The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus on May 30. Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

The bipartisan report, Boots on the Ground: Land-grant Universities in the Fight Against Threats to Food and Agriculture, highlights the unique role of land-grant universities in safeguarding the Nation's food and agriculture and can be downloaded here. The report finds that land-grant universities can play a critical role in protecting the Nation’s food and agriculture, and details 15 specific recommendations to maximize their effectiveness. The report’s recommendations address the coordination of federal and Land-grant food and agro-biodefense efforts, early warning of threats to food and agriculture, and incorporation of Land-grant Universities into preparedness, response, and mitigation of biological events.



Funding Opportunity – Positive Youth Development - Among the AFRI Education and Workforce Development program areas, 2 brand new Special Workforce Development projects funded by the Farm Bill were recently announced. Extension Directors and Administrators and their assigns might wish to attend a webinar Friday, June 3, 2022, 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET, regarding RFAs for Youth Innovators Empowering Agriculture Across America (YEA) and Youth Innovators Empowering Agriculture Across America Coordinated Network (YEA-CN) projects. Projects must be fully integrated to include research, education, and Extension components. To see/download the new AFRI review criteria, click here. Applications are due August 4, 2022. To learn more about the Request for Applications, who to contact for more information, and register for the webinar, go to https://www.nifa.usda.gov/rfa-youth-innovators-empowering-agriculture-across-america-yea-webinar.

2022 Academy on Social Justice Kicks off June 1 - The kickoff of OneOp’s 2022 Military Family Readiness Academy on social justice for family well-being will be on June 1. The kickoff event will feature representatives from USDA/NIFA and DoD to welcome attendees and encourage participation in the 2022 Academy series. Both will also speak to the importance of this topic for providers, military service members, and their families. The 2022 Academy features high quality content with diverse and respected course authors and experts in subjects such as social justice, racial equity, identity formation, media representation, resilience, engagement through an antiracist lens, and building communities of belonging. Three FREE courses offer participants insight into myriad aspects of social justice such as examining history, community standards, prejudice and discrimination, institutional discrimination in organizations, and advocate for fostering well-being for military families. Each course offers an attendance certificate and/or continuing education credits from various credentialing agencies. Click here to RSVP for the kickoff and learn more. Courses will be available to access June 1 after the event.



Recap 2022 National Health Outreach Conference - More than 200 Extension professionals from across the country gathered in Kansas City, MO recently to participate in Cooperative Extension’s National Health Outreach Conference hosted this year by the University of Missouri. Keynote speakers include Salma Abdalla of the Boston University School of Public Health, Andrea Everett, Community Development Extension Agent of Prairie View A&M University, Sara Bleich of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, and Dan Meers, mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs. Attendees engaged in their choice of 45 concurrent sessions and 30 poster presentations on such topics as coalition building, systems change, workforce development, immunization education, diabetes prevention, and food insecurity. Save the date for the next conference May 22-24, 2023, to be held in Ithaca, NY.

ECOP Summer Meeting Highlights

ECOP members and guests step outdoors at Kananaskis Village, Alberta, Canada

ECOP met for a day and a half at the annual JointCOPs meeting last week that was held in conjunction with APLU Commission on International Initiatives. Agenda topics included

• funding opportunities for Extension,
• Ag and other organization relationships,
• 4-H Leadership Committee work,
• NIFA updates (Q&A on Calls to Conversation Meeting Series, time & effort reporting),
• budget advocacy and call to action challenges, and 
• nutrition education. 

Through a process undertaken by Chair-elect Chuck Hibberd, ECOP, the Board of Directors for the Board on Agriculture Assembly’s Cooperative Extension Section (CES) is learning what topics are most important to Directors and Administrators. Each of from this list warrant recognition in the ECOP Monday Minute. Stay tuned for more details.


Rural Broadband Resources - Access to broadband remains a significant economic and community challenge across the country, particularly in rural areas. ECOP recognizes the need to support Extension’s education efforts, and we have had conversations with the Regional Rural Development Centers and NIFA. In a recent webinar it was discovered that BroadbandUSA was developed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to provide assistance to stakeholders (government, industry, nonprofit) that want to expand their broadband capacity and promote broadband adoption. It provides technical assistance, publications and a connectivity assessment capacity. See https://www2.ntia.doc.gov/ for more information. You can join their mailing list by sending a request to BroadbandUSA@ntia.doc.gov.


Breakthroughs 2030 Input Opportunity - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are pleased to announce Science Breakthroughs 2030: A Strategy for Food and Agricultural Research, a new study to identify ambitious scientific opportunities in food and agriculture made possible by incorporating knowledge and tools from across the science and engineering spectrum. The year-long project will involve the scientific community in describing research directions with high potential to open new frontiers for food and agriculture science. The study needs input from scientists of all disciplinary backgrounds to understand where opportunities are emerging. The public is also invited to contribute to the Breakthroughs discussion. Go to the Community Input page to find out how you can share your ideas in an IdeaBuzz framework. An in person and webinar-based town Hall will be held at the National Academy of Science Building in Washington, DC on August 8, 2017 to discuss ideas and white pages submitted to the IdeaBuzz discussion platform. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/science-breakthroughs-2030-town-hall-tickets-36195982157 to register.


Economics Research Service’s Report Reveals Extensive Work - A new ERS accomplishment report is posted at https://www.ers.usda.gov/about-ers/plans-and-accomplishments/ers-annual-report-fy-2016/. The report provides specific accomplishments across the ERS program from the agricultural economy, global markets and trade, nutrition and food safety, resources and environment, and the rural economy. In addition, there’s an overview of how ERS adds value to the numbers through our integrated program of statistics, outlook, and research.


Biosecurity to Protect America’s Food and Agricultural System - Tactical science programs protect the integrity, reliability, sustainability, and profitability of the U.S. food and agricultural system against threats from pests, diseases, contaminants, and disasters. It is necessary to mitigate the threats posed by these foreign and emerging constraints to our nation’s economy and food supply. NIFA is committed to supporting programs that provide readily available, science-based tactics to help prevent, prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from known and emerging threats. Click here to view the infographic.