Save the Date for Joint ESS/CES-NEDA Meeting

The Cooperative Extension Section (CES) Annual meeting, also known as the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting, will be held jointly this year with the Experiment Station Section (ESS). The meeting theme is Building Trust and in draft will take place September 25-28, 2022, at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront. The Meeting Planning Committee is co-chaired by Chris Watkins, Cornell University, and Matt Wilson, West Virginia University, and consists of equal representation by each Section and Region. Members of both Sections of the Board on Agriculture Assembly, a unit of APLU's Commission on Food, Environment, & Renewable Resources, are encouraged to save the date for this important meeting. Stay tuned to email and during future ECOP and ESCOP organized meetings for more information as it becomes available. Links to registration will eventually be shared here on the APLU website.



Survey Contributes to System-wide Analysis of Vaccine Hesitancy - Thousands of Extension professionals connected with the Extension Foundation wrap-around services to the System and the EXCITE Project were invited last Tuesday to participate in a voluntary, anonymous survey that is officially endorsed and supported by ECOP. For the 20 minutes or so that it takes to complete the survey, responses will inform the aim of EXCITE’s Getting to the Heart of the Matter project to reduce vaccine hesitancy, and increase employees’ willingness to conduct adult learning about vaccinations. This week Extension Leaders from 1862, 1980, and 1994 land-grant institutions are encouraged to share the direct link to the survey https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3jU0g7onaHBbd5k with all of their personnel. More reminders from Extension Foundation are anticipated. Questions/comments about the survey may be directed to Principal Investigator, Dr. Erica Weintraub Austin, eaustin@wsu.edu, or 509-335-8840.

USDA NIFA Live FAQ Session: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems - The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems (A1712) program area priority is designed to rapidly identify and implement strategies to protect the nation’s food and agricultural supply chains and the people who support them during and after extreme weather events. NIFA invites interested applicants to join on April 25, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. ET to learn more about this program area priority and to meet the team during a live FAQ event. Contact afri-rapidresponse@usda.gov for details.

NUEL 2021 Accomplishment Report Available - The National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) recently presented a detailed 2021 Accomplishment Report to the ECOP Program Committee, chaired by Brent Hales, Penn State. NUEL focused its work in 2021 around expanding and enhancing communication with Extension professionals working in urban environments, working with Extension professionals nationally to identify a set of priority issues for Extension’s urban work, providing leadership for the development of the new ECOP Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Program Action Team, and continuing to build national partnerships in support of Extension urban focused work. The complete report, along with NUEL accomplishment reports from previous years, can be accessed at NUEL Accomplishments website.



USDA NIFA AFRI Education and Workforce Development Grant Opportunity - Education and Workforce Development focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and Extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The aim of these grants is to cultivate future industry, government, or academic leaders who can solve emerging agricultural challenges of the 21st Century. In 2022, NIFA requests applications for AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support: professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals; non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth; workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges; training of undergraduate students in research and extension; fellowships for predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars; and special workforce development topics. Application deadlines varies by program area. For more information, read the AFRI - EWD funding announcement.

FY23 Federal Funding Unified Ask

During the recent CARET/AHS Meeting, the Unified Request for NIFA Funding FY 2023, also referred to as the Unified Ask, was released by the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors. All Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to remain familiar with this important document that is available with federal budget and advocacy materials at www.land-grant.org and engage with their regional representatives on the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), if they have any questions or concerns. The next meeting of the ECOP BLC is slated for Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 4:00 p.m. ET.

Advancing Digital Access-Registration Now Open - Digital access is vital to community wellbeing. Yet many communities and individuals lacking access struggle with navigating the divide. In partnership with Extension Foundation and NIFA, the National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET) is offering a three-day in-person intensive train-the-trainer workshop from May 3-5, 2022 for teams of Extension professionals interested in helping close the digital divide in their state. Key roles Extension can play in this process include two key arenas: (1) community organizing and planning, and (2) educating on digital skills needed to make use of available broadband access. This workshop will equip participants with both training and tools to guide efforts to close these critical gaps that greatly impact quality of life and economic recovery. Learn more and register here. For more information, contact Rachel Welborn, Associate Director, Southern Rural Development Center.




Opportunities to Serve on USDA NIFA Peer Review Panels - USDA NIFA convenes peer review panels comprised of research, education, extension, and other subject matter experts to review competitive grant proposals. Panelist duties include reviewing proposals; drafting and submitting individual scores and written reviews; attending and participating in a panel meeting. During the panel meeting panelists discuss and reach a group consensus on proposal rankings. Panels may be conducted via teleconference or at in-person meeting spaces. Persons interested in serving on a peer-review panel can provide their contact information by visiting NIFA Peer Review System and clicking on the “Panelist Recruitment” link in the “Volunteer” section.




Secretary Vilsack Releases USDA’s Blueprint for Nutrition Security - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a report detailing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Actions on Nutrition Security. This report highlights USDA's commitment to advancing nutrition security, and the consistent access to safe, nutritious food that supports optimal health and well-being for all Americans. On May 17th, Secretary Vilsack showcased USDA's robust efforts to tackle nutrition insecurity. The address underscored USDA's commitment under the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize bold nutrition security efforts that will help ensure all American children and families have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food. See the speech here usda.gov/live. 

