NIFA Director Misra Video Message for Cooperative Extension

In honor of our gathering in Tucson for the National Extension Directors and Administrators annual meeting, NIFA Director Manjit Misra has provided a short video message. Enjoy!

Extension Foundation Board of Directors Names Dr. Beverly Coberly as the New Chief Executive Officer of the Extension Foundation - Dr. Gregg Hadley, Chairman of the Extension Foundation Board of Directors, announces the selection of Dr. Beverly Coberly as the new CEO of the Foundation. Dr. Coberly has been the interim CEO since the beginning of 2023 upon the retirement of her predecessor, Dr. Christine Nygren. Before this appointment, Dr. Coberly served as the Extension Foundation Chief Operating Officer since 2016. Read the full news release here.

NEDA This Week - The National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting kicks off tomorrow, October 10, 2023 at the Tucson Marriott University Park. Links to events, agendas, and post-meeting archives will be placed on this website for reference during and after the meeting. Safe travels to all who are headed to Arizona.

Anaerobic Digestion Conference in November - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Iowa State University, and University of Iowa will be hosting an Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm Conference from November 6 – 8, 2023 at the Scheman Building at Iowa State Center in Ames, Iowa. The goal of this conference is to provide opportunities for farmers, policy makers, business organizations, financers, project developers, consultants, faculty and students, and others to share ideas about anaerobic digestion, the process of using bacteria to break down organic matter such as food and animal waste to manage waste and produce biofuel. More information about the conference is available at https://www.epa.gov/ia/forms/anaerobic-digestion-farm-conference.




USDA Launches Nutrition Hub to Combat Diet-Related Diseases in Underserved Communities - USDA has announced its new Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) in support of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot effort to end cancer.

This new virtual center will accelerate research on diet-related chronic diseases, including cancer. A long-term goal of the center is to translate research into impactful solutions that improve public health and wellbeing, particularly in underserved communities. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and NIFA are investing $1 million to hire two full-time Nutrition Hub co-directors, one employed by ARS, and one employed by Southern University. This leadership structure enables a close partnership between USDA and Southern University to plan and carry out Hub activities that leverage the strengths, resources and relationships of both organizations. The funding will also support a full-time graduate student at Southern University. Learn more about the new nutrition hub.

Member Feedback at Work

A huge THANK YOU to the leadership of the Extension Directors and Administrators Regional Associations for collecting feedback and to all those who contributed to help improve the "Monday Minute." Note that the subject line of the click-through email message will now be, “Extension (ECOP) Monday Minute – (date).” National Office Executive Director Bill Hoffman worked with APLU's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software system experts to help standardize the title, which is something members of the Section asked for. He will also examine the analytics data to help ensure message delivery. If Bill's messages from APLU like the ECOP Monday Minute land in “other” inboxes or spam folders, please let him know.

LEAD21 Application Period Open Until November 15, 2023 - The LEAD21 program has released its call for applications to formulate class #20. The primary purpose of LEAD21 is to develop leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics, and extension to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment, either in their current position or as they aspire to other positions.




FREE Urban Agriculture Funding Conference - The three part Generating Research Opportunities Workshop (GROW) for Urban Agriculture Conference will begin in early November. This is a virtual conference for researchers, extension professionals, educators, and stakeholders designed to build interdisciplinary teams and support their efforts to secure funding for research, extension, and education (REE) that supports and expands urban agriculture.

• Phase I is November 1-3, 2023. This virtual session will focus on connecting participants with similar research, extension and education interests.
• Phase II will run from November 4, 2023, to January 16, 2024. Teams will work independently on developing interdisciplinary funding proposals.
• Phase III is January 17-19, 2024. This virtual session will provide an opportunity for teams to share their proposals with mock grant review teams to get feedback, and then provide an opportunity for the team to work on suggested revisions.

There is no cost for this conference, but registration is required.




