USDA Reaffirms Ties with 1890s with New MOU

On June 14, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Dr. Paul Jones, Fort Valley State University, Chair of APLU's Council of 1890 Universities Presidents signed an MOU to reaffirm and strengthen the ongoing relationship between the 1890s community and USDA through cooperation and partnership. This MOU also establishes a new 1890 Task Force that will inject energy into USDA’s efforts to collaborate with 1890s institutions in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors. The document underscores USDA’s commitment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities to advance the goals of equity to better serve the needs of traditionally underserved institutions and communities. The 1890s system has played an important role in building STEM programming for our nation’s youth. 1890s institutions also strengthen research, Extension, and teaching in the food and agricultural sciences and expand the number of students attracted to careers in agriculture, food, natural resources, and human sciences. Read more here.



Listening Session on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health - Nearly 100 individuals recently participated in a virtual listening session summarized here providing input for the upcoming White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to be held this September. The listening session was hosted by ECOP and the Board on Human Sciences with support of the Extension Foundation. The majority of the participants were state-level coordinators of Cooperative Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and work done by implementing agencies of SNAP-Ed. Information regarding the Conference will be released in the near future. Information gathered through the listening session can be reviewed [here]. For more information, contact Roger Rennekamp, ECOP's Extension Health Director, at rogerrennekamp@extension.org.

Cooperative Extension in Urban America: Place-Based Approaches for Improving Health - A new article was published in a special issue of the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension focused on Cooperative Extension’s role in the nation’s cities. Authors are Dawn Burton (Prairie View A&M University), LaToya O’Neal (University of Florida), Erin Yelland (Kansas State University), Suzanne Stluka (USDA-NIFA), and Roger Rennekamp (ECOP's Extension Health Director). The article is available at https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/jhse/vol10/iss2/1/

SNAP-Ed PDT Update - The annual meeting of the land-grant universities SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) was held in April. Representatives from USDA Food Nutrition Service, and NIFA, and Cooperative Extension met with current and incoming members of the PDT. The seventeen-member PDT for 2022-2023 includes 3 Extension professionals from 1890's institutions. The PDT conducts monthly conference calls, subcommittee work, and an annual face-to-face meeting to improve the consistency and effectiveness of Extension SNAP-Ed programming to address national health and nutrition-related problems facing low-income populations in the context of Extension’s broader low-income nutrition education portfolio. This year there is particular focus was Nutrition Security and Health Equity to align with USDA priorities. Highlights of the meeting and the past year are available here to view/download. In a series of agreements with ECOP/APLU to support the PDT dating back to 2002, the PDT has been headquartered at South Dakota State University.  

Captured from Last Week's ECOP Meeting at JointCOPs - 

Candid photos from 7/20/2022 ECOP Meeting at Historic Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
- L-R, top to bottom. Executive Committee: Chris 
Watkins, Bev Durgan, Wendy Powers, Caroline
Henney, Mark Latimore; also, John Lawrence  
Brent Hales, Allen Malone, Vonda Richardson,
Damona Doye.                                                       
- $600K 2023 Assessment-Driven Budget Approved     
- ECOP was not asked to contribute $ to support CMC 
or landgrantimpacts.org.                                          
- Consensus Achieved on 2022-2023 Priorities               

JointCOPs General Session on Federal Budget, 7/21/2022
 - Bridget Krieger, Lewis Burke Associates, lower left                      
- Marshall Stewart, University of Missouri, CLP Chair, lower right 

Status of FY 2023 Appropriations Before Senate Action in Late July. 
Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP will respond to a BAC FY24 survey by 9/12/2022.

Background on Farm Bill

.

