ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation PAT Update

The ECOP Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation Program Action Team (Climate PAT) recently hosted a gathering from 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions and leaders from the USDA. Through focused conversations, participants identified opportunities in three areas where Extension is uniquely suited to deliver climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions: communities, natural resources, and working lands. For more information, click here.

Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success - The National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting planning committee recently has decided on a theme for 2024 even, Innovations and Disruptions: Strategies for Success. The following leaders are hard at work organizing meaningful, interactive sessions for Members of the Section. More details on topics such as artificial intelligence and Extension's evolving role in outreach and engagement by institutions of higher education. Stay tuned for more details.

>> North Central Region – Bev Durgan, Chair, University of Minnesota

>> 1890s Region – De'Shoin York, Southern University

>> Northeast Region – Jenn Volk, University of Delaware

>> Southern Region – Mike Gutter, Virginia Tech

>> Western – Kris Elliott, Oregon State University

Energy Department Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops - The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently released an RFP for a program titled Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose Grown Energy Crops. These are going to be very large, multi-million dollar and multi-institutional hubs. Team Partners - like Cooperative Extension Services - can sign up here today! The earlier potential partners sign on, the better the outcome to get involved.

2024 National Health Outreach & Engagement Conference - Registration is now open for the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference to be held May 13-15 in Greenville, South Carolina. The conference is co-hosted by Clemson University, University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University. The conference schedule is packed full of keynote speakers, educational workshops, poster presentations, and an awards banquet. The early bird rate of $450 is available from now through April 15. Special lodging rates are available at the Westin Poinsett and SpringHill Suites in downtown Greenville. For more information and to register for the conference, visit https://t.uga.edu/9FF.




AMS Infrastructure Grants to/from State Departments of Agriculture - States and territories are partnering with USDA to competitively subaward Infrastructure Grants to projects that support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. Individual states and territories are opening their Request for Applications (RFA) as state plans become finalized. Interested applicants must apply through their state’s department of agriculture. While the application widow has closed for some states, it is still open for many states and territories.

 The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until January 8, 2024. Happy and safe holidays to all!

Long History of Cooperative Extension and the National Agricultural Statistics Service Renewed

For many decades, the Cooperative Extension Service has enjoyed a warm working relationship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). A Memorandum of Understanding (2023-2028) was recently signed to continue this important work. Pictured above are ECOP Chair Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University (left), and NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer (right) at a ceremonial signing, conducted at the APLU annual meeting in Seattle. 



CYFAR RFA Available - The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for new Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Projects (SCP) for fiscal year 2024. The due date is February 15, 2024. The mission of the CYFAR program is to marshal resources of the Land-grant and Cooperative Extension Systems so that, in collaboration with other organizations, they can develop and deliver educational programs that equip youth who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, contributing lives. Consider attending one of the webinars on January 8 at 3:00 PM ET or January 11 at 5:00 PM ET.

Open Science at USDA - Public access is a critical part of the USDA and National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) support of Open Science. USDA Departmental Regulation (DR) 1020-006 makes all peer-reviewed, scholarly publications and digital scientific research data assets arising from unclassified scientific research, “supported wholly or in part by the USDA,” accessible to the public to the extent practicable. There is a frequently asked questions document and webinar recording, which covers some information that Extension professionals who publish in scholarly publications might find useful.

2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference Proposals - The planning committee for the 2024 National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference  is now accepting proposals for concurrent sessions and posters at next year’s conference (May 13-15, 2024). The conference will be hosted by University of Georgia, Clemson University, and NCSU Extension Services in Greenville, SC. Proposals may focus on any health-related topic including mental health, well-being, transdisciplinary research, implementation science, workforce development, community engagement, health equity, data utilization, place-based interventions, environmental health, housing, health systems and services, food systems, social determinants of health, coalition development, and youth development as a health strategy. Guidelines for preparing proposals can be found here and submitted through the submission portal no later than February 4, 2024.

Intro to Migrant Education Program - The folks that run the Migrant Education Program (MEP) are asking for help get the word out about their effort. This is a nationally funded program through the Department of Education that has existed since 1966. Many farmworker families move during the year or every couple of years in search of work. Many children fall behind in school due to these moves. The Identification and Recruitment Consortium (IDRC) includes 32 Migrant Education Programs. The children they serve are children of farmworkers who have moved in the last three years. They have resources to help more kids graduate from school, assist with life skills classes, language development and more. They would like to share more with Extension Services in each state about this program. Please email jcastanedaidr@gmail.com or call 931-273-4050 for more information.

Read more about IDRC: https://www.idr-consortium.net/Agriculture%20site/index.html
Access information from the Department of Education: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-migrant-education/
More about MEP: https://results.ed.gov/