2023 NEDA Registration Update

Early registration fees for the NEDA Meeting, Transforming Extension: People, Partners, and the Profession, October 10-12, 2023, expired last week. However, Extension Directors and Administrators may register and attend for only $100 more! Visit neda.extension.org for details. The Tucson Marriott hotel rates for NEDA have expired, also. Here is the link to a map to spot hotels that are within walking distance if no vacancies remain at the Marriott. As of this writing, over 100 people are registered to attend.



USDA Seeks Nominations for Membership on the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - USDA has announced it is accepting nominations to the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. First established in 1992, the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers advises the Secretary of Agriculture to enhance USDA’s goals for new farming and ranching operations. USDA is soliciting nominations from interested organizations and individuals from among ranching and farming producers, related state and tribal agricultural entities, academic institutions, commercial banking entities, trade associations, and related nonprofit enterprises. An organization may nominate individuals from within or outside its membership. Interested candidates may also nominate themselves or other qualified experts by October 10. Learn more about the advisory committee and how to apply.

National Rural Grocery Summit Announced - The Rural Grocery Initiative, Kansas State University, Research and Extension, and the Hunger Solutions Institute, Auburn University, College of Human Sciences and Alabama Agriculture Experiment Stations, are co-sponsoring a networking and resource-sharing venue for independent grocers and rural food access stakeholders called the National Rural Grocery Summit www.ruralgrocery.org/summit.The event will take place June 24-25, 2024, at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama. At this stage of planning, interested parties may save the date and sign up for the newsletter list to receive further details. The summit will bring together grocery store owners and managers, community leaders, food suppliers, academic researchers, healthy food access stakeholders, policy makers, and funders to connect, share lessons learned, and innovate around best practices for sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores and improving access to healthy food in rural communities. 

Explore Social Science Funding Opportunities - The Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society is hosting a free webinar at 12 p.m. EDT September 29, 2023, that will feature NIFA staff discussing the various funding opportunities for social science research related to food and agriculture. The webinar will cover where social science programs are housed within NIFA's divisional structure, special opportunities for students and early career professionals, and tips for successful grant writing. A Q&A will follow the presentation. Register here online.

National Impact Database Team Becoming a Subcommittee of the CMC

On July 22, 2021, ECOP voted to move the National Impact Database Team, whose duty it is to implement and maintain the website landgrantimpacts.org, to become a joint sub-committee of the Communications and Marketing Committee (CMC). The transition will occur over a 1-year period. Also, Karla Trautman, Chair of the CMC, Director of Extension at South Dakota State University, said, "One of hallmarks of CMC's strategic communications roadmap is a monthly calendar of events.” Monthly suggestions for engagement like this are sent to university communicators. To either verify or add contacts for Extension to that list, please contact Rick Rhodes at rcrhodes@uri.edu. 

On the same day, ECOP members met Andrea Putman (pictured here),  APLU's new Assistant Vice President, Communications and External Partnerships, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources. The Cooperative Extension Section is equally invested with Experiment Station and the Academic Heads Sections of the Board on Agriculture Assembly in Andrea's work through 2022. Extension Directors and Administrators should be aware of their multi-dimensional role with the Strategic Communications Roadmap Plan that Andrea is now hired to lead and implement. Please join the Cooperative Extension National Office staff, Caroline Henney and Sandy Ruble, and ECOP to welcome Andrea!



NIFA Offers Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program Webinar - Learn about NIFA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) in an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, July 28 from 2 - 3:00 p.m. ET. The virtual session will be led by program experts and grant awardees as they share their knowledge and personal experiences with the BFRDP program. Attendees are highly encouraged to ask questions during the live question and answer segment. Register online for this webinar. This event is the second installment of NIFA’s new monthly Nutrition Security Webinar Series. The series is set to feature a broad range of topics and speakers focused on prioritizing nutrition security during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic Development and Community Engagement Leadership Opportunity - Applications for seats on the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) Executive Committee are being accepted through Friday, August 6. CECE (No cost to join here with APLU membership) is seeking 8 new members to serve a 3-year term as the Class of 2024. As a standing commission of APLU, CECE strives to provide a national dialogue on universities and their impacts in community and economic engagement. Through conferences, initiatives, and by supporting grantsmanship of APLU’s Office of Economic Development & Community Engagement (OEDCE). Three cheers for colleagues, Marshall Stewart, University of Missouri, Shelly Nickols-Richardson, University of Illinois, and Ashley Stokes, University of Tennessee, for serving in the Class of 2021! Who will be next to join Mike Gaffney, Washington State University, Class of 2023, and Jorge Atiles, West Virginia University, Class of 2022, from the Cooperative Extension Section? Apply here.




