Message From NIFA Director

Dr. Carrie Castille, Director
USDA-NIFA

Dr. Carrie Castille checks in today with Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators with, 

Building the NIFA of the Future

- Over the past seven months, I have had the enormous pleasure of working hand in hand with some of most dedicated, innovative people in our field to create the NIFA of the Future.

As a part of our effort, we are building in more opportunities to get your input, ideas and feedback. Many of you joined us for the first of our NIFA webinars to give input and ideas on priorities for the coming year. 

Continue reading here...

ECOP Appoints Liaisons for Partnering Entities - Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP Chair Chris Watkins, Cornell University, is pleased to share the latest appointees by ECOP. According to the ECOP Operating Guidelines, each will represent the needs, vision, and position of ECOP and the of Cooperative Extension Section, and report as needed on the intersecting activities of the respective partnering entity and ECOP and alert the ECOP Chair and Executive Director of issues that may impact Cooperative Extension System, its partners, goals and/or activities. 

• LEAD21 Board of Directors:

Quentin Tyler, Michigan 
State University

Amy Loader, University
of New Hampshire

Quentin Tyler and Amy Loader will serve a 3 year term effective immediately. The LEAD21 program provides leadership and professional development training for faculty and professionals within the land-grant system. The LEAD21 Board of Directors is composed of the various Committees on Organization and Policy of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and  strategic partners. Amy served as the Northeast Region's representative to the 2018 NEDA Planning Committee. Quentin is recognized for exceptional leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Thank you Quentin and Amy!

• Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Board:

Barbara Petty, University 
of Idaho

 JCEP's mission it to elevate Extension’s national reputation as an organization of excellence and synergistically leverage the strengths of member associations to foster leadership, collaboration, professional development, scholarly activity, strategic partnerships, and advocate for the profession. In addition to a Liaison to JCEP Board, Barbara's national responsibilities include:

   -- ECOP Voting Member from the Western Region (Fall '19-Present)
   -- ECOP Executive Committee (Fall '19-2020)
   -- ECOP Professional Development Committee (Fall '20-Present)
  

Thank you Barbara for stepping into yet another national role!

   

• Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Executive Team:

Mike Gaffney, Washington
State University

Mike's national leadership is not new with this appointment to EDEN's leadership. Currently, he serves as a decision-maker on the ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee. 

Mike is also known for his appointment to the APLU Commission on Economic and Community Engagement's Executive Committee and CECE's Learning Community, Rural Engagement for Resilient Communities.

Thank you Mike!

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. 

NEDA Registration Update

Thank you to 59% of the Cooperative Extension Section who have registered early for 2021 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting! Small group discussions organized by the planning committee are:

• Extension as Integral to the Health Response for the Nation 
• Perceptions of the County Delivery System
• Embracing a Remote Workforce-University Policy Impacts on Field Personnel
• Broadband Access and Digital Skills
• Who Are We Leaving Behind and What Are We Going to Do About It?
• Envisioning the Rural Workforce of the Future
• Urban Programs
• Envisioning Extension’s Role in Student Recruitment

The meeting on October 12-14 is for the members of the Section and 1 or 2 members of their team, Associate/Assistant Directors or Administrators. The registration deadline is September 21 at neda.extension.org. Questions? Contact Sandy Ruble at sandyruble@extension.org. 

BAA Virtual Events Proposed November 8-12 - The Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) section and committee virtual meetings are proposed for the week of November 8-12, 2021. Final decisions will be made soon (in consultation with NIFA) about the awards ceremonies (teaching, research, and Extension), lecture series and Food Systems Leadership Institute programs. Draft agendas and more details will be discussed during the JointCOPs Virtual Summer meeting this week! The 2021 APLU Annual Meeting will be conducted utilizing a “hybrid” format of in-person meetings with livestreaming for General and Keynote Sessions. The location for on-site participation is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown (1201 Market Street). Conference dates are Sunday, November 14 - Tuesday, November 16, with a limited number of pre-meetings that will be held on Saturday, November 13. Registration and fees for portions of the meeting will released sometime next month.  

Extension Foundation Report Available: Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System - The Extension Foundation, in partnership with a research team from Ohio State University, has released a new report on emerging technologies. The Extension Foundation Report on Emerging Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System was supported by funding from USDA-NIFA New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE). The report found here, was developed by the research team in part through interviews with a panel of thirteen experts representing all five Extension Regions, as well as non-Extension personnel. Panel participants were selected based on their background and experiences in adult learning and development, applied technology use, and innovation. 

 

Water Management Addressed in New SARE Video - The increased frequency of severe weather events puts additional strains on water quality and quantity, threatening the success of farms worldwide. SARE’s Water Conservation animation illustrates how efficient water management can help farmers and ranchers increase the resilience of their operations while improving the health of their crops and livestock. The newest episode in SARE’s What is Sustainable Agriculture? series provides a simple and short introduction to efficient water use strategies and is intended to complement more detailed training materials.

Former ECOP Chair Receives ESP Ruby Award

Ed Jones, ECOP Chair 2018-2019, (Virginia Tech) is Epsilon Sigma Phi’s 2021 Distinguished Service Ruby award recipient. The award is designed to recognize outstanding leadership, innovative thinking, and sustained exceptional performance across a lifetime service in Extension. Currently, Ed who is pictured here, is serving as Liaison to the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee. Read more here. Congratulations Ed!



New Interactive Map Visualizes the Digital Divide - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new publicly available digital map that displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country. This is the first interactive, public map that allows users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality Internet access. The public “Indicators of Broadband Need” tool puts on one map, data from both public and private sources. Additional resources can be found here, thanks to the National Digital Education Extension Team (NDEET)

USDA NIFA Launches NIFA Reporting System - On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the NIFA Reporting System was officially launched, bringing research and Extension together in one system. In collaboration with Land-grant University System partners, the new platform provides grant management and reporting system that integrates the Plant of Work and REEport applications into a unified system. Land-grant universities can visit, https://nifa.usda.gov/tool/pow-nifa-reporting-system, to view the new system. The release comes exactly 23 years after U.S. Congress enacted the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 known as (AREERA). AREERA authorizes NIFA to provide capacity funding for agricultural research and Extension programs at 1862 and 1890 Land-grant Universities.

 

2021 National Extension Tourism Conference Registration Open - Registration is now open for the National Extension Tourism Conference conference, which is slated for Nov 7-11 in Savannah, GA. The network last met in 2019, and since that time tourism communities have faced immense challenges from natural disasters and social unrest to an ongoing global pandemic. How tourism professionals have responded and adapted to these changes continues to evolve. This year’s conference theme of “Navigating the Uncharted” will reflect on these transformations and catalyze future extension programming that best serves stakeholders’ needs. Please share the opportunity as appropriate. 



Leadership in the City Online Professional Development Program - Brent Hales (Penn State), ECOP Member and Liaison to the NUEL Steering Committee recommends Leadership in the City, a 5-month online professional development program prepares Extension professionals working in urban areas to be locally relevant, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally. To date 103 Extension professionals from 31 states have participated. This online professional development program offers learning about leadership, networks, innovation, marketing, management, and more. The program is based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and will build upon existing leadership experiences. This course is led by Dr. Julie Fox from The Ohio State University Extension. The investment in the program is $500. Multiple participants from the same institute are entitled to a $100 discount (Discount code: LITC22-MULT). Complete details and registration can be found at go.osu.edu/urbanleadership.