Monday, March 25, 2024

Extension Foundation 2023 Annual Report Available

Since 2006, the Extension Foundation has been a steadfast partner to the Cooperative Extension System. Through innovative technology solutions, professional development, and strategic collaborations, the Foundation has helped Extension programs scale, adopt new models, and make a more visible and measurable impact on local issues across the nation. The Extension Foundation partners with Cooperative Extension through liaison roles and a formal plan of work with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) to increase system capacity. Learn more about the organization and our work by reading the Extension Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report.





Reminder for 2024 PILD Participants - The ECOP Program Committee asks Extension Directors and Administrators with delegations attending the PILD Conference to raise awareness of the concurrent sessions by the ECOP Program Action Teams (PATs) slated for the 8:15-10:00 a.m., April 16, 2024 as described in the final 2024 PILD Conference program. This will be an excellent opportunity for PILD attendees to understand how various PATs work, what they do, and account for the benefits locally. 

Also, please be mindful that Extension Directors and Administrators who are attending the PILD Conference should mark their calendar to attend their in-person meeting on, Monday April 15, 2:00 p.m.




National Cooperative Extension Awards Nominations Reminder - Now is a good time to check in on the status of preparing nominations for the three categories of National Cooperative Extension Awards offered by ECOP and USDA-NIFA. The deadline to submit nominations online is about five weeks away, May 1, 2024. Letters from respective members of Section are required for the individual and team Excellence in Extension award nominations. The gateway to all of the details may be found at awards.extension.org. Questions about these awards may be directed to Sandy Ruble, Assistant Director, Cooperative Extension System/ECOP at sandyruble@extension.org. The value of the prizes exceed $38,000 annually. 




JCEP Excellence in Extension Engagement Award Applications Due May 31 - JCEP’s Excellence in Extension Engagement Award recognizes high-quality, evidence-based Extension work with documented outstanding outcomes and impacts. The award is for an individual or a team, members of these seven JCEP organizations, whose programs are driven by local needs, grounded in scholarly practice, adequately evaluated, showing adoption beyond initial audiences, within or across states, and bringing innovation to Extension. First place is $750 and includes being an invited speaker at ELC 2025 with registration waived. Honorable mention receives $250 and ELC 2025 registration is waived. Applications open at PILD and are due by May 31. Details and application are at www.jcep.org/awards. Also online is a synopsis of The Remote Online Initiative from our 2024 winner, Dr. Paul Hill, Extension Professor & Program Director, Utah State University.




Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding - NIFA offers several technical assistance events to help prospective applicants understand NIFA funding opportunities. Supporting material from these events — which also provide guidance on grant development and grant management — is available here. The next session, that may be of interest is Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding on May 2, 2024, 12:00 PM ET. Click here to register to attend and submit questions ahead of time. While this session is conducted by NIFA, the concepts taught in the session will be transferrable to other granting agencies.




USDA Outlines Vision to Strengthen the American Bioeconomy Through a More Resilient Biomass Supply Chain - USDA has released a plan that will boost biomass supply chain resiliency for domestic biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing environmental sustainability and market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. The report — Building a Resilient Biomass Supply: A Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America — calls for three broad areas of activity: (1) research, development, and demonstration for innovation in newly emerging biomass supply systems; (2) capacity building to expand existing biomass supply systems; and (3) market development and assessment to match biomass supply to demand for the biobased products. Read more here on how this roadmap will strengthen biomass production and preprocessing systems.

Monday, March 18, 2024

National Program Leadership, Partnerships and Capacity

Members and liaisons to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) assembled in Oklahoma City last week. During the day-and-a-half-long meeting the group addressed support for sustainable Program Leadership, partnership enrichment, and the approach to increasing capacity funding for Cooperative Extension. The ECOP agreed to continue meeting in-person three times per year around strategic directions and Annual Action Plan.
Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, President of the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture, and President of NASDA Foundation Board of Directors warmly welcomed ECOP members March 13, 2024.
The delegation of voting members, EDA Team, Liaisons and guests at the Sheraton OKC Downtown.
Oklahoma State Extension hosted, Oklahoma Farm Bureau sponsored dinner at the Petroleum Club.
(L-R) ECOP Chair Damona Doye presented Laura Perry Johnson (University of Georgia), with an engraved clock, for service to ECOP since 2021. Laura will retire in April 2024. Damona also led a standing ovation for Southern Region Executive Director Ron Brown for his service to ECOP for the past two decades. Ron will retire at the end of June 2024. 



Resolution Passed by the Section - Eighty-three percent of the membership of the Cooperative Extension Section participated during the two-week voting period last month. The final tally, 61 yeses, 2 no's, was recorded in the minutes of the 2024 ECOP Spring Meeting to approve the following. Billing for ECOP by APLU in 2024 (April) will remain the same dating back to 2019. The temporary, three-year resolution will be implemented in 2025.

Resolved: ECOP assessments for state-based 1862 institutions will be proportionally based on the amount that each institution receives in capacity funds (Smith Lever 3.b&c, Smith Lever Special Needs, EFNEP and RREA), calculated using a three-year rolling average. Assessments for 1890 institutions, American Samoa Community College, University of Guam, Northern Marianas College, College of Micronesia, Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension, University of the Virgin Islands, and the University of the District of Columbia will remain at 2024 baseline levels. This calculation method will remain in effect through the 2027 assessment year, at which time the issue will be reevaluated. If the total ECOP budget changes, this will proportionally change the assessment for all 76 institutions.





