Virtual National Awards Event Registration

The Cooperative Extension System is invited to register for A Community of Scholars Celebrating Excellence: USDA Teaching and Extension Awards Ceremony, Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 3:00-5:30 PM, ET, at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gHQn8SMBSvWLa8ck07Ch-g. Wendy Powers, University of California, who will then be ECOP Chair, will join USDA-NIFA Officials during the first portion of the event for presentation of the esteemed Extension Awards. Recipients are preparing ignite-style briefings to share their impacts during the session. The official media release announcing the 2021 recipients of these awards will be released closer to the actual date. Contact either Sandy Ruble, sandyruble@extension.org, regarding the Extension Awards and Tara Westington, twestington@aplu.org, regarding the Teaching Awards for more information. Other November 2021 dates/times of interest to the Cooperative Extension Section are found here.

Invitation to Participate in National Survey on Rural Community, Economic, and Workforce Development Priorities - The four Regional Rural Development Centers invite rural-focused leadership and professionals working on issues of community, economic, and workforce development to participate in a national survey. The survey is the first phase of a listening sessions process aimed at identifying key priorities and critical investments for rural communities' recovery and growth. The process is implemented by the RRDCs with support from the Extension Foundation through the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension accelerator program. The RRDCs ask that rural development research and Extension/outreach leaders (1) complete the survey no later than October 6 and (2) share the survey with those in their networks engaged in community and economic development activities. Timely completion will ensure that responses inform a preliminary report that will be shared by the RRDCs with USDA NIFA and other federal partners as stakeholder feedback. To access the survey and submit responses, visit: https://bit.ly/RuralPrioritiesSurvey. Please pardon any duplication of effort to inform readers of this opportunity.

USDA Releases Resource Guide for Rural Disaster Resiliency and Recovery - USDA Rural Development (RD) has announced the launch of a new resource guide to help rural communities seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance. This resource guide outlines RD programs, services and information on technical assistance for rural preparedness and recovery. Resources of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) are included. This guide seeks to strengthen local resiliency, provide resources that help build capacity to identify and manage risks to minimize the impact of disasters on residents and businesses. USDA RD’s disaster resiliency and recovery guide provides a matrix categorizing RD programs by the following four key assistance types:
   · Community and Economic Development Planning and Housing
   · Infrastructure and Equipment including wastewater systems, broadband, and healthcare
   · Local Business Development
   · Education and Training



2021 FCS State Program Leaders Meeting Announcement - Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to share that the Annual FCS State Program Leaders Meeting will be held virtually on November 4-5, 2021, in conjunction with the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting. Go to https://www.neafcs.org/2021-annual-session for more information.

Community Learning through Data-Driven Discovery

Community Learning through Data-Driven Discovery (CLD3): A Paradigm Shift for Working with Communities to Address Critical Needs - Rural communities, towns, cities, counties, and states have entered a new era where communities of all types have access to data in greater quantity, detail, and variety. These communities face the challenge of integrating these data into their decision-making, planning, economic development, and operations. The Cooperative Extension System (CES) can help. CES professionals are poised to become catalysts to bring the data revolution to their communities and help community leaders address some of the most pressing needs of our time. The CES can develop and sustain a national network of Community Learning through Data-Driven Discovery (CLD3) partnerships that integrate data science expertise with CES professionals in the field and the communities they serve. Data-science research partnerships within the CES contribute to shaping and placing data insights directly into the hands of where they are needed most: with local decision-makers. These CLD3 partnerships help to promote civic engagement among a diverse group of Cooperative Extension, universities, local, state, and national stakeholders. Learn more here about successes in igniting this national network. Participate in some self-paced training to get started. Read some case studies and contact the principals for more information about joining in this effort.

ECOP Program Committee Urban Program Action Team Update - The ECOP Urban Program Action Team, led by Dr. Brent Hales, Penn State, is in the process of inviting Directors, Specialists and Partners to be part of the Urban Extension Program Action Team. In the next two months the PAT will host a series of priority-setting meetings. Once priorities have been identified Implementation Teams will coalesce around the top few, and develop next steps. The Urban PAT will also be closely linked with other PATs including Climate; Workforce and Economic Development; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; 4-H Positive Youth Development and Health.

The Urban PAT, in partnership with NUEL, is also in the process of hiring a National Urban Extension Leaders Communications & Capacity Building Fellow. This Fellowship will help support work moving forward, and engage new partners for the system.

Call for nominations: Implementation Teams, sub-committees of the Action Team, are composed of Extension faculty and specialists from across the nation with the task of identifying Extension programs that are ready to be scaled up and funded at the national level. The Implementation Teams would serve as Extension’s partnering group regarding national urban initiatives for their theme. The implementation team would also be responsible for developing letters of intent or submitting large grants on behalf of ECOP. A second task of the Priority Implementation Team would be to provide content to further develop the advocacy toolkit for urban programs. Initially, these teams would meet monthly. If a faculty and/or staff member is interested in being involved in an Implementation Team, please send contact information to Caroline Henney.

