Blog

Dear National Extension Climate Initiative partners, Please join us for an engaging presentation and discussion at our next NECI monthly meeting on Thursday, October 7, at 12:30 PT/3:30 ET. This month, we'll be learning about the North Central Climate Collaborative (NC3) and how they have successfully launched a regional collaboration of Extension professionals to provide a foundation for lasting climate education. Two NC3 state representatives will be sharing: Hans Schmitz is the Posey...

NIH has posted NOT-OD-21-183 - Request for Information (RFI): Research Opportunities to End Hunger, Food and Nutrition Insecurity . Through this RFI we invite input on the approaches NIH can take to address hunger, food insecurity and nutrition insecurity through innovative and multidisciplinary research - including implementation science and health outcomes based research. Several areas of investigation could potentially reveal strategies to advance nutrition science, improve coordination...

Look for us at the Annual Impact Collaborative Project & Program Summit! Dates: October 5th, 6th, & 7th, 2021 The SEED Technical Assistance Team will be serving as expert Key Informants on strategies and tools for effective stakeholder engagement program and project planning, development, and implementation during the this year's Impact Collaborative Project & Program Summit. The Impact Collaborative Summit connects Extension teams including their community partners with skills,...

Each year inspiration hits me again after reading this story, enjoy! ___________________________________________________________________________________ It was on September 13, 1814 that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the words to " The Star Spangled Banner " by witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. It had been a dark summer for the young United States. Just three weeks earlier, on August 24, British troops had set fire to much of Washington D.C.,...

The Extension Foundation has created a database available for Cooperative Extension professionals from Extension Foundation Member Institutions . This member resource was designed to provide Extension Professionals with concise and succinct tutorials, tips, and introductions on various subjects applicable to Cooperative Extension Professionals. It can be found on the main navigation of Connect Extension and is visible to Foundation members. To get your free Connect Extension account,...

On our journey through life sometimes we get stuck. We don't know what step to take next. It's in these moments of friction that growth happens. Here are 3 steps that can help us get unstuck & back on track to being the person we want to become! "Know thyself." -H.D. Thoreau Affirm (or discover) your personality traits or your core values. Self-awareness is a great trait to hone. Getting back in touch with ourselves, our DNA, can be just the reminder that we are enough and will always be...

Press Release f or Immediate Release: September 17, 2021 Contact: Jenn Patterson, MLitt, GPCAH Center Coordinator Jennifer-j-patterson@uiowa.edu , 319-335-4207 Drought can led to more than the summertime blues in farmers It comes as no surprise to Midwesterners that farmers are vulnerable to extreme weather events, but have you considered additional ways to combat occupational stress when it comes to drought planning for yourself and your ag community? Jesse Berman, Assistant Professor at...

A recent study found that at least four times as many service members and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died of suicide than died in combat (Suitt, 2021). The report also notes that the increasing rates of suicide for both active duty service members and veterans is outpacing those of the general population, which is concerning since historically the suicide rates for service members have been lower than those for the general population. With September being National Suicide...

While some travel restrictions are still in effect, there are opportunities for virtual and/or in-person volunteer 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. Currently, the borders are open to visitors and they are currently distributing COVID vaccines with the hopes of vaccinating ~70%...

Dr. Rick Klemme grew up on a farm in east-central Illinois. He received his BA in economics and math from Illinois State University. He later earned an MA and Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Purdue. Rick began his nearly four-decade Extension career as an agricultural economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). He later became Dean and Director of UW Extension. Rick transitioned from that assignment to serve as the Executive Director of Extension’s Committee on Organization...

Life isn’t happening to you it’s happening for you. Are you ready to lean into all the opportunities life brings? When was the last day you felt at your best? What does it mean to be ready ? When you're ready you feel prepared. You feel rested. To be the best we can be, it takes caring for our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional states. Taking care of what it means to be human. When we fail to prepare we're preparing to fail. To be the best we can be means helping others be the best...

The opioid epidemic is a national issue impacting communities across the country. It was declared a public health emergency in October 2017. Communities have mobilized at the national, state, and local level to address the problem, and Cooperative Extension has partnered with them in their efforts. The drivers and impacts of the opioid crisis in communities are complex and require a multi-level response. We employed a stakeholder engagement methodology, the SEED Method , to create...