Learning Opportunities

As Extension professionals, you know firsthand the challenges your community faces. Today, we're excited to announce a powerful opportunity to enhance your support for your community and the military families that live within them.

Your Personal Mission A personal mission is a statement about your why. This is what drives you to get out of bed in the morning. It describes what you believe is most important in life, what you wish to focus on, and what you want to be known for. If you allow it to direct your thoughts and actions each day, it has the potential to direct your life and achieve the future you want. I often tell my students to consider doing this exercise and then holding on to it. When one finds themself...

The Values Review Our values may be defined as beliefs that guide our behavior or motivate us to act. As individuals, we all have varying values and belief systems. We come from differing backgrounds and places. This gives us a rich and beautiful diversity. But how do we incorporate values into our everyday work? How do we ensure our core values are the fundamental beliefs that guide behavior and action? Here’s an exercise that can help. Grab a piece of paper. Look at the table below, and...

Five Things to Have, Do, Help, and Be: A Personal Futuring Exercise At a very early age, most people are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We often prompt young minds with examples: “Do you want to be a firefighter? A teacher? A farmer?” But what if there is a more important question: “Who do you want to become?” This is qualitatively different. This is perhaps the best question to ask to prompt future thinking, focus, and goal-setting. In this blog series, I’m attempting to...

Agricultural fairs and exhibitions are in full swing across the U.S., and with the recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cows, it is important to know how to protect animals from diseases before, during, and after an event. A highly effective strategy for doing this is with biosecurity, the preventative practices that protect farm animals from getting sick and spreading diseases. An online series of learning modules is helping students discover what...

How do you want to be remembered? This is a rephrase of the classic Steven Covey question from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . It is one of the most powerful questions one can ever ponder. In this blog series, I’m attempting to both challenge your thinking, but also encourage your progress. You may consider the question prompt in this post alone, or in conversation with a friend or mentor. Let’s begin. Look at the question below. Spend some time with it. It is a definite brain...

2024 Virtual Summer School Series: "Program Development through the Lens of Access and Belonging" REGISTER NOW Unlock the future of Extension programs with our 2024 Virtual Summer School Series, designed specifically for Extension professionals nationwide. This year's theme, "Program Development through the Lens of Access and Belonging," will guide you through innovative strategies to create impactful programs that resonate with diverse communities. Throughout the series, you'll engage with...

BROOKINGS, S.D. – SDSU Extension invites agriculture and climate professionals to attend the North Central Agriculture and Climate Conference. The conference brings together the best agricultural and climatological applied research, extension and outreach in the region with a series of keynote speakers, panels and presentations. It is from July 31 to Aug. 1, 2024, at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. Registration is required and is $75 by July 1, or $99 from July 2-19. To...

The History of Earth Day Earth Day was launched in 1970. Many factors contributed to the call for a national day focusing on environmental stewardship, including the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring - serialized in the New Yorker - and the catastrophic oil spill that occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969. The Santa Barbara oil spill galvanized U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) to call for a national day of locally inspired and organized "teach-ins" on the...

Oregon State University invites applications for a combination position as Research Forest Director of Research & Community Relations & Associate/Full Professor Extension Specialist in Silviculture . The Research Forest Director of Research & Community Relations will provide critical leadership and oversight to the 9 OSU Research and Demonstration Forests that serve as living laboratories for learners of all types to gain insight into all aspects of forest management. As...

Register Online Early registration for the National Extension Technology Community (NETC) Conference ends April 16th! We're a month away from the conference, May 13–16th, and registration closes May 10th. The conference will be held in State College, PA on the campus of PennState Extension! This year we are partnering with the Extension Foundation to provide an AI track, revolving around topics including: Applications of AI in Cooperative Extension Practical use of AI in your day-to-day...

WOW! Where has the time gone; we are less than 50 days away from our National Urban Extension Conference. If you have not registered or booked your room, it's NOT TOO LATE! May 3, 2024, is the cutoff date for booking your discounted room. You can book the discounted rooms two days before and two after the conference. Click Here to Reserve your Room at the Renaissance Nashville Register Now