4-H Work Readiness Reaches 10M+ in USA Today Special Edition
 - On March 15, USA TODAY published a U.S. Department of Agriculture Special Edition that included a National 4-H Council full-page ad (page 79) to bring visibility to 4-H among corporate prospects, farmers, growers & ranchers, highlighting how 4-H is preparing youth to be work ready. In addition, 100,000 hard copies of the publication was sent directly to key officials at USDA. 




Registration for the 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium - On June 11-13, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) hosts the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. The event includes keynotes, a grower panel, 40 presentations, a reception with approximately 50 posters, a choice of six off-site educational tours, and dinner at The Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. This symposium brings together a national and international audience of academic, non-profit, government, and research-oriented professionals to share and gain knowledge on how we can build coalitions to adapt to this changing world and how urban food systems contribute to these solutions. Please share now to take advantage of early registration prices through April 13. Visit UrbanFoodSystemsSymposium.org for complete information.




Globalizing Extension Innovation Network Seeks Participation - The Globalizing Extension Innovation Network (GEIN), accessible through Connect Extension, is open to Cooperative Extension and other Land-grant University professionals, their community partners, and federal partners, as a network of professionals interested in globalizing Extension innovation. GEIN shares and develops best practices for augmenting extension programs through cross-cultural and international experiences. The network supports the engagement of extension professionals through educational programs emphasizing understanding of global dynamics and using cultural knowledge. shares and develops best practices for augmenting extension programs through cross-cultural and international experiences. GEIN leadership team represents over a dozen extension systems, and is committed to connecting and supporting the global engagement of extension professionals. Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to nominate someone from their system to participate in GEIN if there isn't already a participating member. GEIN Council currently meets monthly on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. ET. For more information, contact GEIN Chair, Taryn Devereux, Affiliate, University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Monday, March 11, 2024

ECOP Spring Meeting This Week

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is a standing committee created by the Cooperative Extension Section Rules of Operation. The 15-member board represents the 76 state, territorial, and 1890 land-grant universities in policy decisions, and provides nationwide program and organizational leadership. ECOP functions as a board of directors with authority to make decisions consistent with a common mission to strengthen Cooperative Extension at national, state and local levels, in concert with APLU and USDA-NIFA, to initiate strategic planning and identify nationwide issues that lead to program and budget priorities; represents the states, territories, and 1890s in legislative matters before Congress, and develops and maintains linkages and supportive relationships with other national organizations and associations. This week the ECOP board gathers for its Spring Meeting in Oklahoma City. Some of the themes of meeting are the annual launch of priorities selection process, sustainability of National Program Leadership, and collaboration with academia on microcredentialing.




Capacity Funding Whiteboard Videos Unveiled
 - At the recent Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) spring meeting in Washington, DC, three APLU produced videos were unveiled. These videos endeavor to explain the importance of federal capacity funding to those not familiar with those funds or even the Land-grant University system. They are themed around capacity investments using three example concepts. ECOP's YouTube playlist, Investing in People with Solutions in Food Security, is a great place from which to share and embed the videos. Each video, about one minute long, can quickly educate the untutored about capacity funding.




The AI Revolution: An Inflection Point for Higher Ed - At the 2023 Seattle APLU meeting, there was an interesting session regarding how Artificial Intelligence could affect the work of public universities. As we will have further discussions on this technology as a section, I encourage you to watch the video of this presentation. Tune in at 20:45, as the first AI panel is introduced.




Check Out New Land-grant Impacts Educational Materials - Impact statements from last year are captured with excellence in National Land-grant Impacts Database. Anyone can use the impact statements throughout the year to help tell the stories and accomplishments of land-grant universities’ research, education, and Extension. Join ECOP to congratulate the team of professional land-grant university communicators who recently prepared educational materials with 2024 impact stories and summaries highlighting outstanding examples of LGU impacts.




NAAAN Connect
Goes Live
- The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) has developed the NAAAN CONNECT platform to assist in growth and engagement. This is a community for extension and rural advisory services experts, practitioners, researchers, and those interested in agriculture across Canada, Mexico, and the United States to engage with one another.

Join NAAAN CONNECT to interact with colleagues and share your extension resources across the continent around themes of biodefense and biosecurity, soil health and water management, and building the next generation of leaders in agriculture. The NAAAN looks forward to hearing your voice and learning more of the work underway for food security in North America.

We are excited to announce a new chapter of engagement, collaboration, and work across our three countries.” – Chancellor Tony Frank, CSU System and Chair of the NAAAN Steering Committee.




$26 Million LAMP Program from USDA-AMS - On February 27th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of approximately $26 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to help local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting applications for the grant program until May 14, 2024. Additionally, AMS has added to the suite of resources available to support communities and practitioners in local and regional food systems development.

Monday, March 4, 2024

News From ECOP Program Action Teams

Last Friday, March 1, 2024, members of the Cooperative Extension Section from as far away as American Samoa discovered who to contact for more information about each of the ECOP Program Action Teams (PATs), including the new Food Systems and Food Waste PAT. Check out the video recording for insights from recent visits to Washington, DC by ECOP Chair Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University, and interesting activities from the Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT. ECOP's First Friday events are for the benefit of new and seasoned land-grant university (1862, 1890, 1994) Extension Director and Administrators and are archived on ECOP's YouTube Channel. Topics of these regular meetings are searchable here on the ECOP Monday Minute





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.