International Rural Exchange Experience Announcement for Young Adults - Applications for the 2022 IFYE Experience will be accepting applications beginning August 1, 2021. Founded in 1948, IFYE has continued its founding promise by providing international cultural exchange programming that places young adults, age 19 and above with multiple, rural based host families for two- three- or six-month programs in countries around the world to become immersed in the country’s culture by living it on a daily basis. Interested parties should visit the IFYE website at https://ifyeusa.org/foreign-exchange-program. The IFYE motto of “Peace Through Understanding” continues to touch the lives of people around the world. To learn more visit www.ifyeusa.org. 

Hibberd and Eubanks Inducted into NIFA’s Hall of Fame

On April 25, 2019 during the NIFA Day of Appreciation, Past ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd (pictured top-left), University of Nebraska, was inducted into the NIFA Hall of Fame. The program was established in 2011 to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to NIFA’s mission. Other inductees this year are Gina Eubanks (pictured bottom-left), Louisiana State University, and Ian Maw, retired leader of the Board on Agricultural Assembly (APLU). Click Here to read more about NIFA’s recognition of our Pacific land-grants, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University. The event was typified by compelling comments made by NIFA Director Scott Angle (pictured right in both images), Chuck, Gina, and Rachel Novotny’s (University of Hawaii) that trusted land-grant science delivered through Extension Education improves lives and provides resilience to richly diverse communities. Another former ECOP Chair, Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, received this same honor in 2015.



Two Days Left to Nominate for National Awards  - The 2019 nomination process for the National Excellence in Extension and Extension Diversity Awards ends in 2 days at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, May 1. Honorees who are selected will receive cash awards and will travel to the APLU Annual Meeting in San Diego California on a stipend to accept their awards. The awards are sponsored by ECOP and NIFA. Go to www.aplu.org/CESawards or contact Assistant Director Sandy Ruble at sandyruble@extension.org or 202-478-6088 for more details.

Opportunities! Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders 5/3/19 - ECOP Chair Ed Jones (Virginia Tech) welcomes colleague, Michelle Rodgers (University of Delaware), Well Connected Communities Project Director, to a conversation this Friday, 5/3/19, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. All 1890, 1994, and 1862 land-grant Extension Leaders are encouraged to participate. The program is ECOP endorsed and privately supported (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) program in partnership with National 4-H Council. The case for sustained funding for the program which equips volunteer leaders to help their neighbors be healthier at every stage of life, continues to roll toward 2020. Add to calendar: Join Zoom Meeting https://extension.zoom.us/j/129450710 or dial by your location 646-876-9923 (New York), 669-900-6833 (San Jose); Meeting ID: 129 450 710. For more information contact Sandy Ruble (contact info above). This will be the 16^th in a series of recorded 1-hour national conversations by the Cooperative Extension Section on topics that are system-wide issue driven and enterprising for the members of the Cooperative Extension Section and beyond. The archives are held here-2019 and here-2018.


Low-Income Nutrition Program Enhances Leadership - The Land-Grant University (LGU) SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) identifies itself as an action-oriented, proactive group, and is focused on long-term projects. Represented by all regions, the Team is comprised of family and consumer science (FCS) program leaders, university administrators, SNAP-Ed program coordinators, an office manager, and a federal partner from NIFA. In 2019, an EFNEP Coordinator was added to help facilitate coordination among SNAP-Ed, EFNEP, and other LGU extension low-income nutrition education programs. A second FCS administrator was added to the Executive Committee to share volunteer leadership responsibilities. Go to https://community-nutrition-education.extension.org/2019/04/2019-snap-ed-program-development-team-meeting to learn more. Later this year ECOP will consider renewing an agreement to collect assessments that support the work of the PDT.

60 Years of 4-H Leadership in Washington, DC - As the National 4-H Conference Center (Center) celebrates its 60^th year as the home of 4-H in Washington, DC, it remains a unique source of exceptional learning opportunities for 4-H youth, volunteers and professionals. In addition to national 4-H events like 4-H Conference and Citizenship Washington Focus, the Center now offers workshops on civic engagement and civil discourse, food and agriculture, STEM and many other topics that focus on today's important career paths. To keep these offerings relevant, dynamic and attractive, National 4-H Council is making improvements such as engaging industry experts, providing access to government leaders, and working with Cooperative Extension to maintain cutting-edge curriculum. As a result, program staff are adjusting event pricing to account for enhancements and the increases in the cost of goods and services, while continuing to provide a cost-effective product. Center staff will be communicating more about 2020 program opportunities over the next few months. For more information, contact Freeman Thompson at fthompson@4hcenter.org.

Census of Agriculture Data Now Available - Several census items are currently available for sharing, including two highlights on demographics and economics, a census data highlight video series (farms and land in farms, economics, and demographics), the press release, several Partner Tools (an email signature and letter footer, web banner, print and web ad, FAQs, PPT presentation, and more), and the new census data query tool. Devoted to census data, the new query tool is unique in that it automatically displays matching data sets from the past five censuses for easy comparison. Additional products such as state and county profiles (May 30) and congressional district rankings (June 26) will be available later the this year.


