AFRI Food and Agriculture Non-formal Education Program Webinar

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until December 5, 2022.
Have a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday. 

AFRI Food and Agriculture Non-formal Education Program Webinar - The USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Food and Agriculture Non-formal Education (FANE) program area priority will support content development and activities for non-formal education to foster development of technology-savvy youth. Projects must develop activities that cultivate interest and competencies in STEM and in food and agricultural sciences supported by the six Farm Bill Priority areas of AFRI. Data science, including artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics as well as gene editing, and biotechnology will be supported in this program area priority. Register Here in advance for a webinar November 29, 2022, 2:00 p.m. ET. For more information visit https://www.nifa.usda.gov/afri-food-agriculture-non-formal-education-webinar and to review the RFA go to https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/FY22-AFRI-EWD-RFA-508-MOD1.pdf.

Report on Enhancing Relations Among Land-grants - On November 3, 2022, a consensus study report by the National Academies Press was released to the public. USDA-NIFA began the effort acting on a congressional directive. The study examined enhanced cooperation across the land-grant system could deepen and expand the impact of its agricultural work, which is critical to address evolving industry and environmental challenges, as well as demands from consumers. Past-chair of ECOP, Wendy Powers, Washington State University, represented Extension on the Blue Ribbon Panel as they explored the opportunities and limitations of inter-institutional projects by focusing on case studies chosen from the portfolio of past Multistate Research and Extension Activities, Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP) of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), and other regional initiatives involving research, education, and extension. 

• Video Release of Report: https://youtu.be/UTyKEOrHvUk
• View/Download Document: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26640/chapter/1

Meet New Budget & Legislative Committee Members - ECOP is not the only 15-member decision-making body for the System. The Section also relies heavily on the Budget & Legislative Committee (BLC) to establish federal legislative, budget and advocacy agenda and strategies for the Cooperative Extension System. In October, Jason Henderson, Purdue University, took the helm as Chair the ECOP BLC and the at the same time the EDA Team was on-boarding 6 new members. For short-bios and photos of each leader go to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IunhWCAq2hqxo9qSXQZauVvkb8_tTo8U/view?usp=sharing
The complete list of ECOP BLC Members if found on page five of the 2022-2023 ECOP Directory.

NIFA Listens Stakeholder Opportunity Ends Soon

Extension Directors and Administrators and others across the System are encouraged to submit written comment to NIFA to answer several questions posed by the agency to invest in science and transform lives. ECOP Members Vonda Richardson, Florida A&M University, Jason Henderson, Purdue University, Chair of the Budget & Legislative Committee, and folks from the 4-H Program Area gave NIFA their verbal answers live on November 2. ECOP Chair Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, is pleased to share the document she submitted and that Vonda and Jason used as guidance at the following link. The deadline NIFA has set to receive as many comments/answers as possible is 5:00 p.m. ET on November 30. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2O1VJ4gj05eHyptI55TPUgmztCq6BhC/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117572418052990065789&rtpof=true&sd=true

Health Framework Lightning Sessions - Hear how twelve land-grant universities across the nation are utilizing Cooperative Extension's National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to experience lifelong health. Presenting on Tuesday, November 15 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET in a lightning round format (five slides in seven minutes) are the University of New Hampshire, University of Florida, The Ohio State University, Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Georgia. Six additional institutions will present in a similar format on Thursday, December 15. The sessions are open to all Extension personnel. Register for the November 15 session here.

DEI PAT Engages with Section - At ECOP's "First Friday" Zoom event on November 4, the Professional Development Committee organized an engaging session by the Program Committee's DEI Program Action Team (PAT). After and quick update, the delegation of 1994, 1890, and 1862 Extension leaders shared what was most needed in three areas of interest:

• Developing a Community of Practice/Resource Depository
• Establishing Metrics
• Fostering Collaboration Among 1890, 1994, and 1862 Institutions

A full report of what took place, including a collection of recommendations and who to contact for other ideas, is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uFGAeAOFpr_CB7lMkQrYsGU87aSiUOiP/view?usp=sharing. The DEI PAT is always recruiting new members and is the primary source of information made available at advocacy.extension.org/#diversity. 

