at 1890s 
• Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture
• Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)
• Emergency Citrus Research and Extension Program 

Scholarships for Students at 1890s: Although making permanent the 1890s Scholarship program was included in a draft CR package, the final extension does not make the program permanent. As this would have been an “anomaly” in the clean extension, we suspect leadership is waiting to act on making this program permanent in the next full reauthorization of the Farm Bill. It is also important to note that Scholarships for Students at 1890s will continue to receive funding via discretionary appropriations.

 

Boozman Announces Senate Ag Committee Republican Membership

Senate Republicans announced committee rosters with the Senate Agriculture Committee adding Jim Justice (R-WV) and Jerry Moran (R-KS). While Senate Appropriations Subcommittees have yet to be announced, there is significant overlap between the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee with Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Boozman (R-AR), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) on both committees. Finally, new Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will remain on the Agriculture Committee and has already said passing a Farm Bill next year is a priority.

For additional information: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/20/congress/senate-gop-committee-assignments-00195791

 

Trump Nominates Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary of Ag

Yesterday, President-elect Trump announced Stephen Vaden as his nominee to serve as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Vaden is a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and was USDA’s General Counsel during the first Trump Administration. The full announcement from Truth Social is below: 

“I am pleased to nominate Stephen Alexander Vaden to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, where he will work with our Great United States Secretary of Agriculture Nominee, Brooke Rollins.

In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform. Stephen joined the USDA on Day One of my First Term, and left in December 2020 after I nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to continue to serve the American People as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade.

Judge Stephen Vaden resides in Union City, Tennessee, where he helps manage his family farm.