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.

4-H Congress Board of Advisors News

  

Last month, the ECOP Executive Committee affirmed the recommendation by the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee to appoint Jeffrey Hyde, Associate Dean College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of Penn State Extension, (pictured above/right) as the Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP representative to the 4-H Congress Board of Advisors. ECOP Chair Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University, states, "ECOP is grateful to Jeff for accepting this role and to Gregg Hadley, Kansas State University, (pictured above left) for his dedication to same since his appointment in 2019. ECOP appreciates Gregg’s leadership and service in this role to help elevate the 4-H program and looks forward to Jeff’s contributions."

New EDA Team Member Announced - The Association of Southern Region Extension Directors have chosen Rich Bonanno (pictured left/above) as that organization’s newest Executive Director, effective September 1, 2024. Rich will succeed Ron Brown, who will continue on limited duty until Rich’s onboarding. Click Here to learn more about the national responsibilities of the Executive Directors and Administrator Team (EDA Team) in support of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and Cooperative Extension Section. 




Latest from the Journal of Extension - Cooperative Extension’s own scholarly Journal of Extension, has a new issue. Featured articles found in Volume 62, Issue 1 are:

What Do Extension and Public Health Educators Need to Address Substance Misuse?

How to Build Community Networks and Resources Necessary for a Successful 4-H Program

Exploring Land-grant Institution Partnerships to Better Serve Audiences

South Carolina Master Naturalist Program Evaluation: A Mixed Methods Approach

Check out the scholarly contributions from (State Abbreviation - Institution):

CA - University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Cooperative Extension,

CT - University of Connecticut,

FL - Florida A&M University, and University of Florida (2 & 3),

IA - Iowa State University,

LA - Louisiana State University,

MO - University of Missouri (2, 3 & 4),

MS - Auburn University,

NC - North Carolina State University,

SC - Clemson University,

TN - University of Tennessee (2),

VT - University of Vermont,

WA - Washington State University, and

WV - West Virginia University.

USDA Announces Opportunity for Three Additional Nutrition Hubs - On July 11, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $4.5 million in funding to establish three additional USDA Nutrition Hubs in communities across the country. The new Nutrition Hubs will provide tailored and scalable approaches to equitably advance food and nutrition security and help prevent diet-related chronic diseases, especially in historically underserved communities. The additional Hubs will create a network that builds on the work of the pilot Nutrition Hub established last year in partnership with Southern University and A&M College under USDA’s Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) initiative. Applications for this new competitive award program are being accepted through October 3, 2024. The complete Request for Applications, including eligibility information, is available online.

National Office Staffing Update - Sandy Ruble is retiring in early August after serving the Cooperative Extension System and the ECOP for the past 10 years. Sandy started at APLU in 2014 by providing administrative support to the National Office Executive Director. She quickly progressed to Program Assistant and then to Assistant Director by taking more initiative for key roles and strategic communications. Sandy enjoyed devoting herself to the technical integrity of Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP’s member-driven communications and activities. Her efforts helped new and emerging leaders with seamless transitions into national roles in a complex system. As Sandy winds down her 42-year career, she will spend more time volunteering, visiting with family and friends, and traveling. 

Cooperative Extension System Climate Action Plan

With support from USDA-NIFA, the Extension Foundation has released a climate action plan white paper that outlines innovative solutions uniquely tailored to combat the climate crisis. This work was the result of a NIFA-supported convening that took place in early 2024 in Tucson, where national Extension leaders gathered to accelerate climate-related applied research and programming and elevate Extension’s contribution to climate resiliency, mitigation and adaptation efforts.

The recently released white paper builds on NIFA-supported work undertaken by researchers at Colorado State University to produce a National Climate Change Roadmap that provides a science agenda to help inform the next decade of research.




Agri-Pulse Webinar: What Happens When Animal Diseases Cross Boundaries? - Since the bird flu was first reported in dairy cows on March 25, farmers and ranchers have been looking for more ways to protect their animals and understand the spread of the virus. Agri-Pulse will host a webinar on July 11, 2024 at 1 p.m. ET that is focused on what can be done to protect against highly pathogenic avian influenza and other zoonotic diseases that have the potential to disrupt not only our food supply but the entire agriculture economy.

During this webinar, Agri-Pulse will discuss how federal policies like the farm bill’s National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank and vaccine research being done by the USDA are critical to protecting livestock and safeguarding the world’s food supply both now and into the future.
This virtual event is free, courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim, which is the webinar sponsor. Sign up and review the list of distinguished speakers for the webinar here.




Surgeon General Declares Firearm Violence a Public Health Crisis - The U.S. Surgeon General has declared firearm violence to be a public health crisis through an advisory issued on June 25. A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action. According to the report "this Advisory describes the public health crisis of firearm violence in America and describes strategies for firearm injury and violence prevention, with a focus on the health and well-being of children, families, and communities.” Read the full advisory here.




USDA Expands Insurance Options for Specialty and Organic Growers - The USDA is expanding crop insurance options for specialty and organic growers beginning with the 2025 crop year. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding coverage options by allowing enterprise units by organic farming practice, adding enterprise unit eligibility for several crops, and making additional policy updates. This is the first of several announcements this summer, which will include the expansion of the shellfish policy in the Northeast and new coverage for grape growers in the West and beyond. These expansions and other improvements build on other recent RMA efforts to better serve specialty crop producers and reach a broader group of producers.

Note: Due to Independence Day holiday celebrations, the ECOP Monday Minute

will be on hiatus until July 15, 2024. Stay safe!

New Funding Opportunity: Adult Immunization Integration Projects with EXCITE

There is a new funding opportunity through the Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching & Engagement (EXCITE) for further integrating immunization education awareness and messaging across various projects and programs within Extension. This initiative is a step toward building a holistic health approach with Extension Programming. This is available for any program area across Cooperative Extension. There are two separate RFA's. One is for $125,000, and the other is for $40,000. The details can be found at: https://extension.org/2024/06/14/new-funding-opportunity-adult-immunization-integration-projects-with-excite. Application Deadline is August 7, 2024.

EDEN Annual Conference Early Bird Registration Ends June 30 -The 2024 Extension Disaster Education Network EDEN Conference is fast approaching and will be held October 22 – 25, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speakers will include Extension educators, federal and state leaders, and subject matter experts from across the nation. Topics discussed include emergency planning, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. An optional pre-tour will explore Utah’s unique landmarks and an optional post-conference professional development tabletop exercise will focus on coping with an extreme flooding event. Please share the information especially with EDEN delegates that early bird registration rates are available until June 30. Rates increase incrementally on July 1, September 1, and October 16.

USDA Releases Updated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan: Biden-Harris Administration expands agency efforts to ensure operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts - On June 20, the USDA joined more than 20 federal agencies to release its updated Climate Adaptation Plan and expand the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ensure federal operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts. The updated adaptation plans advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Climate Resilience Framework, which helps to align climate resilience investments across the public and private sector through common principles and opportunities for action to build a climate resilient nation.

About the ECOP Monday Minute - This week, the ECOP Monday Minute begins its twelfth year! The purpose of the weekly is to provide clear, consistent communications to the members of Board on Agriculture Assembly Cooperative Extension Section (CES). The quick-read content elevates member-driven opportunities to enhance resources, relationships and recognition for the Cooperative Extension System nationally. The weekly click-through email messages appeal to the work of Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators in the USA underpinned by the CES/ECOP Strategic Directions. Be sure to check out the full version of the website and the powerful "search" tool in the upper right to browse by topic and sort by relevance or date! Contact Bill Hoffman for more information.