ECOP Meetings in Washington DC

This week, July 19-21, ECOP members, liaisons, and related partners will attend the 2022 Joint COPs Meeting, Moving Into the New Normal at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. In addition to ECOP attending Joint General Sessions listed here, on July 19 ECOP Chair Wendy Powers, University of California, and Chair-elect Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, will attend a hybrid meeting at the newly relocated APLU office building with ESCOP Chair Chris Pritsos, University of Nevada-Reno, and Chair-elect Matt Wilson, West Virginia University. Respective Regional Executive Director and ECOP staff will join the COPs leader to discuss COP priorities and vision for the coming year, meeting coordination, and agenda items for the fall ECOP/ESCOP EDA’s retreat. Later that same day, ECOP's Professional Development and Program Committee meetings will occur back at the hotel. Wendy will preside over the full ECOP business (FY23 budget, priority setting, 2022-2023 calendar, and the national ED search) on the morning of July 20. A portion of the meeting will be devoted to ICOP and ACOP on partnering opportunities. With impact stories provided by Extension Directors and Administrators, leave-behind communications will be finalized to share with key decision-makers. Following adjournment on the morning of July 21, the Extension EDA Team meets to update the distribution of their national responsibilities, review the new pilot ECOP priority setting process, the Extension Awards process, and the national ED search. Stay tuned for the results of these important meetings.

 

 

Caroline Henney

A Message from the ECOP/CES Executive Director - Dear Colleagues-After serving as the Executive Director of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy and the Cooperative Extension System for over two years, I have made the difficult decision to step down from this incredibly rewarding position. This transition will occur at the end of September, following NEDA. Over the past 30 years, I have worked for or with Extension at the local, state, federal, national, and international level. My time on the Extension continuum has afforded me a career full of unique experiences that I hope have made a difference in people’s lives. Through these rewarding experiences, I have truly come to understand why Extension is the envy of the world. Read the full memo from Dr. Caroline [Crocoll] Henney here.

 

FY23 Appropriations Update - The House is expected to vote this month on a mini-bus package of six funding bills, including the Agriculture, Energy-Water, and Interior-Environment bills. The House Committee on Rules made this announcement detailing the amendment process for the package and plans to meet this week to report a rule for floor consideration. While ECOP BLC keeps an eye on what the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies decisions on FY23 to be decided by the end of July, APLU will continuously update the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations priorities chart as funding levels are released. An additional point of reference is the House Sub-Committee's FY23 Agreement. 

 

EFNEP: A Model of Cooperation and Collaboration, Resulting in Improved Nutritional Health, and Well-Being of Families with Limited Financial Resources - The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is the nation’s first nutrition education program for low-income populations and remains at the forefront of nutrition education efforts to reduce nutrition insecurity of low-income families and youths today. This webinar on July 19 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET will provide an in-depth overview of the program, including how cooperation and collaboration has been essential to the program’s more than half century success.



Development for Agricultural Literacy Grant Program Webinar - NIFA will host an informational webinar July 28 at 1 p.m. EDT for those interested in the Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL) grant program. PDAL is being offered through the AFRI Education and Workforce Development Request for Applications. The program area seeks to increase the number of K-14 educational professionals trained in the food and agricultural sciences.

ECOP Meets South of the Border

There will be no ECOP Monday Minute on July 30. Please tune in again on August 6, 2018!

Candid moment of ECOP Meeting, July 17, 2018

This summer’s ECOP meeting occurred, as usual, as part of the annual APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly's Joint COPs Summer Meeting held this year in Guadalajara, Mexico. This location, like last year’s meeting in Canada, reflects APLUs interests in broadening public university engagement to include our neighbors. Highlights of actions by ECOP:

