NIFA Application Status Dashboard

Stakeholders can use the NIFA Application Status Dashboard to check the status of their grant applications. NIFA created the dashboard to enhance NIFA stakeholder customer experience. To use the tool, applicants will need to input their Grants.gov tracking number.

EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Seeks PPDC Appointees

 The Office of Pesticide Programs is in the process of seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment to the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC). I am writing to seek your assistance with both nominating individuals and spreading the word about the open nominations to your relevant stakeholders.

The PPDC is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide policy advice, information and recommendations to the EPA on a wide variety of pesticide regulatory development and reform initiatives, evolving public policy and program implementation issues, and policy issues associated with evaluating and reducing risks from pesticide use.

For additional information about the PPDC, please visit the PPDC website here. Please note, a FederalRegister Notice announcing the request for nominations was published on August 17^th, which contains nominating instructions. Nominations are due on September 16th. If you have any questions, please contact Jeffrey Chang at chang.jeffrey@epa.gov.

Why Extension is the Right Partner for Health

The Extension Health Tiger Team identified five reasons that Cooperative Extension is the right partner for Health. Extension’s value in community health is not theoretical. It is demonstrated and durable:

• Unmatched national infrastructure. Extension operates in every state, U.S. territory, and nearly every county. It is the only educational system with geographic reach and local trust needed to deliver consistent, evidence-based health programming at the national scale, including in rural and other communities that federal programs and health systems often struggle to reach.
• Trust that drives lasting behavior change. Extension educators are embedded in communities for years — often decades. That depth of relationship produces the kind of sustained, longitudinal engagement that drives real behavior change at the individual and population level. No federal campaign, app, or episodic clinical program can replicate it.
• Proven federal partnerships at scale. Extension has partnered with CDC through EXCITE — reaching nearly 2.8 million individuals and forming 196 health partnerships — and has demonstrated effective, scalable delivery of the National Diabetes Prevention Program through PreventT2. These are not pilots. They are proof points.
• Lifespan reach and holistic, integrated programming. Extension’s health work spans prenatal nutrition to healthy aging. It integrates food systems, agriculture, community development, financial well-being, and youth development through 4-H — the kind of cross-sector, whole-person approach that produces durable community health outcomes that isolated health programs cannot offer.
• A research foundation that is second to none. Every program Extension delivers is evidence-based, continuously evaluated, and grounded in the latest science — from precision nutrition and food safety to mental health and chronic disease prevention.

The work of the Tiger Team will be one of three major topics discussed at the NEDAmeeting in Seattle. 

Hechinger Op-Ed on AI Workforce Readiness

While written from an academic programs perspective, the AI workforce readiness piece below is highly applicable to youth and adult education. 

OPINION: AI workforce readiness cannot remain a campus-by-campus experiment built around isolated pilot programs

Thursday NEDA Programming in Seattle

On Thursday morning, September 17, outgoing ECOP Chair Lisa Townson will provide a report on ECOP progress on strategic goals over the past 12 months. Additionally, incoming ECOP Chair, Cody Stone, will review the feedback provided by the regions. Following these presentations, the Extension Foundation will provide an update. This plenary session will take place from 8 to 10 am.

This plenary session will follow an optional breakout meeting of those interested in the National Urban Research and Extension Network, which will take place from 7 to 8 am.

To view the most up to date agenda, follow this link. 

USDA Asks Partners to Develop AI Solutions to Accelerate Crop Innovation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to speed up progress in plant science by calling on universities and stakeholders to help build new AI tools that can translate the huge amount of germplasm data the agency collects.

Through the Genesis Mission and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA), USDA is expected to launch an Agricultural National Science & Technology Challenge later this year. The Challenge will ask innovators to create practical solutions that pull together different types of information—like images, field data, and lab results—so scientists can quickly spot important plant and seed traits and develop crops that are more resilient and productive.

Employment Opportunity: agInnovation South Executive Director

agInnovation South seeks a visionary and collaborative leader to serve as its next Executive Director. The Executive Director provides strategic leadership for one of the nation's five regional associations of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, working with member universities to advance agricultural research through regional collaboration, national engagement, and strong partnerships. The position serves as the principal advocate for the Southern Region's research enterprise while guiding the Southern Multistate Research Program and fostering initiatives that strengthen the impact of public agricultural research.

Reporting to the Chair of agInnovation South, the Executive Director serves the Agricultural Experiment Station Directors of the fifteen member institutions across the Southern Region. The Executive Director will be located at one of the member universities by mutual agreement.

Read the full position description.

Dr. Paul Coreil to Deliver 2026 Seaman Knapp Memorial Lecture

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Director Dr. Jaye Hamby has announced that Dr. Paul Coreil, retired chancellor for the Louisiana State University of Alexandria, will deliver the 2026 Seaman Knapp Memorial Lecture Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) annual meeting in San Antonio, TX.  

The lecture is one of three rotating lectures presented by NIFA and APLU that honor three historic Land-grant University figures: William Henry Hatch, Seaman A. Knapp and Justin Smith Morrill.

