ECOP Monday Minute 8.25.14

ECOP Monday Minute will return on 9.8.14. Happy Labor Day! 

Power of Land-grant Impacts Database (by Deborah J. Maddy, Associate Director, Oregon State University Extension) – Did you know that Clemson University Extension offers a Carolina Yards Online Guide to Environmentally Friendly Gardening Practices that changes gardeners’ behaviors? Or that Clemson Extension’s Food2Market program, a “one stop” resource for food safety, product testing and food regulations information, led to an economic impact for South Carolina food entrepreneurs? These are just examples of quality impact statements that Della Baker, Extension Associate for Staff Development at Clemson University, provided to the land-grant impacts database at www.landgrantimpacts.org, formerly www.excellenceinextension.org. This is the place to brag about the good work Extension is doing in your state through the public portion of the web site, plus enter password protected data about Extension personnel, funding, and other management practices. If you have entered data this year, thank you. For others, there is still opportunity. For assistance, contact Scott Cummings s-cummings@tamu.edu. 

USDA Agricultural Act of 2014 Update – See http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAOC/bulletins/c879e7 for a summary of progress on the law signed February 7, 2014. Note especially reference in Title I where USDA awarded $3 million to the University of Illinois, the University of Missouri and Texas A&M to develop online tools and outreach training that will help farmers and ranchers determine which new risk management options can best protect their businesses. USDA also is in the process of awarding $3 million to state Cooperative Extension Services to provide in-person education to help producers make the most educated decisions regarding new farm bill programs. 

West Virginia to Celebrate Extension Centennial – “Century Beyond the Campus: Past, Present and Future of Extension” is the theme of a symposium September 24-25, 2014 hosted by West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. To register and view the agenda, see http://smithlever.wvu.edu/symposium. Extension professionals and partners are invited to attend.

Centennial Ice Cream – Just in time to wind down summer, University of Connecticut Extension announces a new ice cream flavor for its Centennial Dinner on September 19th and then offered at the UConn Dairy Bar as part of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resource Cornucopia Celebration and Family Weekend. The Big Scoop award-winning Centennial Caramel Crunch flavor was originally developed by Bill Sciturro, Department of Animal Science Creamery, and adapted with suggestions by Mike O'Neill, Extension Director. 

4-H Makes STEM Fun – 4-H and Philips, a diversified health and well-being company, will work together to "light up" youth interest in science and technology using 4-H's Magic of Electricity program. The focus is on technical and scientific literacy, as well as life skills like creative thinking, problem solving and decision making. Philips employee volunteers will join Cooperative Extension 4-H volunteers to offer the program at select locations in Texas, Kansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

ECOP Monday Minute - 6.16.14

ECOP Continues Work with USDA on Ag Act Funding – ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, together with Cooperative Extension and Cornerstone Government Affairs colleagues, continues work with a team from USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA) to distribute $3 million to Cooperative Extension as indicated here http://www.usda.gov/documents/StateExtensionServicesFunding.pdf. As outlined in the Agriculture Act of 2014, the one-time funding will be used to educate producers about key farm programs, specifically those authorized in Title I. As details emerge, Cooperative Extension Directors/Administrators will be kept informed. An additional $3 million has been distributed competitively to the University of Illinois, along with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri and Texas A&M University. The purpose of this funding is to develop new online tools and train state-based Extension agents who can educate farmers.

SAVE THE DATE: NEDA 2015 – Directors/Administrators are asked to mark October 12-15, 2015 on your calendars for the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) and Cooperative Extension Section Meeting. Efforts are underway to identify a location in the Chicago area. The NEDA meeting is being changed from March to October in expectation of a joint meeting with the Experiment Station Section in the same time frame in 2016.

WEBINAR: Cooperative Extension Framework for Health and Wellness – ECOP National Task Force on Health Chair, Michelle Rodgers, will lead an eXtension Creating Healthy Communities Community of Practice (CoP) webinar at 11 a.m., ET, Thursday, 6.26.14. Connect at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/communities. The webinar will be based on the Task Force report https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5134. Participants will learn how to use the framework presented in the report to plan and evaluate health and wellness programming. The primary purpose of the Creating Healthy Communities CoP is to provide resource support to professionals and community leaders working to improve community health.