• Approved Extension Resource and Partnership Development Team continue working towards a System-wide Development/Fund Raising business plan. Draft plan due at October NEDA/ECOP meetings. 
• Approved the Reporting Themes Workgroup to continue its work towards a coordinated, streamlined reporting system aligned with NIFA and CES strategic initiative priorities. 
• Affirmed commitment to CES Strategic Agenda in the transition of the ECOP Chair from Chuck Hibberd to Ed Jones for 2019. 
• Approved appointment of an International Extension Workgroup to establish ways that the Cooperative Extension system can support 1862 and 1890 institutions increasing capacity in this arena. 
• Approved a Section-wide process to review and provide input on the Strategic Alignment (Line Consolidation) efforts being led by the BAA Policy Board. This review will lead to input to the Policy Board’s meeting on this topic in November. 
• Approved the continued process of engaging Section members on their perspectives on the expectations for Communications and Marketing Committee Plan of Work. This review will lead to input to the Policy Board’s meeting on this topic in November. 
• Provided significant input into the Nutrition Education Call to Action Advocacy Strategy being led by the Communications and Marketing Committee and kglobal. Extension Administrators and Directors will soon receive a summary of the current and planned strategies. 
• Affirmed the work of the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee, encouraging them to explore the possibility of new legislation to establish an additional authority for use of the 4-H name and emblem and to draft a new MOU http://bit.ly/4H_MOU document that would continue the work of the Committee beyond May 8, 2019

Two Timely Reminders -

1. Tune in to Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders: Unraveling the Mysteries of ECOP and CES on Friday, August 3, 2018, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. Contact ECOP Assistant Director Sandy Ruble to receive connection details.
2. Register for 2018 NEDA before September 10, 2018 - http://www.cvent.com/d/0gqxkw. Direct questions about this meeting to ECOP Program Assistant Marianne Klein.

eXtension Highlights - The Impact Collaborative, powered by eXtension, hosted its Facilitator Training last week in Detroit, MI. The Impact Collaborative trained 29 new facilitators from 20 institutions in the Innovation Kit process. Upon completion of this training, these members became qualified to host local Innovation Kit Workshop and Designathon One events with eXtension and can assist in facilitating. You can find more information on outcomes and what our Facilitators had to say about the training here. If your institution has had a Facilitator trained this year, the Impact Collaborative is offering Premium Member Institutions the chance to host a 20-60 seat Innovation Kit Workshop or Designathon One at no cost to the institution. The deadline for scheduling one of these events is August 1st, 2018, click here for more details. To learn more about eXtension member benefits like these Impact Collaborative events, become a member! Contact Beverly Coberly at beverlycoberly@extension.org for more information.

Webinar 8/14: Well Connected Communities Wave 2 Funding - The Well Connected Communities initiative is an effort to cultivate wellness across the country. Cooperative Extension, in partnership with National 4-H Council, is equipping volunteer leaders to help their neighbors be healthier at every stage of life. With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health, these communities are cultivating wellness and fostering a Culture of Health in America. Extension Directors and Administrators who are interested in strengthening Well Connected Communities’ applications for Wave 2, are encouraged to join a national webinar. The next Request for Applications for funding is anticipated to be released during the spring of 2019. Webinar details:

• August 14, 2018 Time: 2:30 – 3:30 pm ET 
• Register here: https://extension.zoom.us/j/120831669
• Webinar Goals:
  -- Expand understanding of the Well Connected Communities initiative
  -- Explore strategies for building, connecting and weaving community coalition efforts
  -- Identify roles for supporting and creating change
  -- Learn from current Well Connected Communities

For more information or if you have questions, contact Janet Golden, National 4-H Council, jgolden@fourhcouncil.edu, 301-204-6841.

One Week Left to Complete the 2017 Census of Agriculture - The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) officially ends data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture on July 31. NASS asks for help in reminding farmers and ranchers that their response, every response, is important – even if it’s just to say that they are no longer a farmer. The stronger the data once every five years, the better-informed future decisions can be. Remember, the same law that requires response – Federal law, Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113 – also requires NASS to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes, and to only publish data in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation. Producers can still complete the Census questionnaire online at www.agcensus.usda.gov or by calling toll-free (888) 424-7828 through July 31. Data release is planned for February 2019.

Breakthroughs 2030 Release - Additional Information - As reported last week, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 (Breakthroughs 2030) on July 18. As part of the webinar, the Academies are sharing background materials. The archived webinar recording will soon be made available at: http://nas-sites.org/dels/studies/agricultural-science-breakthroughs/report-release/. This site includes links to download the report or read the report online, the press release and an interactive infographic. Other materials of interest:
   • 3-minute video with the main messages from the report
   • 4-page brief summary of the report
   • Social media toolkit with sample promotional tweets, posts, and newsletter summaries

TRUST: Are You Registered?

