USDA NIFA Leadership Changes Announced

Dionne Toombs (pictured left) has been appointed to serve as Acting Director of USDA NIFA. With over a decade of USDA service, Dr. Toombs has significantly contributed to USDA’s agricultural research, education, and Extension services while serving in various leadership roles. Most recently, she was Director of the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). She served as the head of the Division of Nutrition at NIFA and as the National Program Leader (NPL) for the Agriculture Food and Research Initiative. Prior to serving as NPL, Dr. Toombs was a Program Specialist for Food Science and Nutrition at the former USDA Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service, now NIFA. She started at USDA as a student intern at USDA’s Agriculture Research Service. Dr. Toombs earned her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Howard University, her Master of Science degree in Food Science from Alabama A & M University, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Bethune-Cookman University. Additionally, with the departure of Parag Chitnis, NIFA Liaison to ECOP and longtime NIFA Program Leader Brent Elrod will step in as Acting Associate Director of Programs. ECOP congratulates these outstanding leaders.

Last Reminder for 2022 Award Nominations - The deadline for the National Extension Awards nominations is May 1, 2022, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Full details, answers to frequently asked questions, and handy draft documents are available at www.aplu.org/CESawards. 

APLU Announces Selection of New President - The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has announced that after an extensive search process, the APLU Presidential Search Committee and Board of Directors unanimously approved the selection of Mark P. Becker (pictured left) to serve as the association’s next president effective September 1, 2022. He will succeed Peter McPherson who has served as APLU’s president since January 2006 and who will remain at APLU through August 31, 2022. See the press release here.

A Roadmap for Delivering Opportunity and Investments in Rural America - The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest billions of dollars in rural communities across the country. Supporting Americans living in rural areas remains a top priority for the Administration, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivers on the President’s promises to work toward delivering affordable, high-speed internet, safe roads and bridges, modern wastewater systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs in every rural community. To deliver on these promises, the Administration is committed to improving transparency into the availability of federal infrastructure resources to support rural communities’ ability to access these critical funds. See the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook | The White House.

May 24-26, 2022-Making Climate-Smart Agriculture Work - The USDA NIFA-funded Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is an international community of experts advancing methods for improving predictions on the future performance of agricultural and food systems. AgMIP will host a national conference from May 24-26, 2022, on Making Climate-Smart Agriculture Work. The focus of the virtual conference is to share information and best practices regarding integrating science, modeling and economics to help farmers, ranchers and foresters mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change. Click here for full details and to register.

Funding Opportunity Information Session

New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) is a grant from USDA-NIFA in partnership with Oklahoma State University and begins its fourth year on September 1, 2022. The Extension Foundation invites land-grant university Extension project and program teams to apply for up to $60K in Fellowships available and 1 year of support from Catalysts, Coaches, and Key Informants. Programs with a focus on DEI, Climate, Economic/Workforce Development, Health Equity, Positive Youth Development, Urban Programs, and Broadband Access/Digital Skills are encouraged but not required. According to ECOP's Workplan with Extension Foundation, application is encouraged. To learn more and register for information sessions visit pages.extension.org/ntae. The first session available to all land-grant universities is on April 27, 2022. Direct questions to Beverly Coberly at beverlycoberly@extension.org.



National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) Update - NCFAR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, consensus-based, and customer-led coalition that brings together food, agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and natural resource stakeholders to serve as a forum and unified voice supporting federal investment in the USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) enterprise. This USDA mission area underlies the tools necessary to build resiliency for humanity’s most basic needs, particularly relating to climate change and nutrition security for all Americans. ECOP is a member and sponsor of NCFAR Outreach, and well-represented by Rich Bonanno, Associate Dean and Director of Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University. See the updated NCFAR website leadership here.



How to Inform the Development of the Dietary Guidelines, 2025-2030 - The process to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 is kicking off. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the proposed scientific questions that will inform the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines. HHS and USDA is requesting public comments on the proposed questions. This is the first of several opportunities for public input on the Dietary Guidelines development process. Written comments on the proposed questions will be accepted from Friday, April 15 to Monday, May 16, 2022. HHS and USDA will carefully consider all relevant comments in refining the scientific questions. Learn about the process to identify the proposed scientific questions, read through the proposed scientific questions, learn how to submit a comment, and check out the frequently asked questions.

