ECOP Monday Minute 7.21.14

Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People – ECOP had a significant role organizing the Joint COPs 2014 meeting July 21-23 in San Diego. The theme Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People evolved from a letter from ECOP Chair, Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, to the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors requesting time on the agenda to review the work of the ECOP National Task Force on Health, chaired by Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware. What has resulted is an integrated work session with representatives from the Administrative Heads, Academic Programs, Cooperative Extension Experiment Station and International Agriculture Sections, plus the Board on Human Sciences. The purpose of the meeting is to engage all sections of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and others in a discussion to set priorities, identify funding opportunities, and adopt integrated approaches to address vexing national and global issues related to health. Nearly all ECOP members and liaisons are planning to attend. 

Big Data, Unmanned Aerial Systems & Wearable Technologies are New User Groups – eXtension has created three user communities around Big Data, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Wearable Technologies. Many of our professionals in the Land-grant University System are beginning to work or have an interest in all three of these areas. To discuss possible uses, share results of projects, and create new efforts to test and evaluate innovative uses, join the Big Data community at https://people.extension.org/communities/1709; Unmanned Aerial Systems at https://people.extension.org/communities/1708, and Wearable Technology at https://people.extension.org/communities/1707. 

Extension Centennial News – The Smith-Lever Webinar series, sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Phi, Mu Chapter at USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, observes the Extension Centennial Celebration this year. Go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p7pjte8pb57/ to view Keith Tidball’s presentation Implementing EDEN in a State Context: A New York State of Mind. Tidball is senior extension associate in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, Associate Director of the Civic Ecology Lab and Program Leader for the Nature & Human Security Program, and State Coordinator for the New York Extension Disaster Education Network. Tidball currently is a Visiting Scholar at USDA-NIFA in the Division of Family & Consumer Sciences. 

ECOP Recommends Advisory Board Member – Together with the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP), ECOP has recommended Milo Shult, Vice President for Agriculture (retired), University of Arkansas, to assume another term on the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The announcement for eight openings on the board appeared in the Federal Register (79 FR 35512, June 23, 2014) http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-06-23/pdf/2014-14578.pdf. If approved, Shult, who has served on the board since 2011, represents 1862 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. For more information, including the 2013 recommendations about Cooperative Extension, see http://nareeeab.ree.usda.gov. 

Register for APLU Annual Meeting – Progress through Partnerships is the theme of the 2014 APLU Annual Meeting November 2-4 in Orlando, FL. Early registration runs until 7.31.14 at http://www.cvent.com/d/t4q93z. The hotel room block for the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort is at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=11135815. Cooperative Extension meets for dinner Monday evening when the ECOP chair gavel will be passed from Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, to Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University.

ECOP Monday Minute 7.14.14

ECOP Gears Up for July Meeting – Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, reports significant action items for consideration by ECOP during its July 22, 2014 meeting in San Diego in conjunction with the annual Board of Agriculture Assembly Joint COPs summer meeting. ECOP will make decisions about the AES-CES Communications and Marketing Project, the new impacts database, and an ECOP health implementation team. Updates will be provided on eXtension “e-nnovation” planning, a pending USDA climate hubs memorandum of understanding, and the Ag Act of 2014 distribution of funds for education about farm programs. Watch the ECOP Monday Minute for details. 

Focus on Extension Health Programs – The Creating Healthy Communities eXtension learning community featured Michelle Rodgers, ECOP member and chair of the ECOP National Task Force on Health, University of Delaware, for a webinar. Visit https://learn.extension.org/events/1651#.U61ih7Hr6f8 and click on watch recording or see the YouTube version at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NDEFAej8v4. The PowerPoint associated with the webinar is available at http://goo.gl/nwhmnk. 

EFNEP 2013 Impacts – USDA-NIFA has released FY 2013 impacts for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) program which operates in the 50 states, 6 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Annual data confirms that EFNEP graduates consistently report strong results related to improvement of diets and other food-related behaviors. In FY2013, EFNEP reached approximately 120,000 low-income adults and 415,000 low-income children and youth. Of adult graduates, 95 percent reported improvements in their diets, 90 percent improved their nutrition practices, 84 percent improved their food resource management practices, 65 percent improved their food safety practices, and 39 percent increased their physical activity level by 30 minutes or more. A full report is in process. 

USDA-NIFA Releases 2014 Impacts Report – The projects highlighted shows how USDA-NIFA funding contributes to significant achievements in food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences by supporting research, education, and Extension programs at the land-grant universities and other partner organizations. See NIFA website for details. 

