Reporting System Resources and Webinar

Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to visit, bookmark, and share the NIFA Reporting System (NRS) Website. The site provides access to insightful webinar recordings and summaries under the sub-heading of NRS Resources plus useful FAQs. Click here to sign up to receive monthly webinar email announcements and updates. NRS webinars are meant to inform NRS users of ongoing system modifications and enhancements, communicate critical dates, and gather end user feedback. The next Webinar will be held this Thursday, March 30, 2023, 2:00 PM ET to provide guidance for submitting the FY2022 Annual Report of Accomplishments that is due May 1. To register in advance, visit: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_jxNTXdWaSgeafW_Uc-7eTw.

Opportunity to Host 2024 NHOC - The National Health Outreach Conference is a three-day annual gathering of Extension faculty and staff, cross-campus collaborators, and external partners focused on the role that they can collectively play in improving the health and well-being of the nation. The conference has historically been held in May of each year and attracts approximately 250-300 participants. Typically included in the program are plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, and poster sessions. The conference is held in a different location each year. A conference planning committee assists with the duties related to hosting the conference. Institutions interested in hosting the conference are encouraged to submit their Application to Host to Roger Rennekamp at rogerrennekamp@extension.org by May 1, 2023. Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee with goal of announcing the location of next year’s conference at the 2023 Conference to be held May 22-24 in Ithaca, NY.

National Extension Tourism Update - A new publication The NET Effect: Members of the National Extension Tourism Network Help Raise the Bar in Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation, by Extension Foundation documents innovative Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant programs in sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation. The programs highlighted in the report are models for Extension teams seeking to address opportunities in sustainable tourism, outdoor recreation, and community economic development. The resource is available as flipping book or as a PDF. More about the National Extension Tourism Network (NET) including its 2023 national conference, September 24-27 is found at extensiontourism.net.

Awards Nomination Reminder

2023 Awards Reminder - What is so unique about the National Cooperative Extension Awards? They recognize people - Extension Professionals (FTE 0.50 or higher), a few among thousands located in most every community of this land-grant map, who are dedicated to empowering and equipping people with solutions to vexing problems. The awards are granted by ECOP and NIFA each year. 

Check out the possibilities at awards.extension.org before time runs out!



In Support of Colleges of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension Section members are invited to join the rest of  Board on Agriculture Assembly to solicit stakeholders organizations' signatures on a letter to support the $5 billion Research Facilities Act (RFA) funding under Title VII: Research, Extension, and Related Matters in the 2023 Farm Bill. The deadline for sign-on has been extended to close of business Wednesday, March 29. For organizations to add themselves to the letter,  forward this form to their primary points of contact. Institutions of higher learning are not eligible. Educational materials to accompany the opportunity are found at www.land-grant.org. CARET Volunteer are most impressed by the sharing the 2-pager found here - especially page 2! Contact Caron Gala, CARET Executive Director and Director of Governmental Affairs cgala@aplu.org to answer questions. 

Land-Grant Research Counterparts Have a New Brand - The Experiment Stations Section/ESCOP is pleased to introduce their new website, AgInnovation.info - Land-Grant University Research :: Science That Feeds the World. The new tool boasts accessibility for all audiences and translation to numerous languages.

Grassroots Meeting of Land-grants Underway

The annual joint meeting of Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET-Volunteers) and the APLU Board on Agricultural Assembly's Administrative Heads Section (Deans and Heads of the Colleges of Agriculture) officially begins this morning at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in DC. During the last 2 days of this meeting CARET volunteers go the Hill to present the collective voice of research, Extension, and teaching to ask members of the 118th US Congress to support federal funding for land-grant universities. View the FY2024 Appropriations and 2023 Farm Bill Reauthorization documents showcased at www.land-grant.org. Best wishes to participating CARET volunteers and Extension Section Members who will be delivering the message that Ag is the Answer through land-grant universities! 

First Friday Event Update -  The Friday, April 7, 3-4:00 p.m. ET session is cancelled. Don't miss the next session on May 5, 3-4:00 p.m. ET when 2 Sections of the BAA, Academic Programs and Cooperative Extension, convene to expand awareness of innovative, collaborative efforts between Extension and academic programs. Contact Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org for more information. 