Author, business strategist
David Horsager

What’s the economic value of trust in the workplace? During the joint meeting of the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Sections September 19-21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY, those focusing on Extension are invited to an exciting professional development opportunity 10:00- Noon, Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Co-sponsored by ECOP and the eXtension Foundation, David Horsager, renowned speaker, business strategist and author of the popular book The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line will engage Extension professionals in a fast-paced, interactive professional development opportunity. Registrants will be provided pre-work for the session, including a self-assessment, plus encouragement to read the book and view a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHJ45j8GYic. All details about registration and lodging for the total meeting are at https://conferencereg.colostate.edu/Jackson2016. Early bird registration ends July 31, 2016. There is no separate registration for The Trust Edge professional development opportunity. 

National Leadership in San Antonio This Week – The APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA), together with the Board on Human Sciences, meets this week in San Antonio, TX. The BAA includes committees on organization and policy (COP) for Extension, Experiment Station, Academic Programs and International Programs, plus the Administrative Heads (primarily deans of agriculture). The BAA is part of the APLU Commission on Food, Environment and Renewable Resources. Through a facilitated process, the BAA will continue its work to develop a public value statement, which is expected to be finalized by communicators before use with targeted partners, the public, and others early in the new year. ECOP meets in conjunction with Joint COPs. ECOP has a robust agenda including discussions on Extension as a national system, private resource mobilization, efforts with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and structure of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. Wrapping up Joint COPs is a meeting of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors (PBD). Extension is represented by Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University. For the Extension report to the PBD, see http://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/board-on-agriculture-assembly/policy-board-of-directors/baapbd-minutes/index.html. 

Competency in the City Webinar 7.21.16 – Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7308656474187965698 for a 3:00 p.m. ET webinar this week, July 21st, to learn results of a study on the unique aspects of serving the Extension mission in urban communities. Using competency identification, Extension can improve its ability to attract, develop, retain, and structure competent talent. The webinar also will include an update on the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Professional Development action committee as it works to establish best practices for developing the capacity and competency of urban Extension educators, specialists, and administrators working with multi-stakeholder agendas. Bringing increased attention to Extension urban programming, while maintaining a strong rural presence, is a 2016 ECOP goal. 

National 4-H Council Summer Update – Check out the National 4-H Council Summer Update http://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CouncilUpdateSummer16_FINAL-7-16-16.pdf. It includes timely information specific to the Grow True Leaders Campaign, results of the spring Paper Clover Promotion, 2016 4-H National Youth Science Day design challenge: Drone Discovery and more. Please share with others including county Extension educators/agents. For more information or questions, contact Kate Caskin at kcaskin@4-H.org. 

USDA-NIFA Capacity Funds Study – USDA-NIFA invites partners to view webinar recordings on the evaluation of its Capacity Programs portfolio, which represents nearly half of NIFA’s budget. In process is an evidence-based analysis of the value and return on investment of these programs. It is expected the project will result in a showcase of the impacts these programs make on food, agriculture, natural resource, and human sciences issues facing the Nation. TEConomy, a contractor, is conducting the evaluation in collaboration with APLU. To view the webinars, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p17yd09czm8/. Send comments to capacityeval@nifa.usda.gov.

Get Involved in Twitter Town Halls

The Communications and Marketing Committee, Scott Reed, chair, Oregon State University, encourages colleagues to contact Ashley Hawn, Ashley.hawn@kglobal.com, at kglobal to coordinate a Twitter Town Hall. AgIsAmerica is an effort to communicate impacts of land-grant universities, specifically the Colleges of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Stations, and Cooperative Extension. Twitter Town Halls are live Q+As that happen over Twitter during a set time and all responses are grouped together by a unique hashtag. Twitter Town Halls help raise awareness, establish credibility, and fuel discussion about the importance of the land-grant system topics of public concern. In order to implement regular Twitter Town Halls, your help is needed to highlight a variety of local, multi-state, and national topics of interest, specifically water security; nutrition and health; agricultural systems; environmental stewardship; energy and bioproducts; youth, family, and communities; and food security. 

