Monday, September 30, 2019

Cooperative Extension Section Leadership Honored

At the close of the Cooperative Extension Section Annual Business meeting last week in Nashville, Ed Jones, 2019 ECOP Chair, presented tokens of appreciation. Earlier earlier this year 2 others were recognized for their national service.
ECOP Service Award to Bill Hare, University of District of Columbia,
2016-2019
ECOP Service Award to Tom Dobbins, Clemson University,
2016-2019
ECOP Service Award to Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska,
2010-2019
Also, acknowledged for their excellent contributions to the Goals of the Section:
  • Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, Project Director of Well Connected Communities for the Extension Health Initiative
  • Mark Skidmore, Director, North Central Region Center for Rural Development, for leadership of the Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup
  • Caroline Crocoll, for her representation on the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee, 2018-2019

Before the Business Meeting adjourned, Ed passed the gavel to Mark Latimore, Jr., Fort Valley State University (GA). In his first action, Mark presented Ed with an engraved plaque to commemorate his term as Chair. The 2020 ECOP Meeting Calendar, Section Budget, and List(s) may be found at www.extension.org/ecop. The next Annual Section Business/NEDA Meeting is schedule for September 22-25, 2020. The city/location will be announced very soon!


Next Generation Extension Learning for Leaders Series Continues on Friday, November 1, 2019 - Members of the Cooperative Extension Section are invited to meet online on a regular basis to discover emerging program, partnership, and resource opportunities, and to enhance the strengthen the national network. The more members to participate, ask questions and share, the more value is added to the System to benefit national, state and regional impact. Mark Latimore, Jr., Fort Valley State University, announces the schedule a series of 6 sessions during his term as the 2020 ECOP Chair as follows - please mark your calendars. Topics are announced closer to the actual dates. All 1-hour sessions occur on First Fridays, 3-4:00 p.m. ET and are archived for reference (Search this blog for topics).
  -- 11/1/2019
  -- 1/3/2020
  -- 3/6/2020
  -- 5/1/2020
  -- 6/5/2020
  -- 9/4/2020


4-H National Mentoring Program Funding Announced - The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded National 4-H Council $4.85 million for the 10th year of the 4-H National Mentoring Program (NMP10), which comes as a direct result of Cooperative Extension’s success in providing youth mentoring services through local 4-H programs. The NMP10 grant is open to all 50 states. A portion of the funding ($1.25M) is a new grant, effective March 1, 2020, to support the 4-H Health Rocks!® Mentoring Program in 13 states (focused on reaching youth impacted by opioids in the Appalachian region). An Advanced Request for Applications (RFP) has already been released through Council’s Web Grants online portal and are due on October 18th. For more information, please contact Theresa Melton, National 4-H Council, TMelton@fourhcouncil.edu.


Save the Date! Legislative Education 101 for SNAP-Ed Leaders Webcast - The SNAP-Ed Program Development Team will be delivering this webcast on October 16, 2019 at 1:30 Eastern Time. Attendees will learn why educating legislators and other decision-makers is valuable within SNAP-Ed as well as key steps to begin this work. This webcast will be at a beginner’s level; designed for those who are new to legislative education and/or new to SNAP-Ed. The webcast will be recorded and posted for registrants after the event. Registration: https://illinoisaces.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d0TGj8eaQW7fWtL. Please contact Christine Hradek hradek@iastate.edu with any questions.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Executive Director Application Reminder

Reminder: Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is seeking applications for the Cooperative Extension System/ECOP Executive Director. The complete announcement is found at bit.ly/ExtEDinDC. The full-time position is based in Washington, DC. Applications will be reviewed by the Executive Director Search Advisory Committee when received and continue until the position is filled. Preference will be given to applications received by close of business, this Friday, September 27, 2019.