USDA Announces $3 Billion for Agricultural Producers and Forest Landowners - On September 28, USDA announced an additional $3 billion in funding for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices in fiscal year 2024. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is increasing Climate-Smart Agricultural and Forestry Mitigation Activities eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding for fiscal year 2024 through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Additionally, NRCS is expanding the national priority areas eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding for Agricultural Conservation Easements Program (ACEP) easements. Interested producers should contact their local NRCS office and apply as soon as possible.




USDA Launches Program to Support Agricultural Employers and Farmworkers, Aiming to Increase Economic and Supply Chain Resilience - USDA has announced agricultural employers can begin to apply for a pilot program designed to improve the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain by addressing workforce challenges farmers and ranchers face. USDA, in coordination with other federal agencies, is announcing up to $65 million in grants available for the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program. The deadline for agricultural employers to apply for this program is November 28, 2023.
     The program will help address workforce needs in agriculture, promote a safe and healthy work environment for farmworkers, and aims to support expansion of lawful migration pathways for workers, including for workers from Northern Central America, through the Department of Labor’s seasonal H-2A visa program. Read more here.

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.

Advocacy Summit Nominations Due 9/15

Doug Steele, APLU's VP of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, is collecting nominations for a National Advocacy Leadership Summit in DC on November 1-3. Eligible candidates include leaders at various levels from these colleges and universities with interest in knowing more about Board on Agricultural Assembly (BAA) advocacy structure and priority setting. Because the BAA operates under these rules, and the Cooperative Extension Section operates under these rules, the duly-elected members of ECOP and ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee and/or those who aspire to be duly-elected by their regions, are encouraged to nominate themselves and/or nominated using this form by September 15. Registration of $200 is required for those who are selected to attend. Steele's criteria for selecting up to 100 leaders is based on the size and type of institution, geographic representation, engagement of all BAA sections, and diversity. 

Early NEDA in 2024? - ECOP present and future leadership has examined several potential dates for the 2024 National Extension Directors and Administrators Annual Meeting. Conflicts in October of that fall could necessitate holding NEDA in September. Specifically, the dates currently being examined are September 16-19, 2024. Locations in the middle of the country currently dominate the discussion. Please contact Bill Hoffman (whoffman@aplu.org) if these dates present insurmountable difficulties. 

By the way, registration fee for 2023 NEDA in Tucson, October 10-12, 2023, increases next Tuesday and hotel rooms are filling up fast. Visit neda.extension.org today for more information and check room availability before booking a flight. Negotiations for overflow hotel within walkable distance are being investigated. There are no guarantees for hotel room rate of $209/night or availability after September 18. 

Farm Safety Education Feedback Opportunity - USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a webinar to bring together formal and non-formal educators, non-profit partners, and government agencies to explore how NIFA-funded programs are supporting farm safety and farm safety education. The webinar on September 18, 2023, 1- 2:00 p.m. ET, will include a panel of project directors from the Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities (AgrAbility) and the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program. The panel will explore how communities are promoting safety in agriculture by developing agricultural educators; providing technical assistance to farm workers and farmers; and training the next generation of agriculturalists to prevent injuries and fatalities on the farm. Registration here is required to attend. To learn more, contact Courtenay Simmons at Courtenay.Simmons@usda.gov.

NCFAR Lunch-n-Learn: Genome to Phenome – Driving the Future of Innovation for Crop and Livestock Communities is a virtual lunch-n-learn presentation designed to educate Congressional staff on increasing global population and multiple environmental stressors on agricultural production will take place on Thursday, September 28, at 1302 Longworth House Office Building. The goal of the in-person session is to provide a more thorough understanding of how genotype and environment influence phenotype for the complex traits of crops and livestock that are of economic importance to agriculture. The Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) and similar work conducts research that is ultimately translated by Cooperative Extension to foster adoption. Please share more information and the opportunity to register, with relevant parties. ECOP is an official sponsor of the event.