2022 Census of Agriculture Released - On February 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced the results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, spanning more than 6 million data points about America’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them down to the county level. The full Census of Agriculture report as well as publication dates for additional ag census data products can be found at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. Ag census data can also be found in NASS’s searchable online database, Quick Stats.
Economic Development Administration Technology Hubs - Last year, the U. S. Economic Development Administration, a bureau of the U. S. Department of Commerce, designated 31 inaugural Tech Hubs, as well as awarded 29 Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grants. The 31 Tech Hubs found here focus on developing and growing innovative industries in regions across the country, including semiconductors, clean energy, critical minerals, biotechnology, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and more. Tech Hubs bring together private industry, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, Tribal communities and nonprofit organizations to compete for up to $75 million implementation grants to further develop these fields and make transformative investments in innovation, supply chain resilience, and job creation.
Still Time to Submit Ideas to NSF Through CASA-Bio - Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) was inspired by the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. Released by the White House in September of 2022, the EO laid out a grand vision to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing through foundational and use-inspired research and development in five thematic areas (Bioeconomy EO Themes): climate change, food and agriculture, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross cutting areas to advance all these areas. While their four February listening sessions are done, their written feedback forms are still working.
Kenya: March 8 Zoom Meeting Reminder - Remember that this Friday, March 8, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET, APLU and Executive Director Bill Hoffman will host an information sharing Zoom meeting regarding Extension and related activities in Kenya. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture recently held a trade mission to that country and there is a very positive US agricultural benefit proposition to cooperation in Kenya. Please register here for this meeting. Also, contact Dr. Hoffman at whoffman@aplu.org to request the opportunity to share an institution’s work in Kenya during the session.
About Contacting the USDA Foreign Ag Service - Extension leaders and professionals who are conducting Extension work in countries and regions around the world, are encouraged to contact the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) which serves as a great connection to a particular country’s American embassy. Contacting FAS by email is easy to do using Ag(name of country's capital)@usda.gov. Examples include aglondon@usda.gov, agtokyo@usda.gov, or agbeijing@usda.gov. FAS is interested and supportive of the work of Extension.