10.27.14 - ECOP Changes Leadership

ECOP Changes Leadership – Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, takes over as ECOP Chair at the Cooperative Extension Section Dinner Monday, November 3, 2014 during the APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. He replaces Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky. ECOP chairs are identified by regions on a rotational basis. The northeast region has named Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, as ECOP chair for 2016. The western region has named Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska, for 2017. Two members complete ECOP terms this year – Charlotte Eberlein, University of Idaho, and Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University. ECOP is the representative national leadership and governing body of Cooperative Extension. Proceedings of ECOP meetings are available at https://www.aplu.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=2435.

USDA-NIFA Releases Strategic Plan – ECOP was highly involved in the review and comment process in the development of the USDA-NIFA Strategic Plan for 2014 to 2018 http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/strat_plan_2014_2018.html. The plan aligns with USDA and USDA-Research, Education and Economics (REE) priorities. USDA-NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy invites you to a webinar to introduce the plan 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET, Tuesday, 10.28.14. To connect, go to http://emsp.intellor.com/login/417304. Send advance questions to Virginia Bueno, Communications Director, Virginia.bueno@nifa.usda.gov. Questions also will be taken during the webinar.

4-H Science Takes Off Around the Country – The 7th annual 4-H National Youth Science Day, the world's largest youth led science experiment, engaged thousands of young people all over the nation in October, thanks to the popularity of the 2014 national science experiment, Rockets to the Rescue. Created by the University of Arizona Extension, the experiment challenges youth to build an aerodynamic craft designed to deliver a payload of food to natural disaster victims. To date, more than 950 4-H NYSD events have been registered - a new 4-H NYSD record - engaging more than 100,000 youth in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, including NASA Space Centers, major league fields, schools and 4-H clubs. 4-H NYSD, made possible by National 4-H Council, USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension, was created to ignite an early interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among young people. The nation's STEM skills gap was the focus of a thought leadership event on October 8 in Washington, D.C. that included leaders from NASA, Lockheed Martin, Virginia 4-H and Change the Equation. 4-H NYSD corporate sponsors included Lockheed Martin, Hughes Net and John Deere. For more information, including photos, click here.

NEDA 2015, 2016 – SAVE THE DATES – Each year, traditionally in spring, the Cooperative Extension directors, administrators and partners meet to discuss program and administrative issues of national significance. For the near term, this national gathering, commonly known as NEDA (National Directors and Administrators) and Cooperative Extension Section (CES) Meeting, has been shifted to fall. In 2015, the meeting is October 12-14 at the Embassy Suites-Downton St. Louis, MO. For 2016, the University of Wyoming, on behalf of the Experiment Station Section, is pleased to host the Joint Experiment Station Section-Cooperative Extension Section Meeting, Monday September 19, 2016 – Thursday, September 22, 2016 at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park near the town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming http://www.gtlc.com/lodging/jackson-lake-lodge-overview.aspx. Information regarding meeting registration, agenda/schedule, and hotel reservations will be provided closer to the meeting dates.

2015 USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program – Please alert undergraduate (juniors and seniors) and graduate students majoring in agriculture and related sciences on your respective college and university campuses to go to the Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program website to apply for sponsorships to attend the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/. The forum provides producers, policymakers, business, government, and industry leaders with a unique opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discuss timely issues at the forefront of America’s agriculture. In an effort to increase the present and future diversity of participation in the Forum, USDA created this program. The deadline for applications is November 20, 2014.

USDA and DHHS Announce Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting – The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will meet on November 7, 2014 by webcast. See http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/ for details. Written comments will be accepted.

9.15.14 - ECOP Chair to Address FCS Program Leaders

ECOP Chair to Address FCS Program Leaders – Community and Rural Vitality, Health and Wellness will be the focus of the 2014 Family & Consumer Sciences State Program Leaders Meeting at the Annual Session of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS), September 17-18, 2014 in Lexington, KY. ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, will speak at the opening session. Representatives of the Board on Human Sciences, Council of Administrators for Family and Consumer Sciences, and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences will attend. USDA NIFA’s Division of Family & Consumer Sciences, under the leadership of Caroline Crocoll, coordinates the two-day annual meeting of state leaders. Regional Rural Development Center Directors will also participate. 

Bioproducts World Conference in Ohio – Keith Smith, Extension Director, Ohio State University, encourages colleagues to take advantage of a special academic rate of $125 for the Bioproducts World 2014 Showcase and Conference October 5-8, 2014 in Columbus, OH. To register, go to http://bioproductsworld.org/general_registration.php and note the special rate. For a schedule of events, see http://bioproductsworld.org/schedule_of_events.php. 

WVU Announces Centennial Celebration – West Virginia University will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act with a two-day symposium September 24-25, 2014 focusing on the future of Cooperative Extension. A presidential panel features three WVU presidents — Gordon Gee, David Hardesty and Peter Magrath — who will each give their unique perspective and insight on the role Cooperative Extension plays in fulfilling the land-grant mission. See http://go.wvu.edu/ZeKCE0 for more information. 

Blog Post Features Cooperative Extension’s Next Century – ECOP chairs Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University; Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, and Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and other leaders were featured in the PEW Charitable Trusts article Cooperative Extension Reinvents Itself for the 21st Century. See http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/09/09/cooperative-extension-reinvents-itself-for-the-21st-century. 

NRC Completes AFRI Review – The National Research Council (NRC) has completed its review of AFRI and provides the report Spurring Innovation in Food and Agriculture: A Review of the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18652. Reference to Cooperative Extension is found in Recommendations 2-A and 3-B. 

USDA-NIFA Director Speaks at Centennial Celebration – Extension in the 21st Century was the theme of Sonny Ramaswamy’s presentation at the USDA Cooperative Extension Centennial celebration last week in Washington, DC. View his presentation at http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p3n5jte2826/.