Top Honors in Extension Excellence and Diversity

Yesterday, ECOP Chair Dr. Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, and Dr. Dionne Toombs, Acting Director of USDA-NIFA presented 7 Cooperative Extension awards at the APLU Annual meeting in Denver. Congratulations to the following faculty for their hard work, positive impact for all, and visionary leadership for the Cooperative Extension System!

The Excellence in Extension Awards for Individuals recognize Cooperative Extension professionals who excel at science-based programming, provides visionary leadership, and makes a positive impact on their constituents.

The winner of the national award is Alison Davis (pictured left), University of Kentucky. Dr. Davis is Extension Professor of Agriculture Economics, and the Executive Director of the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK). She leads a team of  engagement and research staff to support for CEDIK’s five priority areas: economic development, leadership development, community health, arts engagement, and community design. Davis has attracted over $15 million in funding from federal agencies including USDA, Appalachian Regional Commission, Health and Human Services, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In 2020, Davis led a statewide Economic Recovery and Resiliency Program designed to support economic development professionals, small businesses, and communities as they rebound from COVID-19. She facilitated the distribution of nearly $1 million in grants to Kentucky businesses and communities to support their recovery from the loss of revenues resulting from COVID-19. She now leads similar efforts supporting disaster relief and recovery for businesses and communities that have been destroyed by extreme weather events.

The Regional Excellence Awards for Individuals

Winner are pictured L-R:

1890s - Angela Williams, 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Alabama A&M University, was awarded for exemplary leadership, community outreach, and positive impact with underserved youth. North Central - Christian Butzke, Extension Enologist and Professor, Purdue University, was awarded for exceptional national Extension leadership serving the wine industry.
Northeast - Nila Cobb, Associate Professor, West Virginia University, was awarded for exemplary commitments to effective engagement of underserved youth and families to help them thrive.
Southern - Paul Fisher, Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Florida, was awarded for excellence in providing science-based Extension education on controlled environment horticulture.

The National Excellence in Extension Team Award recognizes excellence and leadership of an Extension team in performing the work of Extension research, technical assistance, and outreach education.

The AES NC3169 Multi-state Research Group, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program’s (EFNEP) Related Research, Program Evaluation, and Outreach, picture above, received the brand new award. The team works to strengthen the evidence base of EFNEP, Extension’s flagship nutrition education program. The group is developing and testing critical and culturally relevant evaluation tools to assess EFNEP’s program effectiveness. Integrating the land-grant mission of Extension, research, and education, the team includes 23 university researchers, practitioners, and graduate students and represents 16 land-grant institutions. Membership reflects the diversity of expertise needed to address research needs including nutrition, physical activity, education, economics, food safety, public health, sociology, and statistics. The group engages 1862 and 1890 institutions in vital community based participatory research.

National Diversity in Extension Award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism.

The winner in 2022 is Latinx Agricultural Network (LAN), a Community of Practice at Pennsylvania State University that was created to address an increasing regional and national issue involving a growing underserved population, the Latinx community. LAN brings together members from across the College of Agricultural Sciences and Extension, industry, and Latinx community with the goal of ensuring Latinx operators, farmers, workers, and their families in Pennsylvania and beyond receive the best extension services that Penn State has to offer, and their needs are met using comprehensive strategies and science-based information. A multidisciplinary team of over 110 faculty, educators, administrators, students, and grassroots advisors are working hand-to-hand to assess, evaluate, adapt, and amplify future services, outreach and education efforts across disciplines spanning from plant science and farm safety to 4-H and family health and nutrition. 

To learn more about nominating Extension professionals and teams, go to www.aplu.org/CESawards and watch for the release of the 2023 request for nominations. 

EXCITE Design Phase Deadline Extended to November 30 - EXCITE is a nationwide local response by U.S. Cooperative Extension made possible through an interagency agreement between USDA-NIFA and the CDC. Cooperative Extension is positioned to continue to be a partner with CDC and other federal partners in adult immunization education because of the system's ability to collaborate, deliver whole-health educational programming, and is a trusted messenger to share science-based knowledge. We have extended the application deadline for the new EXCITE Design Phase opportunity to November 30, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST. All Land-grant universities are invited to participate. Learn more at this link.