BFRDP Grant Deadline 5/16/19 - The 2018 farm bill reauthorized the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). NIFA has released the FY2019 BFRDP Request for Applications (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-BFR-006742), with a deadline of May 16, 2019. The estimated total program funding for FY2019 is $14 million. For more details on criteria and eligibility, go to Request for Applications. To apply, applications must be submitted through grants.gov at Apply for Grant. Direct questions regarding preparing application to electronic@nifa.usda.gov or call 202-401-5048.

ECOP National System Study Webinar 6.28.16

ECOP member and chair of the ECOP National System Task Force, Chuck Hibberd, Nebraska Extension, invites you to continued conversation about Cooperative Extension as a national system at a webinar on 11:00 a.m. ET, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. To connect, please go to https://zoom.us/j/445634779, or iPhone one-tap: 14086380968,445634779# or 16465588656,445634779#, or Telephone: Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll), Webinar ID: 445 634 779. Hibberd will review the results of two national surveys related to themes describing Cooperative Extension, understanding of national presence and operations, and thoughts about branding. There will be opportunity for continued interaction by way of online “voting.” The webinar is designed for Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators or their designees. This continued discussion is critical to positioning Cooperative Extension to respond to opportunities of multi-state and national scope. Your participation is encouraged. When using Zoom for the first time, take time before the webinar begins to download the Zoom launch application at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362593-Zoom-Launcher-Plugin.

Scott Reed, Oregon State University

ECOP Launches Private Resource Mobilization Task Force – ECOP member Scott Reed, Oregon State University, is chair of the new ECOP Private Resource Mobilization Task Force. The purpose of the effort is to recommend strategies for securing private resources for Extension as a national system as a complement to public funding. This task force will work closely with the ECOP National System Task Force led by ECOP member Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska, which is defining ways Extension can work more effectively as a national network when needed. Members of Reed’s team are Roger Rennekamp, Ohio State University; Bill Hare, University of the District of Columbia; Tony Windham, University of Arkansas; Ray McKinnie, Virginia State University; and Laura Johnson, University of Georgia. 

David Buys, Mississippi State University, left leads
Chronic Disease Prevention & Management Action Team.

Chronic Disease Prevention Extension Priority – The Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CDPM) Action Team, a part of the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team, is working towards national recognition of Extension programs that address improving the quality and duration of an individual’s lifespan. The team led by David Buys, Mississippi State University, began with creating and disseminating an Environmental Scan of Extension CDPM programs to each state. Data has been collected to help identify gaps in education. They are continuing to distribute, collect, and evaluate results. The CDPM team has created a logic model and is now preparing for national presentations and professional journal articles to establish CDPM as an Extension priority, recognize current programs, provide professional development opportunities, and launch clear standards and expectations. Buys says alignment is needed with national, state, and local agencies, while continuing to serve communities and individuals through filtering information, facilitating educational opportunities, and connecting with individuals and families. For the team’s recent report, see https://www.dropbox.com/s/2jr3c9lhaojha97/Chronic%20Disease%20Prevention%20and%20Management%20Action%20Team_Mid-term%20report.pdf?dl=0. 

USDA-NIFA Message on DoL Overtime Rule – On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor issued the Fair Labor Standard Act’s Overtime Final Rule, which is intended to ensure overtime protections for executive, administrative, and professional employees (“white collar”). The implementation of the final overtime rule is 12.1.16. Major provisions and changes from the initial proposed rule include: 1) Nonexempt employees working over 40 hours per week must be paid overtime pay for work in excess of 40 hours per week. Compensation for these additional hours must be no less than one and a half times their regular hourly rate; 2) Exemptions can be made for “white collar employees,” including teachers, and certain other categories of workers, and 3) For exempt employees, the minimum income threshold is set at $47,476, double the current salary threshold. No changes were made to the “duties test” and “teaching” exemptions. USDA-NIFA is closely studying the updated rule and its impact to our land-grant university partners, small business and other grantees. In the coming weeks, we will provide you more information and necessary guidance as it relates to our current and future funding opportunities and reporting procedures. 

4-H National Spokesperson Featured in National Media – See http://www.people.com/article/jennifer-nettles-4h-club-spokesperson for an article on country music star Jennifer Nettles and the effect of her 4-H experience in Georgia on her career. Nettles is national spokesperson for 4-H. 

USDA Launches Resource for Farmers, Ranchers – See www.FarmAnswers.org for a new USDA resource to help farmers and ranchers get easy to access, reliable information for technical assistance in getting their business started. Here find online courses, videos, presentations, apps, and other materials. FarmAnswers is supported by a grant from USDA-NIFA through its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) and was developed by the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota. Items on the site can be filtered to the specific information the user wants and help them find educational programs in their localities. Toolboxes are available on topics such as business planning, marketing products locally, and accessing land. FarmAnswers is a key partner of the USDA-wide effort to make it easier for people to find USDA programs and services for new farmers through a streamlined web site and discovery tool at usda.gov/newfarmers. The NewFarmers website also includes information specifically for women in agriculture, youth, and veterans.