USDA NIFA’s Seaman A. Knapp lecturer, the Cooperative Extension System/ECOP Executive Director Emeritus Dr. Caroline Henney, applauded the work of the ECOP Program Committee's Program Action Teams listed here, and mentioned the emerging Food Loss Food Waste PAT in her speech, Looking Back and Thinking Forward.
She went on to say, “Extension has an important role to play in the well-being of this nation. I have always believed in the relevance of Extension. In the pivotal nature of this work. In the ability to connect the university to the people. To grow and adapt to ever-emerging human and community needs where and when they occur.”
Dr. Henney quoted Seaman A. Knapp, 1894: “‘Your mission is to solve problems of poverty, to increase measures of happiness, to harness the forces of all learning to the useful and needful in human society.’ One man and a handful of county agents in the South set this nation on a path that produced a vast Extension system with 32,000+ state and local professionals and 1,000,000+ volunteers, empowering farmers, ranchers, families and communities to meet the ever-changing challenges they face. Extension is a powerful, impactful force that has never been needed more.
If I were Seaman Knapp today, I would take the positive understanding of Extension’s important role much farther. I would challenge each of you, no matter what your role or connection to the Extension System of the United States, to kick it up a notch.
First, identify why the Extension service is still after 100+ years the best kept secret, and fix it.
Second, I would seek partnerships at all levels that are well beyond traditional.
Third, I would be relentless in telling the Extension story and sharing its critical value to legislators, and key decision-makers. If I learned anything in my career, its that the squeaky wheel generally gets the grease. I would work across the System to start a nationwide PR program to help the people of this country finally recognize the true treasure that we have in Extension. This far-reaching arm of our universities makes a true difference in the nation and the world.
I believe now than at any other time since Dr. Knapp first brought the universities to the people, that Extension is more critical or more needed for our current and future generations and the diverse communities that Extension serves.
We are all Seaman A. Knapp today. And we must do these things not to seek recognition for what Extension does, but to build hope. To build meaning. To build a far-reaching understanding of Extension as the largest education system of its kind in the world. Bringing the university to the people, as purveyors of credible, research-based information from which people and communities can make informed decisions to improve their lives.
Seaman A. Knapp’s early demonstration work likely has impacted millions and millions of people. On the continuum of this work across time, if appropriately tapped and resourced, Extension can indeed change the world.
Thank you for this incredible opportunity to be with you today.”
Rural America at a Glance, 2023 Edition Webinar - During a 1-hour webinar on Thursday this week, November 16, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET, the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Research Agricultural Economist James C. Davis will highlight the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas, focusing on rural population and migration trends, poverty, housing insecurity, unemployment, and clean energy jobs. The ERS releases the Rural America at a Glance report annually, which summarizes the status of conditions and trends in rural areas. Registration here is required.
LAST CHANCE: LEAD21 Apply by November 15 - The LEAD21 program is intended to meet the future needs for leadership development of faculty, specialists, district and regional directors, program and team leaders, research station and center directors, department heads and chairs, and others in the universities’ colleges of agricultural, environmental, natural resources, veterinary sciences, and human sciences and USDA/NIFA. Individuals from Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities, and USDA are encouraged to participate. Details and more are available here.