Oregon Extension Run for Health – To bring awareness to the power of living a healthy lifestyle, two college undergraduates – and brothers, Isaiah and Jeremiah Godby – are running to 30 out of 36 Oregon counties, stopping at OSU Extension Service offices along the way and encouraging community members and alumni across Oregon to join them. The run finishes September 5th after 61 days averaging 32 miles each day by each runner. They are hosting public events along the way to emphasize proper nutrition and fitness. See http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/healthrun/ for details. 

21st Century Energy Challenges – The Power of Extension was the focus of a Cooperative Extension workshop May 8, 2014 in Washington, DC. See https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6HXxUrVKWEYNjB6dGNHTjJRZlU/edit?pli=1 for presentations.

ECOP Monday Minute - 6.23.14

Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People Focus of Joint COPs – Key leaders from the all sections of the Board on Agriculture Assembly meet in mid-July in San Diego to consider integrated research, education and Extension work related to the nexus of food production and healthy people. The Administrative Heads, Academic Programs, Cooperative Extension, Experiment Station, and International Agriculture sections, together with the Board on Human Sciences, will consider questions related to central themes, feasible priorities given funding availability, and expectations of the Policy Board of Directors and others. Tammy Bray, Executive Dean, Division of Health Sciences, Oregon State University, is the keynote speaker. Delbert Foster, ECOP chair-elect, South Carolina State University, represents Cooperative Extension on the planning committee in cooperation with Michelle Rodgers, chair of the ECOP National Task Force on Health, University of Delaware. 

Smart Choice Health Insurance© Training – University of Maryland Extension announces training for Extension educators and community partners July 8-9, 2014 in Beltsville, MD. The framework developed by the ECOP National Task Force on Health includes health insurance literacy as one of six priorities. Participants will 1) understand the theoretical framework and guiding principles of the Smart Choice Health Insurance© curriculum, 2) understand evaluation expectations and ideas for marketing, 3) receive an educator’s toolkit with updates over time, and 4) join other educators via a list-serve. For a testament from a Certified Educator, view the following video. 
Register through June 30, 2104 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smart-choice-health-insurance-certified-educator-training-tickets-11480174511. For more information, contact Amanda Ginter at aginter@umd.edu. 

USDA-NIFA Seeks Nominations for Partnership Awards – USDA-NIFA invites all Land-grant Universities to submit nominations for the 2014 NIFA Partnership Awards Program. This program recognizes outstanding contributions, aligned with NIFA strategic goals, in support of the USDA mission. Awards recognize excellence in mission integration of research, education, and Extension; multistate efforts; innovative programs and projects; effective and efficient use of resources, and program improvement through global engagement. Nominations must be submitted via the NIFA Partnership Awards Nomination Form. All signed nomination forms must be submitted by July 15, 2014, via email using scanned files that have been saved as .pdf or .jpg files to performance@ars.usda.gov according to instructions in the following documents.

• Criteria for Selection
• The NIFA Partnership Awards Nomination Form

Questions can be directed to Kimberly Whittet at kwhittet@nifa.usda.gov. Winning nominations will be recognized at the NIFA Day of Appreciation this fall. 

4-H Reviews Health Living Programs – Mississippi State University conducted an environmental scan of 4-H Healthy Living Programs in healthy eating, physical activity and alcohol-drug-tobacco intervention in 2013, identifying 78 programs. Of these, 20 were named as having strong evidence for national replication as indicated in the full report released in May 2014. The goal of the assessment was to identify promising programs that were ready for more in-depth evaluation or replication. The assessment was funded by Molina Healthcare in cooperation with the National 4-H Council.  Resources from USDA Economics Research Service (ERS) – Mary Bohman, USDA-ERS Administrator, recommends the following resources: Charts of Note – daily snapshots of ERS findings of current interest; Amber Waves magazine – a window into ERS data and analysis; and Charting the Essentials – the big picture on farms, food, rural communities, and conservation in over 70 charts and maps. You can sign up and to receive Charts of Note daily and notifications of new Amber Waves content via email. The signup icon is the little envelope near the top of all ERS web pages. Charting the Essentials is at http://ers.usda.gov/essentials. Web visitors can also view the full collection of Charts of Note, organized by topic, at http://ers..usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note.aspx. Amber Waves is accessible directly on the web at http://ers.usda.gov/amber-waves.aspx, and can be delivered quarterly via tablet in iTunes or Google Play using a free application downloadable in the Newsstand search for Amber Waves.