Save the November Dates - Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to carefully review this list of CFERR/BAA/BoHS Virtual Annual Meeting dates and times recently released by Doug Steele, APLU Vice President, Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources and hold relevant times. Please stay tuned to email to receive connection details from the FANR office. 

Also, APLU President Peter McPherson invites everyone to join Public Higher Education Leaders for the virtual APLU Annual Meeting, November 15-17, 2021, for The New Now: The Promise of Higher Education in a Rapidly Changing World. The registration requiring fees starting at $125 is available here. 

Extension Foundation Announces 2021-2022 New Technologies for Ag Extension Projects - The Extension Foundation will be supporting 20 projects across Cooperative Extension as part of its third year of the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) program. This program is made possible by funding from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through a partnership with Oklahoma State University and the Extension Foundation. This program serves all Land-grant Universities in the United States. Year 3 projects include all rural development centers, projects selected through a competitive RFA, projects selected by USDA-NIFA, and ECOP Program Action Teams. The combined award going directly to all projects is approximately $1.26M. A full listing of projects is available here.

Climate Program News

The ECOP Program Committee's Program Action Team on Climate led by Jason Henderson, Purdue University, has developed three Priority Areas to implement in the next 6-12 months. Each team will initially meet monthly to:

• identify Extension programs that are ready to be scaled up nationally
• serve as Extension’s partnering group regarding national climate initiatives according to priority
• develop letters of intent for national program grants
• provide content for the PAT on Climate to further develop the advocacy toolkit for climate, mitigation, resiliency, and adaptation

Extension Directors and Administrators are asked to consider volunteering a faculty member or educator to participate on one of the following Teams. Please send interested faculty and/or staff member's contact information to Caroline Henney.

Priority Area Implementation Teams

• Climate-Smart Agriculture – Cooperative Extension can support the adaptation, mitigation, and resilience of U.S. agriculture to climate change. Helping farmers, ranchers and landowners develop and adopt climate-sensitive practices on working lands will improve the profitability and sustainability of plant and animal systems in rural and urban environments. These practices will maintain adequate and safe food systems as supply chains strain under shifting climate conditions.
  
  
• Climate-Resilient Communities – Cooperative Extension can work with rural and urban communities to develop climate sensitive community plans to support the adaptation, mitigation, and resilience of communities to climate change. In addition, these plans would also focus on supporting communities as they develop risk management plans surrounding natural disasters – fires, floods, rising temperatures, and increased incidence of extreme weather events.
  
  
• Ecosystem Services – Cooperative Extension supports the protection and preservation of natural areas and resources amid changing climates. Translational research and Extension programs focused on adaptation, mitigation and resilience can help reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forest production. In addition, climate sensitive management practices for our forests, waterways, and other natural habitats can reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

EPA Report Shows Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change - On September 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a significant and detailed report on the impacts of climate change among different demographic groups in the contiguous United States. The report, titled Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impact Sectors, examines the extent to which “socially vulnerable” populations within the United States are disproportionately subject to the most significant impacts of climate change. The report serves a critical role in guiding the federal response strategies to existing impacts of climate change in America’s unserved and underserved communities, while informing environmental justice initiatives about the detriment of projected future impacts on these same communities.

 

NASS to Send 2021 Hemp Acreage and Production Survey This Fall - This October, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will mail its first Hemp Acreage and Production Survey. The survey will collect information on the total planted and harvested area, yield, production, and value of hemp in the United States. The Domestic Hemp Production Program established in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) allows for the cultivation of hemp under certain conditions. The Hemp Acreage and Production survey will provide needed data about the hemp industry to assist producers, regulatory agencies, state governments, processors, and other key industry entities. Producers may complete the survey online at agcounts.usda.gov or they may complete and return the survey by mail using the return envelope provided. Learn more about the survey at nass.usda.gov/go/hemp.


SARE Animation Features Economics of Sustainable Agriculture - While most agricultural profit models focus on maximizing yields in the short term, sustainable strategies prioritize profitable returns over the long term. SARE’s The Economics of Sustainable Agriculture animation describes how practices such as crop rotation and reduced tillage can improve an operation’s bottom line sustainably. The newest episode in SARE’s What is Sustainable Agriculture? series provides a short and simple introduction to ecological practices that form the foundation of thriving and resilient farm systems.

Updated Links to NIFA Resources and Contacts - 

• NIFA Organizational Structure
• New Upcoming RFA Calendar
• List of National Program Leaders by Program and Institutes
• New organization of our Programs page
• Detailed Competitive and Capacity Grants Process Flowcharts