New Link for Summer 4-H Pathways Institutes Application - There is a new link to apply to the Summer 2022 4-H Pathways Leadership Institutes that was announced in detail here last week. Extension Directors and Administrators with interest in registering a 3-person team should use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Institue22. If there are questions go here or contact lead communicator Andy Turner at ast4@cornell.edu.

ECOP 4-H Executive Director Announced

The ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee Co-chairs Laura Stephenson, University of Kentucky, and Lisa Bouillion Diaz, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, have announced that after a nationwide search, their committee has selected Edwin Jones, Ph.D. (pictured left) as its Executive Director. A former ECOP Chair, ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee Co-Chair, and Trustee of National 4-H Council, Ed is well suited to help support and advance the work of the Committee in this inaugural position. For 18 months he will support the Co-chairs and ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee initiatives. Through its shared leadership model, the Committee is working to develop new partnership and funding opportunities for 1862, 1890, and 1994 4-H programs alike—as well as new revenue-generating opportunities that will support Committee initiatives beyond the initial 18-month phase. Read full announcement here.



ECOP at PILD - ECOP had a high-profile role in this year’s Public Issues Leadership Development Conference. Held from April 3-6, 2022, in Arlington, VA, the theme of the conference was All Systems Go-Navigating National Identity for Local Impact. ECOP-related sessions included ECOP’s New Advocacy & Education Vision for the Cooperative Extension System; ECOP Program Committee's Program Action Team (PAT) breakout sessions; The FY 2022 Extension System Budget Request – What it Is, How to Talk About It, and Why It Matters; and a Capnote Presentation: A System Without Borders. Also at the conference, Extension Directors/Administrators participated in an ECOP Budget and Legislative (BLC) Special Breakout Session that included an introduction to the new APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly advocacy group-Lewis-Burke Associates, establishing a well-timed feedback loop to build year-round advocacy strategies ECOP Strategic Crosswalk and BLC Workplan, and an advocacy update.

Call for Nominations for APLU Food Systems Leadership Award Deadline April 29 - The APLU Food Systems Leadership Award annually recognizes a leader who has made an extraordinary impact on the food system through leadership and service and who exemplifies the core principles established by the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI), including personal leadership, organizational leadership, and food systems leadership. The award also recognizes the leadership, innovation, engagement, and service that APLU promotes through its programs. The APLU Food Systems Leadership Award will be presented at “A Community of Scholars Honoring Excellence" award program at the APLU Annual Meeting in Denver in November. The recipient will be invited to address the current cohort of FSLI Fellows at one of their residential sessions. For criteria, form and the directions, click here. 

Coming June 2022 Family Well-Being - Navigating the Social Justice Landscape is an online, multidisciplinary approach, learning experience to a complex issue facing service providers working with military families. The 2022 Military Families Readiness Academy asynchronous courses focus on individuals’ understanding of social justice and equity (including their own understanding of privilege and oppression). The courses and discussions equip family service providers with the skills to identify barriers that impact a family’s health and well-being and identify opportunities for social justice advocacy in their work. Beginning June 1, the Academy addresses the intersections between engaging a social justice mindset as a family service professional and the ability to support the well-being of diverse military families. The courses offer engaging modules and interaction, with prompts for reflection on this critically important topic. The asynchronous delivery allows working professionals to benefit from the content in the courses at times convenient to their schedules. Continuing education credits available. Extension professionals are invited to learn more sign up for a mailing list at www.oneop.org/mfra for the Academy mailing list to receive additional information and announcements in the coming months.

Summer Pathways Institute for Extension, 4-H, and University Leadership Application Now Open -  The ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee is invites Extension Directors and Administrators to apply to the Summer 2022 4-H Pathways Leadership Institutes. The Institute is an intensive, two-day, virtual leadership program that will take place June 20-21 and August 3-4, 2022, with the goal of driving innovation and developing creative partnerships. Three-person teams that represent State 4-H leadership, Extension Leadership and Land-grant University leadership should apply via this link by Friday, May 6, 2022. For participating, each team will acquire tools needed to achieve the strategic change and growth for 4-H and Extension programs in alignment with the broader goals of Universities. Please review Frequently Asked Questions or contact Andy Turner at ast4@cornell.edu..

