Senate Confirms USDA REE Under Secretary

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus on June 20, 2022, to commemorate Juneteenth, the day the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.

Senate Confirms USDA REE Under Secretary - ECOP and the Cooperative Extension Section congratulates Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young on her U.S. Senate confirmation to serve as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) at the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Jacobs-Young recently served as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary of the REE mission area. Previously, she served as Agricultural Research Service Associate Administrator, where she led the Office of National Programs which manages the research objectives of the Agency. See more information here.



Celebrating 30 Years of SNAP-Ed - May 2022 marked 30 years of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed). ECOP and the Cooperative Extension Section joins the USDA to celebrate SNAP-Ed for providing evidence-based nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions and projects for those eligible for SNAP benefits. Through complementary direct education, multi-level interventions, and community and public health approaches to improve nutritional health of historically underserved populations, this federally funded grant program has impacted lives for three decades. See SNAP-Ed Works from USDA-Food Nutrition Service and the NIFA Blog that highlights the 30 years of SNAP-Ed. For a good number of years, ECOP has maintained a valuable alliance with a program development team in support of land-grant university Extension led SNAP-Ed programs and its impact evaluation. 



Advocacy Updates from Lewis-Burke Associates - APLU Office of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) is stepping up efforts to provide regular advocacy updates to the land-grant university system. Last week Doug Steele, APLU Vice-president of FANR,  announced that Lewis-Burke Associates will provide a monthly summary of highlights and key points to be included in his FANR Focus email messages. The most prominent updates in the last five months are the passage of fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations in March; the release of the President’s FY 2023 Budget Request a few weeks later; ongoing Congressional negotiations on the FY 2023 budget, and the official start of the 2023 Farm Bill process. To view the June update available at www.land-grant.org, please go here. If you are not receiving Doug's messages and would like to sign up, email Suzette Robinson at srobinson@aplu.org with your contact information.

2022 CECE-CGA Summer Meeting - The APLU Commission on Economic & Community Engagement (CECE) summer meeting, themed Inclusive Community and Economic Engagement: The Path to Social Mobility, will be held from August 2-5 in Detroit, Michigan. Cooperative Extension leaders who are members of CECE are invited to join senior university economic development and community engagement administrators, presidents and chancellors, provosts, senior research officers, and communications administrators at The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. Participants will look to the future and collaborate on expansive efforts promoting equity–both in process and outcomes–amongst  practitioners’ work. The event agenda features tours of local economic growth engines, interactive sessions, and special programming for Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) Universities. Professionals employed by APLU member institutions may join CECE for free here and then proceed to register here. 

FY23 Federal Funding Unified Ask

During the recent CARET/AHS Meeting, the Unified Request for NIFA Funding FY 2023, also referred to as the Unified Ask, was released by the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors. All Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to remain familiar with this important document that is available with federal budget and advocacy materials at www.land-grant.org and engage with their regional representatives on the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), if they have any questions or concerns. The next meeting of the ECOP BLC is slated for Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 4:00 p.m. ET.

Advancing Digital Access-Registration Now Open - Digital access is vital to community wellbeing. Yet many communities and individuals lacking access struggle with navigating the divide. In partnership with Extension Foundation and NIFA, the National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET) is offering a three-day in-person intensive train-the-trainer workshop from May 3-5, 2022 for teams of Extension professionals interested in helping close the digital divide in their state. Key roles Extension can play in this process include two key arenas: (1) community organizing and planning, and (2) educating on digital skills needed to make use of available broadband access. This workshop will equip participants with both training and tools to guide efforts to close these critical gaps that greatly impact quality of life and economic recovery. Learn more and register here. For more information, contact Rachel Welborn, Associate Director, Southern Rural Development Center.




Opportunities to Serve on USDA NIFA Peer Review Panels - USDA NIFA convenes peer review panels comprised of research, education, extension, and other subject matter experts to review competitive grant proposals. Panelist duties include reviewing proposals; drafting and submitting individual scores and written reviews; attending and participating in a panel meeting. During the panel meeting panelists discuss and reach a group consensus on proposal rankings. Panels may be conducted via teleconference or at in-person meeting spaces. Persons interested in serving on a peer-review panel can provide their contact information by visiting NIFA Peer Review System and clicking on the “Panelist Recruitment” link in the “Volunteer” section.




Secretary Vilsack Releases USDA’s Blueprint for Nutrition Security - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a report detailing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Actions on Nutrition Security. This report highlights USDA's commitment to advancing nutrition security, and the consistent access to safe, nutritious food that supports optimal health and well-being for all Americans. On May 17th, Secretary Vilsack showcased USDA's robust efforts to tackle nutrition insecurity. The address underscored USDA's commitment under the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize bold nutrition security efforts that will help ensure all American children and families have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food. See the speech here usda.gov/live. 

