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If your year started like mine, it left you reeling from a packed schedule and more on your plate than you thought you had. I came into 2021 with a peaceful mindset, having just taken the bulk of two weeks off, but somehow still felt a little blindsided when my first day back at work came around. I decided I needed to do something before I allowed my year to continue down this path. So this past weekend, I spent some time reflecting and planning and now I feel even more ready for whatever...

Greetings and Welcome to 2021! Although travel restrictions are still in effect, there are opportunities to volunteer internationally virtually through USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) project in Trinidad and Tobago. During the COVID-19 pandemic, how we implement the F2F program has had to adjust and is temporarily offering virtual/remote assignments that will meet the needs of Trinbagonians. Over the holiday break, the Purdue F2F team has been working hard to get new assignments approved and...

Wow, there was a ton thrown at us in 2020 and we're all looking forward to a new start in the new year. With every new year comes a new beginning, thinking about priorities & how to accomplish our meaningful choices. The attachment in this post from Hubspot highlights some aspects from their blog post on " How to stop the most common productivity prohibitors" Make Every Minute Count Keep Your Workspace Tidy Get Laser-Focused Reset & Recharge If you're curious about time-blocking or...

Longview Engagement Associates announces a new web presence and associated blog series on universities’ changing roles. Effectively engaging communities and their problems, opportunities and challenges requires the full spectrum of university knowledge focused on transdisciplinary solutions. Read and respond to the inaugural blog Time for Extension to go BIG! - Longview Engagement .

The Roundtable on Population Health Improvement will host a 2-day virtual workshop addressing community-led initiatives for population health improvement. This event will feature presentations and discussions on community-led action around a variety of population health improvement areas, including the social determinants of health. The workshop will be held on January 28–29. There will be two sessions daily: 11 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4 pm EST. A copy of the agenda and resources will be posted...

At this time our thoughts are often thrust into pondering meaningful ways to focus the upcoming year. We are bombarded with things others feel we should “value” but these decisions should be personal. A couple of years ago I shared my New Year’s resolutions with my wife & she in turn shared hers. At the top of her list was having more patience but the one that sticks in my mind is this… “I will love myself…..after I lose 5 pounds!” 🤣 Too funny, but telling at the same time. We often...

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans along with new MyPlate resources were released this morning! Big thanks to @Barbara Jirka, USDA-FNS Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion for sharing this. Attached are two documents that contain information about the release.

Couldn't resist one more post, especially when it's about the magical, mystical person who is Santa Claus! Here's a summary of how he gets big things done in his workshop all year long... The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus by Eric Harvey He's delivering right now...follow his journey here ! Thanks @Scott Reed for sharing & for your continued service to Cooperative Extension! *Summary from Get Abstract

Key Takeaways: Using Data to Understand the Community You Serve Approximately thirty participants -- Extension professionals from all over the US, from Oregon to Ohio, Connecticut, and Virginia -- joined us today for a productive Connect Extension Virtual Chat on Using Data to Understand the Community You Serve. We discussed their experiences with data, their data-related needs, and and how we might best design and bring data literacy resources to Extension. You can access the chat...

You're wrapping things up for the day & getting organized for tomorrow when a last-minute email pops in. Not wanting to miss something, you check it out. The tone is a bit confusing & leaves you unsure of how to proceed. What did the last sentence mean? Reply? Wait until tomorrow? You decide to wait. The problem is, this little message has now stolen your attention for the next few hours making it hard to move on with your evening responsibilities... This scenario has happened to all...

Atlantic Corporation thanks the extension professionals who joined them to discuss findings from their national consumer attitudes and preferences survey about local dairy. We enjoyed sharing our findings and providing demonstrations of our interactive spatial visualization tool, Dairy Market Assessment and Planning System (DairyMAPS). If you missed the presentation, the recording is now available and the PowerPoint slides are attached to this post. To help Atlantic improve the value and...

A multi-state survey was implemented in December 2018 to assess the information needs of natural resource conservation professionals regarding the value of land conservation in their community. Findings reveal that most respondents do not have the information needed to incorporate ecosystem service values into planning and decision-making. There is opportunity for extension services to deliver economic information and training that can advance the management of conserved lands. Read the full...