ECOP Spring Meeting Highlights and Results

Delegation of ECOP Members and System partners

step into the sunshine of outdoor meeting space for a 

break. Heaters were added inside of the tent due to
unexpected cooler temperatures.

The 2022 ECOP Spring Meeting, organized by the ECOP National Office, Chair Wendy Powers, University of California, presiding, was held in-person from March 29-30, 2022, in Ontario, California. Dr. Powers is focusing this year on improving ECOP processes to increase the value to assessment-paying members of the Cooperative Extension Section and to the System. During the meeting, the group discussed draft guidelines for identifying and sunsetting national priorities, guidelines for establishing national partnerships and seeking funding, telling the story of Extension through national impacts and leveraging capacity funding, strategies to develop national program leadership, the development of Section/ECOP response to the National Academies study, and strategizing the road ahead-2022 and beyond. Last Friday, the Cooperative Extension Section received a briefings on the study and from the meeting. Links to the minutes will be found at www.extension.org/ecop.



Transitioning of the ECOP Health Innovation Task Force - Following a  highly successful 2-year focus on health equity and well being related Extension work, ECOP voted to adjourned the ECOP Health Innovation Task Force (HITF). Led by Michelle Rogers, University of Delaware, and Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director, the HITF submitted their final report at the ECOP Spring meeting in Ontario, California. The full report found here contains an overview of this critical work, along with lessons learned (pp. 10-11) and formal recommendations (pp. 11-17). The HITF work will transition to the ECOP Health Equity and Well Being Program Action Team (PAT). ECOP congratulates the Task Force listed on page 8 of the 2021-2022 

ECOP List for successfully achieving the innovation goals it was established to realize!



FY23 President’s Budget Request Released - On March 28, 2022 - The Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023. Details on the FY 2023 USDA Budget Summary may be found at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023-usda-budget-summary.pdf. The NIFA Congressional Budget Justifications may be found at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/22-2023-NIFA.pdf. The NIFA budget request offers relatively stable funding levels in comparison to FY 2022 enacted levels. However, some smaller programs would receive outsized funding increases. Although the total increases are small, the budget request signals an ongoing commitment to minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and women and minority-serving programs. Climate related programs continue to be a priority. Extension Directors and Administrators attending PILD in Washington this week will meet tomorrow morning 8:30 a.m. ET with a knowledgeable team of budget and legislative experts to learn more. 



Historic Land-grant Collaboration for Sustainable Use of Safe Hemp Ingredient - During the update portion of the Spring ECOP Meeting, 1994 ECOP Liaison Brian Kowalkowski, Dean of Continuing Education, College of Menominee Nation (CMN) announced that a USDA NIFA-AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems (SAS) grant for CMN in collaboration with the 1890s' Central State University (Ohio), Kentucky State University, and the 1862s' University of Delaware, University of Kentucky, and Mississippi State University. The award totals $10 million dollars over five years with CMN receiving $1,164,925 for the first two years and the remaining $1,651,034 for years three, four, and five. Until now, no Tribal College has received a USDA NIFA-AFRI SAS grant. Sustainable Aquaculture Production of High Omega-3-Containing-Fish Using a Novel Feed Additive (Hemp) will increase CMN’s ability to develop and implement a research line that will benefit students and faculty. In addition to research, the project will offer both an education and community extension component. Kowalkowski added, the uniqueness of bringing together such a diverse group of institutions is also a step in a new direction.


With a priority to include the development of agricultural economics in rural areas, this project provides opportunities to historically underserved populations. The project will bring to the Menominee Reservation and surrounding communities an opportunity to learn about both aquaponics and aquaculture with training, workshops, and field days. A certificate program will be established for interested community members, as well as the development of articulation agreements between CMN and Central State University providing the opportunity for cross-cultural learning. The project received support locally from the Menominee Tribal Clinic, the Menominee Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, the Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, University of Wisconsin Positive Youth Development Institute, and the First American Land-grant Consortium.

ECOP congratulates all land-grant institution leaders involved in this ground-breaking effort!