4-H Congress Board of Advisors News

  

Last month, the ECOP Executive Committee affirmed the recommendation by the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee to appoint Jeffrey Hyde, Associate Dean College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of Penn State Extension, (pictured above/right) as the Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP representative to the 4-H Congress Board of Advisors. ECOP Chair Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University, states, "ECOP is grateful to Jeff for accepting this role and to Gregg Hadley, Kansas State University, (pictured above left) for his dedication to same since his appointment in 2019. ECOP appreciates Gregg’s leadership and service in this role to help elevate the 4-H program and looks forward to Jeff’s contributions."

New EDA Team Member Announced - The Association of Southern Region Extension Directors have chosen Rich Bonanno (pictured left/above) as that organization’s newest Executive Director, effective September 1, 2024. Rich will succeed Ron Brown, who will continue on limited duty until Rich’s onboarding. Click Here to learn more about the national responsibilities of the Executive Directors and Administrator Team (EDA Team) in support of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and Cooperative Extension Section. 




Latest from the Journal of Extension - Cooperative Extension’s own scholarly Journal of Extension, has a new issue. Featured articles found in Volume 62, Issue 1 are:

What Do Extension and Public Health Educators Need to Address Substance Misuse?

How to Build Community Networks and Resources Necessary for a Successful 4-H Program

Exploring Land-grant Institution Partnerships to Better Serve Audiences

South Carolina Master Naturalist Program Evaluation: A Mixed Methods Approach

Check out the scholarly contributions from (State Abbreviation - Institution):

CA - University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Cooperative Extension,

CT - University of Connecticut,

FL - Florida A&M University, and University of Florida (2 & 3),

IA - Iowa State University,

LA - Louisiana State University,

MO - University of Missouri (2, 3 & 4),

MS - Auburn University,

NC - North Carolina State University,

SC - Clemson University,

TN - University of Tennessee (2),

VT - University of Vermont,

WA - Washington State University, and

WV - West Virginia University.

USDA Announces Opportunity for Three Additional Nutrition Hubs - On July 11, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $4.5 million in funding to establish three additional USDA Nutrition Hubs in communities across the country. The new Nutrition Hubs will provide tailored and scalable approaches to equitably advance food and nutrition security and help prevent diet-related chronic diseases, especially in historically underserved communities. The additional Hubs will create a network that builds on the work of the pilot Nutrition Hub established last year in partnership with Southern University and A&M College under USDA’s Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) initiative. Applications for this new competitive award program are being accepted through October 3, 2024. The complete Request for Applications, including eligibility information, is available online.

National Office Staffing Update - Sandy Ruble is retiring in early August after serving the Cooperative Extension System and the ECOP for the past 10 years. Sandy started at APLU in 2014 by providing administrative support to the National Office Executive Director. She quickly progressed to Program Assistant and then to Assistant Director by taking more initiative for key roles and strategic communications. Sandy enjoyed devoting herself to the technical integrity of Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP’s member-driven communications and activities. Her efforts helped new and emerging leaders with seamless transitions into national roles in a complex system. As Sandy winds down her 42-year career, she will spend more time volunteering, visiting with family and friends, and traveling. 

2023 National 4-H Conference

Save-the-Date - USDA NIFA announced dates for 2023 National 4-H Conference, to be held April 14-19, 2023 in-person at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia and online. More specific details will be announced this fall. Read more details and know who to contact here. 

Source: NIFA's Division of Youth and 4-H

NCFAR Latte-N-Learn Features USDA Under Secretary 9/15 -  NCFAR's next informative webinar is this week, September 15, 2022 at 10AM ET. USDA Under Secretary Chavonda Jacobs-Young presents how USDA's research community is working to advance climate-smart agriculture and nutrition security. Also, receive an update on the latest priorities from the leadership at ARS, ERS, NIFA, and NASS. The goal of these signature events is to educate and empower staff on Capitol Hill and policy stakeholders about the value of public investment in food and agricultural research. Registration here is required to attend this event. Please help spread the word through land-grant university government affairs networks. Thank you.

USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture - According to its MOU with NASS, the Cooperative Extension Section helps spread the word to farmers and ranchers about the importance of being represented in these widely used and influential data. NASS's 2022 Census of Agriculture national press release is ready to share (also available in Spanish). Additionally, leaders and communicators may follow @usda_nass on Twitter and USDA’s Facebook page to share ag census content, including a video from NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer, infographics, kids’ ag census activity pages, blog, and more. NASS’s Partner Tools site has resources that will keep outreach momentum going through this fall and winter. There, find ads for  newsletters and social media, banners for  web pages and email signatures, videos, brochures and flyers for use at events, FAQs, and talking points. Check the page periodically for new and updated materials.

ECOP Assigns Hadley to National 4-H Congress

Gregg Hadley,
Kansas State University

ECOP thanks Gregg Hadley, Kansas State University Director of Extension, for accepting an appointment to represent the Cooperative Extension Section and to serve high school aged learners on the National 4-H Congress Board of Advisors. The first National 4-H Congress was held almost 100 years ago in Chicago, where over 100 young people met to exchange ideas and receive recognition for individual accomplishments and community service. Congress grew to include exhibits, demonstrations and a parade, with the participation of delegates, Extension staff, volunteers, partner representatives, exhibitors and other friends of 4-H. The event moved to Atlanta in 1998. This year the dates are November 29 – December 3. To learn more about what delegates will experience while participating in 2019 Congress, stay tuned here.

Irrigation Survey Extended Through April - Please let producers know that the deadline for the Irrigation & Water Management Survey was extended through April – every response matters! Producers can respond online or by mail. The Irrigation survey will provide a single source of comprehensive, up-to-date information on irrigation and water use across the agricultural industry; the results will aid efforts to promote efficient irrigation practices. This is the last week to respond to the Census of Aquaculture! This census is the only comprehensive source of information on the aquaculture industry in the nation; the data serve as the baseline for many decisions involving the sustainability and growth of U.S. aquaculture. For more information, visit www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus or call (202) 690-8123.


Awards Tied to Reporting Land-grant Extension Impacts -

Screenshot of the online submission form for the Extension Diversity Award.

All Extension leaders should know that while submitting a nomination for the National Excellence in Extension or the Diversity Award, nominators must agree to also submit an impact statement into the National Impacts Database www.landgrantimpacts.org. The deadline to submit is 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, May 1, 2019. For more information contact is Sandy Ruble, sandyruble@extension.org. 

Impact Collaborative Registration Deadline is Approaching - The Cooperative Extension Section is reminded that a national Impact Collaborative Summit, with the benefit of five free registrations for each eXtension membership, is coming on April 30 - May 2, 2019 to Atlanta, GA. The registration deadline is April 7, 2019. The event is the first of two national Impact Collaborative Summits in 2019. Additional project or program teams or team members are welcome to join with payment of a registration fee. Summits are designed to catalyze teams in their various stages of either planning or implementation. This includes individualized support to help propel teams through their journey towards launching their project or program. Click here to learn more or contact CEO Chris Geith, christinegeith@eXtension.org.

Top: Career Impact Awardees: Barbara Brown | Oklahoma State University;
Charlotte Cross | University of New Hampshire (Retired)

Bottom: Early Career Achievement Awardees:
Jacquelyn Benson | University of Missouri-Columbia;
Heather Wallace | University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Family Life Specialists Recognized - Please congratulate four Family Life Extension Specialists who were recognized with awards during the recent Federal Update and Family Life Specialists’ Awards webinar held on February 26, 2019. The National Awards are awarded to state Extension specialists who have made important contributions to the work of Cooperative Extension and who provide clear evidence of program impacts. These awards honor research-based programming that is effective at improving people's quality of life and well-being and are given annually in partnership with NIFA’s Division of Family & Consumer Sciences.