ECOP Meets in Providence – Private resource mobilization was a prime topic of consideration by ECOP at its meeting last week in Providence, RI. ECOP leadership, under the direction of Delbert Foster, chair, South Carolina State University, and Michelle Rodgers, chair-elect, University of Delaware, is investigating Cooperative Extension’s potential as a national system to complement existing resources. Other actions related to follow-up on the USDA-NIFA Plan of Work Expert Panel, summary of impacts from Cooperative Extension’s work with USDA Farm Service Agency on producer education related to new farm/ranch programs, and discussion of urban programming as a national priority. 

ECOP members Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University,
Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University, and
Lyla Houglum, Executive Director, Western Extension
Directors Association, engage in facilitated process.

Many Voices, One Message Theme of Joint COPs – Many Voices, One Message was the theme of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) Joint COPs meeting last week in Providence. Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota, set the stage by outlining how public value needs to be a part of outcomes reporting. Cathie Woteki, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for USDA Research, Education and Economics, and Sonny Ramaswamy, USDA-NIFA director, also addressed the group of about 100 key leaders. A facilitated discussion set the stage for the development of a unifying message about the value of university-based agriculture research, academic programs, and Cooperative Extension. The BAA Policy Board of Directors chaired by Jay Akridge, Purdue University, will continue efforts to reach agreement on a unifying message. 

Urban Programming Webinar 7.30.15 – Hear how Washington State University (WSU) Extension in Snohomish County continued to grow its programming through the recent recession by creating visible, relevant and successful urban Extension programs built on the strengths of traditional Extension programming. Learn the strategies that preserved and grew programs, enabled the development of new programs and defined WSU Extension as a leader in this metropolitan community.Register for the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research seminar on Successful Urban Programming: Building from the Traditional Base, July 30, 2015, Noon -1:00 pm PDT at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4733757465126636289. 

Cultivating Change Summit – ECOP Personnel Committee co-chair Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut, calls your attention to an inaugural summit August 6-9, 2015 in Atlanta, GA designed to value and celebrate the diversity of Gay, Bi, Trans, and Questioning men in or around agriculture (and the people who love and respect them). Goals of the summit are to strengthen the social fabric and further develop the community of Gay, Bi, Trans, and Questioning men involved with agriculture; articulate how personal and professional identity development has or has not been influenced by involvement in the agriculture community, and network with similar professionals and their allies to improve careers and professional development. For more information, contact Marcus Hollan, marcus.hollan@uky.edu, Kris Elliott, elliokris@uga.edu, or Jesse Lee Eller, jeller@studio5consulting.com or visit www.studio5consulting.com/cultivatingchange.

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 7.22.13

Extension Centennial on Social Media – The ECOP Extension Centennial Committee has started social media sites to promote the centennial and celebrate the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. Please promote and use these sites as a vehicle for the centennial celebration. On Facebook, we are promoting centennial activities, nationally and in the states, go to: https://www.facebook.com/Extension100Years. Twitter will push out links and stories related to our initiative and spur discussions, go to: https://twitter.com/ext100years. Pinterest will provide a sharing board for pinning images and links of Extension’s past and present, as we move into the next 100 years, go to: http://pinterest.com/ext100years/pins/.

Integrated Programs Showcased at Joint COPs –  Research Extension and Teaching: Innovative Mission Collaboration and Integration is the theme of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Joint COPs meeting in Manhattan, KS, this week. About 85 key leaders from Cooperative Extension, experiment stations, academic programs, international programs, and deans of agriculture meet to discuss national leadership issues. Director Sonny Ramaswamy will speak about how USDA-NIFA views program integration. Also included will be a session on the new USDA-NIFA strategic plan under development. ECOP, represented by Chair-elect Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, led the planning for this year’s meeting and moderates the joint session.