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 4.7.14

Secretary Vilsack to Speak at Convocation – USDA Secretary Vilsack will be among keynote speakers at the Extension Centennial Convocation May 7-8, 2014 in Washington, DC. The room block at the Wardman Park Hotel has been expanded with the conference rate available until 4.15.14. Early registration http://www.cvent.com/d/g4qqj5 closes 4.18.14. Join Secretary Vilsack, futurist Lowell Catlett from New Mexico State University, CEO LaJune Montgomery Tabron of the Kellogg Foundation, and others to celebrate and, most importantly, think creatively together about how Cooperative Extension will thrive for the next 100 years. For details about the poster competition featuring emerging leaders, contact Chrystal Checketts at cchecketts@tamu.edu and for the opening flag bearing ceremony, contact Bill Woodrum at extensioncentennial@gmail.com.

Contact Congressional Representative Now – Your help is needed to assure the Congressional representatives from your state and districts signed on to the resolutions commemorating the Extension Centennial. For current sponsors and co-sponsors, go to http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/86 for H. Con. Res. 86 and http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-concurrent-resolution/33 for S. Con. Res. 33. Action needs to occur this week and no later than the last week in April.

ECOP Accepts Health Task Force Report – In ECOP action in late March in Sacramento, the report of the ECOP National Task Force on Health
https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5134, Michelle Rodgers, chair, University of Delaware, was accepted. ECOP supported the recommendation to launch an implementation team for next steps related to Cooperative Extension health and wellness programming and resource development. The current task force has been asked to continue in its role until an implementation team can be organized. ECOP expresses thanks to Michelle and her team for this significant national leadership.

ECOP Week in Review – ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, will carry his Extension centennial three-part message of relevance, rigor and relationships in many venues this week. On Monday, Henning addresses the Public Issues Leadership Development Conference http://www.jcep.org/pild-conference; Tuesday speaks on Capitol Hill to House and Senate staffers through the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR) lunch and learn series http://www.ncfar.org/Hill_Seminar_Series.asp, and on Wednesday returns to Capitol Hill as part of the 4-H Congressional breakfast hosted by the National 4-H Council.

ECOP Announces NC-FAR Representation – Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, and Michael Ouart, University of Missouri, have been named by ECOP to be on the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research Board of Directors and Research Outreach Committee, respectively. ECOP is a full member of NC-FAR www.ncfar.org representing Cooperative Extension. Both Cross and Ouart will participate in the NC-FAR Board meeting this week in Washington, DC.

NEDA Presentations – If you missed NEDA 2014 last month in Sacramento or want to review what you heard, you can view presentations at http://ecopmondayminute.blogspot.com/. If those who attended NEDA, please take time to fill out the evaluation sent directly to participants. Your response, due 4.15.14, is critical as plans for NEDA 2015 take shape.

Celebrating Cooperative Extension (by Cathann Kress, Iowa State University) -- The Iowa Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution March 27, 2014, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, the founding legislation of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System. Polk County Extension Council member Harold Hommes, Terry Maloy, Executive Director for the Iowa Association of County Extension Councils, several extension specialists, and I were on hand as the resolution was read and passed. Watch our video about the resolution’s passage at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/content/celebrating-cooperative-extension.

Extension Award Nominations Due 5.30.14 – Take time now to submit nominations for the Excellence in Extension and Diversity Awards. To prepare a nomination for submission, use the handy pdf version which includes criteria found at https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5116. Then submit the nomination at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ECOPAwards2014.

ECOP Monday Minute 9.16.13 - Galaxy IV ECOP Highlights

Galaxy IV ECOP Highlights – ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, will facilitate a face-to-face meeting during the Galaxy conference this week in Pittsburgh. Expected actions relate to work of the ECOP 4-H Implementation Team, the ECOP Assessment Policy Work Group, and the eXtension Governing Committee. Preparation will be made for 2014 with a review of the proposed ECOP budget, goals and calendar. In addition, ECOP is featured in two concurrent workshops at Galaxy on the Extension Centennial and the 21st Century Extension Professional Project. The launch of the Extension Centennial www.extension100years.net is part of the Wednesday evening dinner.

Smart Choice Training (by Michelle Rodgers, ECOP member, and University of Delaware Extension Director) – Health Insurance literacy is a strategic initiative identified in the ECOP National Task Force on Health.  Research  indicates that Americans are confused and uninformed regarding health insurance needs and options.  Extension is ready to respond with Smart Choice Health Insurance© consumer education program.  Research and theory based,  Smart Choice Health Insurance© is designed to reduce confusion and increase capability and confidence among consumers making health insurance plan choices.  It is applicable to both current health insurance consumers and those who are newly-eligible through the Affordable Care Act providing Extension with a teachable moment.  It is also the basis for additional curriculum coming in fall 2013: You and Health Insurance: Making a Smart Choice for Farm Families and in 2014, Smart Use Health Insurance: Smart Choice Health Insurance-Young Adults. Developed by a multi-state  Extension team and consumer tested in multiple states, the training and curriculum is now available for the national Cooperative Extension System.  States with interest in this program delivery can obtain training certification, curriculum and national evaluation forms with data compilation and comparative reports.  States can gear up to deliver this program by attending one of the following national trainings: October 9-10, 2013 -- Beltsville MD, October 14-15, 2013 -- St Louis MO, October 30-31, 2013 --  Portland OR. Please see and share the program announcement and registration information here.  This is the first opportunity for the ECOP National Task Force on Health to implement and evaluate a health program nationally.  Please consider participation by your  state in this national educational effort.