Land-grant University Impacts Video and Statements - Check out the latest media that demonstrate the individual and collective impacts of the land-grant system in research, education, and Extension. The 2023 Land Grant Impacts YouTube Video featured below. Search the database by states, institutions, years, funding sources, focus areas, and other parameters at landgrantimpacts.org.
See 2022 impact summaries and stories in these areas:
· Food Security
· Nutrition & Health
· Youth, Family, & Communities
· Environmental Stewardship
· Agricultural Systems
· Energy & Bioproducts

Registration Now Open for the 2023 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference - NHOC will be held May 22-24 in Ithaca, NY. The 2023 conference is being hosted by Cornell University. All Extension faculty and staff and their community partners should know about this extraordinary opportunity to connect with individuals from across the country who share a passion for ensuring that all people have the opportunity to experience lifelong health. Support for these professional to attend is greatly appreciated. The conference will begin at 1:00 PM on Monday, May 22 and will end at NOON on Wednesday, May 24. The conference will feature more than 80 concurrent sessions and poster presentations as well as keynote speakers and the presentation of the 2023 Priester Health Awards. Deadline for early registration rate is March 17 and hotel room reservation is by April 30 to receive the group rate. Visit https://nhoc2023.cce.cornell.edu for more information and relevant links.

NEDA Theme and Location Announcement

The 2023 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting October 10-12 will be held in Tucson, Arizona. The Planning Committee chaired by Barbara Petty, University of Idaho, is pleased to announce the theme, Transforming Extension: People, Partners, and the Profession. 

Pre-meeting activities for groups of participants begin the morning of Tuesday, October 10 -- ECOP Business Meeting and late afternoon New Director and Administrator Orientation. All attendees may join the grand welcome reception and a dinner event sponsored by National 4-H Council. All day October 11 and half day on October 12, attendees will participate in 2 essential business meetings and several leadership development sessions. The launch of registration with instructions to book hotel rooms and a detailed agenda is scheduled for release in May. Find out more about Tucson at www.visittucson.org. Contact Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org to answer any questions.  

Workforce Development in the Cooperative Extension System - On Friday, March 3, 2023, leaders from every region of the Cooperative Extension System participated in a discussion of the current work of the Economic & Workforce Development Program Action Team (PAT). PAT Lead Ivory Lyles, Oregon State University, and 3 Fellows, gave an overview of the assessment funded by NIFA and highlights of existing workforce development Extension programs being conducted across the Extension system. To review the presentation:

--> Click here for the YouTube video recording

--> Click here access the Slides and most recent Workforce PAT Report

Learning for Leaders is organized by ECOP for members of the Cooperative Extension Section. 

NIFA Funding Opportunity: Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative Extension Disaster Education Network (FADI-EDEN) - In FY 2023, NIFA requests applications for the Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative Extension Disaster Education Network (FADI-EDEN) program. The goal of the FADI-EDEN program is to maximize the resilience of the U.S. food and agriculture sector to biosecurity risks, extreme weather events and disasters, cyber threats, and other shocks. Historically, a strength of the FADI-EDEN program has been its ties to the Extension Disaster Education Network, which is a national, collaborative network of extension professionals who are dedicated to improved all-hazards management of domestic disasters. The FADI-EDEN program will fund one Extension project that will address its priorities. To learn more about the FY 2023 funding opportunity, download the FY 2023 RFA; the RFA page also includes a pre-recorded program overview video and an informational slide deck. For additional information about the FADI-EDEN program, visit the NIFA program page. The Letter of Intent deadline is March 23, 2023, at 5:00 pm ET, and the application deadline is May 11, 2023, at 5:00 pm ET. Direct questions to Dr. Ashley Mueller, National Program Leader, at ashley.mueller@usda.gov.

RRDCs Release Findings from National Listening Sessions on Rural Community, Economic, and Workforce Development - The Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) have released findings from a comprehensive initiative aimed at identifying the critical investments needed to build community capacity and improve quality of life in rural America. Their report can be used by a broad audience of practitioners, decision makers, and government agencies to inform where programmatic efforts and resources may be most effective in tackling key issues facing rural communities. It summarizes results from eight listening sessions, which convened stakeholders in facilitated dialogues focused on regional and national issues. It also integrates qualitative data from a national survey conducted in Fall 2021, building on the quantitative survey findings published in 2021. Access the executive summary, full report, or topical and regional reports by clicking the report image or here.