Extension Centennial News – While celebrating 100 years of Cooperative Extension, Louisiana recognizes one of its leaders, Leodrey Williams, who has worked in a variety of roles at Southern University and in national leadership positions for 50 years. Williams is chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. See his story at http://www.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2014/June/headline_news/SU-official-has-been-with-Cooperative-Extension-50-of-its-100-years.htm.

Order Extension Centennial Convocation Booklets – A limited number of program booklets remain from the Convocation. This booklet https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5220 includes a history of Cooperative Extension, a list of ECOP chairs over the 100 years, and a welcome letter from ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning. The keepsake may be ordered in lots of 25 copies while supplies last. To order, contact Sandy Ruble, sandy.ruble@extension.org.

Best Practices Guide – Under an interagency agreement between USDA-NIFA and USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Colorado State University has developed a Best Practices Guide in Nutrition Education for Low-Income Audiences http://snap.nal.usda.gov/snap/CSUBestPractices.pdf. 

About ECOP Monday Minute – This weekly communication is a quick summary of actions and announcements for Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators. In addition to the direct mailing to your e-box, the Monday Minute is posted to a searchable blog at http://ecopmondayminute.blogspot.com/. For comments, questions, or submissions, contact Jane Schuchardt, Cooperative Extension/ECOP Executive Director, jane.schuchardt@extension.org.

ECOP Monday Minute - 6.9.14

ECOP Recommends Distribution of Ag Act Funding – USDA Secretary Vilsack announced $6 million in funding, primarily to Cooperative Extension, to educate farmers about key programs authorized through the Agriculture Act of 2014. ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, and ECOP Member James Trapp, along with others, were key contributors in framing the process for distributing the $3 million non-competitive portion of the funding. View a list of allocations to 1862 and 1890 institutions and $75K for eXtension in the chart at http://www.usda.gov/documents/StateExtensionServicesFunding.pdf. For more details, see http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=ner&newstype=newsrel&type=detail&item=nr_20140529_rel_0106.html. Continued discussion relates to an evaluation process. Additional details will be shared when available. 

UPDATE: Disruptive E-nnovation – eXtension Strategy Committee Chair Keith Smith, Ohio State University, reports four targets for the new eXtension: 

• Innovation as the engine to move and keep digital Cooperative Extension in the forefront of open access online learning; 
• Engagement and retention of new and existing audiences, and digital professional development of Extension educators to bring new opportunities to Extension, enhance use of local resources, and increase institution’s capacities; 
• Leadership and management structured as a nonprofit cooperative to support the flexibility, innovation and entrepreneurship needed in fast paced digital environments; and 
• Entrepreneurship supporting a new “investment” business model that includes institutional choices to invest, public and private national and global partnerships, fees for services and leveraging revenue streams. 

Smith said the eXtension Strategy Committee is taking into account the pace of technology advancements to mobile devices, young and old engaging in digital personal learning networks, and that forty-five percent of those seeking information go to a friend first. Details will be provided to ECOP at its Tuesday, July 22, 2014 meeting in San Diego by Smith, together with Elbert Dickey, interim eXtension director, and Dennis Calvin, eXtension Governing Committee Chair, Pennsylvania State University, with additional information provided to Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators shortly thereafter. 

CDC Funding for Obesity Reduction -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announces about $4.7 million to fund up to six land-grant colleges and universities located in states with counties with an adult obesity prevalence of more than 40 percent of the population. The pilot project will include intervention strategies through existing Cooperative Extension and outreach efforts at the county level. See http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/highobesitycounties/index.html for details. The deadline for submitting applications is July 23, 2014. 

Alabama Extension Centennial News – Alabama Extension celebrated 100 years with a Commendation from the Governor’s Office https://sites.aces.edu/group/comm/newsline/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=787.

Teens Take on Health – The National 4-H Council and Molina Healthcare released findings from an 18-month project listening to teens about their health concerns http://www.4-h.org/about/youth-development-research/health-research/?utm_campaign=MOLINATTOH&utm_source=4HORG&utm_medium=CAROUSEL. 

USDA-NIFA Releases “Hot Spot” Maps – See http://www.reeis.usda.gov/portal/page?_pageid=193,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL for new maps showing funding received by State and Congressional District.