eXtension External Evaluation – View the ECOP webinar last week reporting the findings of the eXtension External Evaluation athttps://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p56t0sqnne7/. The final report on the evaluation can be found here. Your views are critical and welcomed as ECOP, chaired by Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, together with the eXtension Governing Committee, chaired by Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, works with eXtension staff to guide pivotal changes for eXtension.

Farm Bill Social Media Campaign– USDA Secretary Vilsack encourages Cooperative Extension administrators, educators and stakeholders to use hashtag #MyFarmBill to tell the story of what the farm bill means to their community.

4-H Clover Attracts Journalist (by Chuck Hibberd, ECOP member and director, University of Nebraska Extension) – The Economistmagazine recently included a story called Farming as Rocket Science Click here. The story features Nebraska 4-H and 4-H’s influential role in STEM education and workforce development throughout the United States. A columnist for the magazine was curious about 4-H after seeing the 4-H emblem prominently showcased during his travels throughout thousands of communities across the United States. As a result, he reached out to National 4-H Council to learn more about 4-H. He then spent several days seeing 4-H in action in Nebraska – meeting prominent 4-H alumni, University and Extension leadership, collegiate 4-Hers and several 4-H clubs and interacting with the members, volunteers and parents. He also visited the Nebraska State Fair and spent time with young people presenting their projects there. The article is a great testament to all of our excellent work. Let’s celebrate together in the success of what we do and share in the great attention that this high-profile story will bring to 4-H programs across our nation.

USDA Farm to School Program Webinars – The USDA Farm to School Program is hosting two webinars in partnership with theeXtension Community of Practice in Community, Local, and Regional Food Systems on Wednesday, September 25th at 1 p.m. EST and Wednesday, October 9th at 1 p.m. EST to explore how partnering with Cooperative Extension professionals can support local and regional farm to school programs. The purpose of these webinars is to feature best practices and case examples of how Extension professionals are involved with farm to school and to describe how other farm to school related organizations are collaborating with Extension on many diverse farm to school activities. Connect by phone at 1-800-988-0278, pass code: 91613# or through the web at
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usda/join?id=SJ9CSP&role=attend. For more information, seehttp://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/webinars.htm.  

ECOP Monday Minute 9.9.13

ACTION TODAY: eXtension External Evaluation Webinar – ECOP will host a webinar on The eXtension External Evaluation: Charting Next Steps 1-2 p.m. ET, Monday, 9.9.13. Connect at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop. This is another opportunity for Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators to engage in a discussion about the future direction of eXtension. The report can be found here.

REMINDER: SNAP-Ed Survey Due – The current SNAP-Ed assessment expires in 2013. While ECOP recognizes only participating institutions are assessed for the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, the recent changes in SNAP-Ed to a competitive grant program have led to the recommendation that all institutions complete a brief survey indicating your interest in continued or new participation, and whether or not you are in favor of the continued assessment. If you are an authorized voting member of the Cooperative Extension Section or their designee, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SNAPEd and respond by 9.11.13. Additional information from the SNAP-Ed Program Development includes: Proposed 2014 Budget, Accomplishment Report, and Contact List.

Health Team to Meet in DC – The ECOP National Task Force on Health, co-chaired by Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, and Cindy Reeves, USDA-NIFA, continues its work to identify key health priorities for Cooperative Extension educational programming. The team meets in Washington, DC, later this week and will get an ECOP welcome by Jane Schuchardt, Executive Director.

Extension Celebration to Launch at Galaxy – Join the ECOP Extension Centennial Celebration Task Force at the Joint Council on Extension Professionals Galaxy IV Conference www.jcep.org Wednesday evening, 9.18.13, in Pittsburgh for the launch of festivities honoring Cooperative Extension’s 100 years and ushering in a new century of educational excellence. For details, see www.extension100years.net.

LEAD-21 Welcomes Applications – November 15, 2013 is the deadline for applications for the LEAD-21 Class X (2014-2015). See www.lead-21.org/program-application-schedule/.