International Federation for Home Economics Congress - The International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) World Congress 2022 will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, September 6-10, 2022 (new dates). This Congress only occurs every four years and has not been held in the United States since 1988. The theme is Home Economics: Soaring Toward Sustainable Development. Gather on an international stage to share expertise, explore ideas and network with colleagues from around the globe. The in-person experience will include opening and closing cultural evenings, plenary sessions, workshops and symposiums, the EXPO (posters, textiles & design, and exhibitors), educational tours, and concurrent sessions. Early bird registration with lower fees closes on May 10. Click here to learn more and register. 

One Ask Budget Proposal

The BAA’s Budget and Advocacy Committee and Policy Board of Directors have endorsed a one ask budget proposal that requests a $200 million increase in the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive line and the following capacity lines: 1890s Extension Program, Evans-Allen, Hatch, McIntire-Stennis and Smith-Lever. The proposal was central to the Hill visits conducted during the recent CARET-AHS meeting and will be central to the Hill visits during the upcoming PILD conference in early April. This represents a bold request that brings to together the advocacy efforts of the 1862 and 1890s land-grant communities and their supporters. The 2018 Single-Ask Request document and all other former years’ documents is available at http://www.land-grant.org/appropriations_docs.html.


Ag Exhibit on the Hill - This year’s event is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET on April 5, 2017 at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Congressional Auditorium and Atrium. This event profiles USDA-funded research and Extension projects and will feature several land-grant universities. The Agricultural Research Congressional Exhibition and Reception is a partnership of the AFRI coalition, APLU, National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NC-FAR), and Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation (SoAR). To RSVP email agresearchexhibit@gmail.com.

Request for Applications for Building a Culture of Health - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is expected to launch an unprecedented partnership with Cooperative Extension to build a national Culture of Health starting with 1,000 communities across the next 10 years. The Request for Applications (RFAs) for the pilot phase of the initiative is now live and can be accessed at http://grants.4-h.org/index.do. For more information about the partnership, click here to watch the on-demand recording of the Partnership Overview Webinar held on March 9 or download the Culture of Health frequently asked questions document via the webinar recording. Click here to register for the webinar on April 6 to learn more about successful completion of the RFA for the pilot program. Partnership questions may directed to National 4-H Council’s Director of Healthy Living Programs and Foundations, JoAnne Leatherman at jleatherman@fourhcouncil.edu. Contact Sarah Hunt at shunt@fourhcouncil.edu for questions about webinar registration.

National Extension Energy Summit - Energy educators and researchers are invited to attend the third biennial National Extension Energy Summit will be held April 3-6, 2017, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it is the third biennial conference sponsored by the Cooperative Extension System. This will be a learning and networking opportunity for energy educators and researchers with opportunity to participate in presentations and discussions of current work and future energy research and education opportunities. Information about the summit is available at http://tiny.utk.edu/nees2017. Direct question to Tim Prather at tprather@utk.edu.

Blog Features and Submissions - There is more to the ECOP Monday Minute than meets the eye. Don't miss the value of the following features found in the web version of the blog. The right panel includes Search This Blog, Reports and Initiatives, NEDA Links and Downloads, Keep our lists up to date, Job opportunities, and Calendars. Direct blog feature questions to ECOP Program Assistant Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org. Direct blog submissions to ECOP Executive Director Rick Klemme rickklemme@extension.org by noon ET each Thursday.

ECOP Monday Minute 3.4.2013

Characteristics of 21^st Century Extension Educator -- Under the direction of Chuck Hibberd, ECOP Program Subcommittee Co-chair, a team of researchers from Purdue University Extension has identified the characteristics of the 21st century Extension educator. Results of the study along with a discussion of implementation strategies will be featured at NEDA 2013 in San Antonio, March 18-20. Registration for NEDA 2013 closes Wednesday, March 6. Registration information can be found online at: http://www.cvent.com/d/kcq42d.

FY 2013 Advocacy Documents -- Cornerstone Government Affairs, at the direction of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Budget and Advocacy Committee, updated advocacy documents distributed last week at the Joint CARET/AHS Meeting in Alexandria, VA. Listed as APLU’s revised priority requests for FY 2013, the documents are posted at http://www.land-grant.org/documents.html.

New ECOP Appointment -- Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, has been named to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, representing the southern region and replacing Paul Coreil. Tim also will represent ECOP on the National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NC-FAR) Research and Outreach Committee.

USDA-NIFA State Liaisons -- To learn the responsibilities of the USDA-NIFA liaison to your state, go to http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/npl_state_liaisons.html. The site also contains the liaison assignments.

International Opportunity -- The Association for European Life Sciences Universities announces a conference on the Growth of the Bioeconomy October 30-31, 2013 at Ghent University, Belgium. This is a follow-up to a conference on the same topic held last October in Banff, Alberta where APLU was one of the partnering organizations. Preliminary details are found at www.ica-europe.info.