Nominated by Adam Knapp, Knapp’s great-great grandson, Dr. Coreil is recognized and respected as a leader in Extension and higher education. This honor recognizes his outstanding career and his continuing vision for Extension’s future to serve the people, improve agriculture and enhance the lives and livelihoods of America’s farmers.

Coreil’s 43-year career in the Louisiana State University (LSU) system is marked by sustained leadership, collaboration and service to Louisiana’s communities. His work across LSU AgCenter, Louisiana 4-H and LSU Alexandria, strengthened education, youth development and natural resource stewardship statewide. 

Read the full release.

"Taking it to the Street” 2026: Showcasing Extension Action Toward Resilient Communities and Lands

Join Extension colleagues nationwide for a virtual convening to showcase the accomplishments of four national working groups focused on Resilient Communities and Lands. Explore new Extension tools and resources, share ideas with colleagues across the country, and help identify national gaps and priorities that will shape the next phase of this work.

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CT (1-4 ET, 11-2 MT, 10-1 PT)
Location: Zoom
Format: Interactive Virtual Convening
Register here: https://extension.zoom.us/meeting/register/5t8ql4ONSG-d7QRzfjP8zw#/registration

This convening is for: Anyone interested in what Cooperative Extension is doing to engage administrators, policymakers, and other decision-makers on a broad range of resilience issues. Anyone who would like to contribute their programs or ideas for supporting resilient communities and lands.

What you’ll gain

• Fresh tools to use with your programs and communities
• Inspiration from colleagues in many Extension disciplines
• Opportunities to connect, co-create, and build momentum for the next steps

Can’t come for the whole time? That’s OK! Here are two parts from which you can choose:

• Part 1 (12-12:50 p.m. CT): If you are unfamiliar with this work and simply want an overview, we suggest you come for the first hour. If you’re interested in digging deeper, we encourage you to stay for Part 2.
• Part 2 (1-3 p.m. CT): We invite you to stay for the second half if you are interested in digging deeper. We will explore the collaborations, next steps, and national gaps.

Board on Health and Human Sciences (BHHS) Award Nominations Open

Nominations for the Board on Health and Human Sciences (BHHS) Awards are now open and will continue to be accepted until October 1, 2026. Recipients of these prestigious national awards will be recognized at a special luncheon at the BHHS Spring Meeting hosted by Florida State University in March 2027. 

See additional information on the awards and instructions for submitting a packet.

Growing Together: Conversations with CEOs

APLU’s Board of Agriculture’s interview series “Growing Together: Conversations with CEOs” showcases Presidents and CEOs of national agricultural associations, commodity groups, and other organizations and explores their powerful synergies with land-grant universities.

Terry Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Society of American Foresters

Terry Baker is the CEO of the Society of American Foresters (SAF). He oversees all of SAF’s programs and collaborates with his Board of Directors to establish a strategic vision committed to the scientific sustainable management of America’s forests. Prior to his selection as SAF CEO in September 2018, Baker served in various roles within the USDA Forest Service. His almost 20-year federal career started in his home state of Florida on the Apalachicola National Forest.

"The Society of American Foresters (SAF) accredits forestry, urban forestry, and natural resource programs. This relationship represents our four-way handshake with land-grant universities: Universities, students and their families, employers, and SAF. This handshake represents our commitment to each other, ensuring that students build the necessary skills during their studies to meet the ever-changing needs of our forests and communities." - Terry Baker

Funding Opportunity: Community Cooking Demonstrations

You may be asked to partner with or write a letter of support for a funding opportunity with an August 17 application deadline.  

The purpose of the Community Cooking Demonstrations cooperative agreement is to establish and implement a nationwide cooking and nutrition education initiative. Through a coordinated network of regional and local implementation partners, the initiative will deliver recurring community cooking demonstrations and hands-on nutrition education designed to help individuals and families develop practical skills for selecting, preparing, and enjoying nutritious meals aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Department of Health and Human Services plans to make three awards of $3 million each.

Through this cooperative agreement, OASH/ODPHP anticipates making three awards. Each recipient will establish and coordinate a network of regional and local implementation partners to conduct a minimum of 600 community cooking demonstrations during a 15-week national activation period by conducting one demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations. Collectively, recipients will conduct a minimum of 1,800 cooking demonstrations nationwide.

 Link to Application: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/363453

NAAAN Connect

Join the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) from 10-11 a.m. MDT on Wednesday, August 19 for the CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT! Laura Mock, Director of Cultivator Powered by Conexus and Mandy Harle, Senior Manager, Investment & Business Growth at Economic Development Regina, will share about how Regina is a hub for agricultural innovation. You’ll hear more about how Cultivator is helping accelerate ag-tech startups and innovations across Canada while also driving deeper into the 2027 NAAAN Convening in Regina. The meeting will be conducted in English with translation options in French and Spanish. Register to join!

Stopgap funding bill seeks delay of Trump’s science funding plan (from thehill.com)

Senate Republicans are supporting a provision in the stopgap funding bill that would delay the Trump administration’s controversial plan to put political appointees in charge of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants. 

The provision marks a rare rebuke of the Trump administration by congressional Republicans. But the government funding bill only runs through Dec. 11, and the proposed rule can still take effect after that time.