Cooperative Extension and the Aging Population - NIFA established the Adult Development and Aging Workgroup (ADAW) to assess existing and emerging needs of the aging population. By 2050, the U.S. is projected to experience rapid growth with 88 million over 65. This growth will present challenges and opportunities for policymakers and federal programs affecting families, individuals, businesses, health-care providers, and aging farmers. The ADAW identified programs implemented by Cooperative Extension that exemplify strong outcomes:
   • Strong Women Program
   • Living well through Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) Program
   • Keys to Embracing Aging
   • Better Bones and Balance
   • EngAGE in Community MAPPS
   • Extension Wellness Ambassador Program
   • Stay Strong, Stay Healthy
   • Lifelong Improvements through Fitness Together (LIFT)
Learn more about Cooperative Extension Aging Programs.


Building the 4-H Brand: First Nationwide Outdoor Advertising Campaign Launches this Month - National 4-H Council is excited to share information about 4-H's first-ever, nationwide out-of-home advertising campaign thanks to a new partnership with the Out of Home Advertising Association of America, featured on the OAAA website. The pro-bono campaign featuring Extension’s 4-H program will last through the end of October and will appear on numerous outdoor platforms, including billboards and bus shelters. The Inspire Kids to Do campaign advertisements will include real 4-H’ers engaged in hands-on-learning and doing. Digital ads will begin appearing in markets during the last week of September with print ads to follow in the first week of October, with priority placement given to 4-H Grows investor institutions. The heaviest promotion is expected to happen during National 4-H Week, October 6-12. The new partnership is featured in the OAAA newsletter. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the new partnership.


Annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey - The Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to complete their agricultural surveys this fall. Barley, cotton, sorghum and wheat producers will be asked to report their production practices and chemical use as part of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Please encourage farmers who receive a survey to complete it online, or if they prefer, they can schedule an appointment with a USDA representative to help with survey completion. Farmers should have their pesticide and fertilizer spray records to expedite the process. Information provided by farmers is confidential and protected by law. NASS further safeguards the privacy of all respondents by publishing only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. For more information on agriculture surveys, visit www.nass.usda.gov.

Monday, September 16, 2019

2019 Cooperative Extension Section Annual Business Meeting Agenda

The Cooperative Extension Section will convene during the Joint ESS/CES-NEDA Meeting at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University for a full morning of business on Wednesday, September 25, 2019. ECOP Chair Ed Jones, Virginia Tech, will preside. Participants will engage in conversations regarding:
   - 2020 Budget
   - Executive Director Search
   - Opportunities with APLU’s Commission on Economic and Community Engagement
   - 4-H Name and Emblem
   - Well-Connected Communities Wave 2
   - Cooperative Extension as a System
The meeting will conclude with recognitions and the passing of the gavel from Ed Jones to Mark Latimore, Jr., Fort Valley State University. For more information contact Rick Klemme at rklemme@extension.org.


2020 Funding Opportunity for Pesticide Safety Education Programs - The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP) for 2020. This opportunity is made available through a cooperative agreement with the EPA to establish and administer a national sub-award program in support of pesticide applicator education, and training for certified applicators of restricted use pesticides. The National Pesticide Safety Education Center will continue to support as an unfunded collaborator with eXtension to lead the professional development part of the project and to assist PSEPs in enhancing some of the educational products they develop as part of the expectations attached to the funding. All Land-Grant University PSEP programs are encouraged to apply. Learn more here.


Don’t Miss Out on the Opportunity to Save on the New 2019 4-H NYSD Game Changers Kits - For a limited time, receive one free 4-H National Youth Science Day Game Changers kit for every two purchased at www.Shop4-H.org/NYSD. Co-developed by West Virginia University and Google, NYSD teaches kids ages 8-14 how to use computer science to create games, solve problems and engage with topics they’re passionate about. The challenge kit activities do not require Internet access. 4-H professionals, volunteers and parents should order now to ensure you have your kits in time for the NYSD celebratory kick-off on October 1st. Coding events will continue to take place throughout the month of October. 4-H National Youth Science Day was created by National 4-H Council, USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension to ignite an early interest in STEM learning among young people. Visit www.4-H.org/NYSD to learn more about 4-H National Youth Science Day, download event resources and view additional training materials. Don’t forget to spread the word with the new Game Changers promotional video.


Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband - The digital economy accounted for 6.9 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, or $1.35 trillion, according to a recent survey by the Department of Commerce. Understanding how to measure and communicate the benefits of broadband is critical to building support for efforts to expand connectivity and use. Join BroadbandUSA and leading U.S. researchers to discuss their research into the economic impact of broadband deployment and adoption in the United States in a webinar on September 18 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. To learn more and pre-register for the webinar go to registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Culturally-Grounded Workshop Scheduled for October

1994, 1862 and 1890 institution leaders and staff are invited to attend the workshop, Culturally-Grounded Programming: Sharing and Learning among 1994 and 1862 Land Grant Institutions, October 25, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. This workshop represents continuing dialog between 1994 and 1862 leaders on how both parties can learn from each other, develop trusting relationships, and increase collaboration on programs of mutual interest and benefit. The workshop is a pre-conference session to the FALCON (First Americans Land Grant Consortium) Annual Conference, October 26-28, 2019. FALCON is the professional association of 1994 land-grant administrators, faculty, extension educators and students. The Tribal colleges will also celebrate 25 years as 1994 land-grant institutions. See FALCON 2019 Registration for conference agenda and registration. For more information contact John Phillips jphillips@aihec.org, or Ashley Stokes ashley.stokes@colostate.edu.



Strategic Opportunity in Consumer Literacy: Trust in Food - On September 6, 2019, Ed Jones, moderated his last Next Generation Extension Learning for Leaders as ECOP Chair. Nate Birt, Director, Development & Programming, Trust in Food, was featured. Directors and administrators who joined the meeting identified some opportunities to explore, initiate or expand programming through Trust in Food. The recording of the conversation is now available at Learning for Leaders YouTube Channel and the slides may be found here. To answer questions, contact Nate Birt.



Coming Together for Racial Understanding Workshop Update - The second Coming Together for Racial Understanding workshop is scheduled for October 7-11. Due to high demand and a technical difficulty resulting in delayed launch of registration website, the late fee for workshop registration has been waived. All registrations will be charged the early bird rate through September 15, 2019, the cutoff date. Please share this information within your respective networks so that team members who are interested can finalize their registrations.
 • Flyer describing the event: http://srdc.msstate.edu/civildialogue/coming-together-flyer-2019.pdf 
 • Event web page: http://srdc.msstate.edu/civildialogue/2019_meeting.html 
 • Project site: http://srdc.msstate.edu/civildialogue/index.html
Principal contact is Rachel Welborn, rachel.welborn@msstate.edu.



FREE Virtual Conference Promotes Connections and Collaborations Working with Military Families - The Military Families Learning Network (MFLN) announces a FREE 3-day virtual conference, “Relationships for Readiness,” starting on Tuesday, September 17 - Thursday, September 19 that will focus on the Family Readiness System. MFLN invites educators working with military families across the country to begin rethinking their work with military families by re-aligning themselves as connected & collaborative professionals. Certificates of completion as well as continuing education credits from multiple disciplines will be available throughout the conference. For more information and to RVSP go to: https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/vc2019. Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to participate and share this opportunity with interested colleagues!



New APLU Position, Director of Congressional & Government Affairs, Agriculture & International Development - This new position and partnership was recently discussed in July at the Joint COPs meeting. The primary focus for this position is to work within APLU Offices of Congressional & Governmental Affairs, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and International Programs. The Director will be responsible for advancing the association’s priorities to enhance higher education’s role in agricultural development, both domestically and globally, through the annual budget and appropriations process, appropriate authorization legislation, and with key agencies such as USDA and USAID. To learn more CLICK HERE. Preference will be given to applicants responding by September 13.