International Federation for Home Economics Congress - The International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) World Congress 2022 will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, September 6-10, 2022 (new dates). This Congress only occurs every four years and has not been held in the United States since 1988. The theme is Home Economics: Soaring Toward Sustainable Development. Gather on an international stage to share expertise, explore ideas and network with colleagues from around the globe. The in-person experience will include opening and closing cultural evenings, plenary sessions, workshops and symposiums, the EXPO (posters, textiles & design, and exhibitors), educational tours, and concurrent sessions. Early bird registration with lower fees closes on May 10. Click here to learn more and register. 

Appreciation and Best Wishes to Dr. Castille

ECOP extends its sincere appreciation and best wishes to Dr. Carrie Castille, USDA NIFA Director, as she soon embarks on a new opportunity at University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. During her 14 months as NIFA Director, Dr. Castille hired and promoted 168 employees to build a strong, vibrant agency. Under her leadership, employee satisfaction measures dramatically increased, the agency resumed its national leadership role in 4-H, and the spirit of partnership with stakeholders across the nation soared. Dr. Castille will conclude her service at USDA in April and assume her new role July 1, 2022, pending approval of the UT Board of Trustees Executive Committee. 

 

Only 7 Weeks Left to Nominate - The 2022 National Extension Awards program co-sponsored by USDA-NIFA and ECOP was launched on February 1 and the deadline to nominate is only about 7 weeks away May 1. Winning nominations for worthy Cooperative Extension professionals (min. of 50% EFT/FTE university appointment in Extension) require an investment of time and effort to prepare. Extension Directors and Administrators are required to prepare letters of recommendation for the Excellence in Extension Awards. There is no requirement for this for the Diversity Award. For complete details, visit www.aplu.org/CESAwards. Tips for winning words are found here. 

Invitation to Help Identify Regional and National Investments for Rural Recovery and Development - The four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) are leading an effort to identify the issues diverse rural stakeholders see as top priorities for rural recovery and development. The RRDC's invite research and Extension Directors and Administrators and their community partners to participate in both a Regional Session (broad local context) and National Topic (issues of national importance) Sessions. Please (1) register here to participate and (2) share the invitation to participate with field Agents/Educators and community-based partners engaged in economic, workforce, and community development activities in rural and coastal areas and small towns. These 90-minute, free sessions will run from March 22 through April 26, 2022. After registering, visit the recently launched a Data Dashboard to explore outcomes from the national stakeholder survey that drove topics for the Listening Sessions. 

USDA NIFA Information Now Available in Spanish - With a key priority of enhancing accessibility, USDA NIFA is reducing barriers to agency information and programs. A first step has been to add Spanish versions of critical agency information. A list of links to resources that are now available in Spanish is located here. 

Priester Award Nominations Open - The Priester Awards will be awarded during the 2022 National Health Outreach Conference May 4-6, in Kansas City MO. The purpose of the award is to recognize Extension programs that positively influence the health of people across the US by providing leadership to expand Extension’s capacity to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. Access links to additional guidance, applications instructions, and the nomination form are available here.

Climate Topic Learning for Leaders

Last Friday, 31 of the 76 members of the Cooperative Extension Section, plus 1, 1994 Extension Director participated in the Learning for Leaders organized by the ECOP Professional Development Committee. Participants learned about the national collaboration between National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) grassroots effort and ECOP Program Action Team (PAT) grasstops effort on Climate programming. The 2 organizations are still recruiting while considering next steps to determining the role of Extension in Climate Resiliency. The 2 groups will work together to continually inform the Advocacy Toolkit on Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation. The recording of the session is available for review at https://youtu.be/Esd5gi90qZQ and slides with active links is found here. 

Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities - ECOP wants to assure that the Cooperative Extension Section is aware of this important development and funding opportunity. On Feb. 7, 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. USDA is now accepting project applications here for fiscal year 2022. A range of public and private entities may apply including Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education. Please note that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (page 11) specifically lists university Extension as eligible to apply. Grant deadlines are: April 8, 2022, for the first funding pool (proposals from $5 million to $100 million), and May 27, 2022, for the second funding pool (proposals from $250,000 to $4,999,999). 

Military Families Learning Network is Now OneOp - OneOp continues a tradition of free quality information and education for professionals helping military families. OneOp is a single-point-of-entry professional development resource for service providers. For more than 10 years OneOp has collaborated with DoD and the US Department of Agriculture to provide free and open-access learning opportunities within a full spectrum of family service subject areas. This long-standing DoD partnership allows OneOp to meet the professional development needs of service providers with programming that reflects complex and dynamic DoD priority areas. As a virtual organization with global reach, OneOp facilitates the connections and shared knowledge required of providers within DoD’s Military Family Readiness System. Please share this announcement, recommend bookmarking of the new website oneop.org, and connecting with OneOp on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Recap of 2022 Agricultural Outlook Forum - 5,900 people attended our 98th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum last month. In case you missed it, a recap is available using the links to speeches and slides embedded into the program here. This year’s event included: The release of the 2022 Outlook for the U.S. Ag Economy and Trade, Keynote address by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and discussion on China, and 25 sessions covering topics ranging from commodity outlooks and supply chain resilience to climate change adaptation and ag innovation.

The ECOP Calendar is updated frequently and found here. Contact Caroline Henney carolinecrocoll@extension.org if you have any questions. Thank you.