Benning to Retire  – Linda Kay Benning, Executive Director, Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) has announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2013. As part of the national Extension Director and Administrator Team since 2010, Benning has provided significant leadership to the work of the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, Measuring Excellence in Extension Implementation Team, ECOP Marketing and Communication Brand Value Implementation Team, and the PILD Conference Planning Team, among other ECOP priorities. Before assuming the position in the northeast region, she served as Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement at APLU beginning in August 1994.

JOE 50th Celebration at Galaxy – Extension directors and administrators are invited to a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Extension from 4-6 p.m., Monday, September 16, 2013 at the David Lawrence Convention Center, Hall A, during the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh. RSVP by September 4, 2013 to Alice Moore, ammoore@udel.edu. ECOP member Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, is the ECOP liaison to the JOE Board of Directors. For more information about Galaxy, go to www.jcep.org.

Opportunity with Climate Change – ECOP is coordinating with the USDA Climate Change Program Office to encourage Cooperative Extension’s involvement with regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change. USDA hosted a webinar last week outlining the RFA process (open to USDA agencies only) for identifying the regional hubs, with the goals of providing technical support, assessments and forecasts, and outreach and education. USDA is interested in identifying Cooperative Extension’s role with the issue of climate change with a focus on being part of the regional hubs. Go to http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/regional_hubs.htm for a fact sheet, the webinar PPT presentation, and the draft Terms of Reference for the hubs. Cooperative Extension is encouraged to contact representatives at state and local levels to be included as a partner in the application process. The application deadline is August 21, 2013. The hub locations are expected to be named by USDA in October 2013.

View Counties Count Webinar –  Click here to view the recorded webinar presented by the National Association of Counties (NACo) called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar featured a state and local example from Wisconsin by Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair.

ECOP Monday Minute 7.15.13

Galaxy IV Early Registration Ends Today – If you plan to join the launch of the Extension Centennial Celebration, co-chaired by ECOP member Bill Woodrum, West Virginia State University, and Frankie Gould, Louisiana AgriLife, taking place at the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, September 16-20, 2013, the reduced rate for early registration at Galaxy ends today. See details by clicking here.

Comment on AFRI Water Challenge Area – USDA-NIFA announces a web-based listening session on the proposed new AFRI challenge area on water resources for FY 2014. The session, 1-3 p.m. ET, Tuesday, July 16, 2013, can be viewed at http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/afri-water/ or heard by conference call at 888.858.2144, code 1512861#. ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, will provide comment on behalf of Cooperative Extension. Others are encouraged to participate to carry the Cooperative Extension message and can reserve a five-minute slot by contacting Terri Joya at 202.401.1782 or tjoya@nifa.usda.gov. Written comments are due July 30, 2013. For the Federal Register announcement (July 8, 2013, Vol. 78, No. 130, p. 40689), go to http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-07-08/html/2013-16204.htm.

ECOP to Convene at Joint COPs – Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, convenes ECOP as part of the Joint COPs meeting next week in Manhattan, KS. Included on the national leadership agenda is the external evaluation of eXtension, regional scans, efforts to enhance capacity funding, and actions of the ECOP 4-H Implementation Team, the National Task Force on Health, and the Extension Centennial Task Force.

EDEN Provides Swine Flu Alert – ECOP liaison to the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Nick Place, University of Florida, reminds those involved with county and state fairs to be aware of recent outbreaks of swine flu (influenza H3N2v or variant H3N2) and encourage 4-H exhibitors and attendees to take precautions. See the EDEN Swine Influenza Topic Page for details.

4-H Policy Statement – See https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4640 for USDA-NIFA’s policy statement on international positive youth development and the use of the 4-H Name and Emblem.

USDA-NIFA Releases Impacts –  The new publication, 2008 Farm Bill - Making an Impact through NIFA, is available at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/ag_systems/pdfs/farm_bill_2013.pdf.