Tagged With "build local capacity"
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College of Menominee Nation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative partner with eXtension through USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2018-2022 Strategic Plan recognizes its role in helping provide access to safe and nutritious food for limited income people, by supporting limited resource individuals and families in their efforts to escape food insecurity and hunger and improve their well-being. These objectives require partnerships between State, local agencies, Federal, and public and private entities to support best practices in implementing effective programs and ensuring...
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eXtension Social Café
eXtension Social Café Every Thursday from March 26th - April 30th 1 PM - 2 PM ET Available to All Cooperative Extension Professionals The eXtension Social Café will provide a weekly opportunity for informal, drop-in conversations and questions about the effective use of social media and communications in Extension work. Each Social Café will open with a 5-15 minute “tutorial” of a tool or feature on commonly used social platforms, or a brief showcase of a Cooperative Extension employee who...
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Urban Agriculture Listening Sessions
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently posted a notice that they are taking stakeholder input to help inform and set priorities for $40 million of grant funding for research, education and extension around urban agriculture, indoor agriculture and emerging agriculture. To respond to NIFA with aggregated and organized comments, the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER), National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL), and a number of local Farm Bureau...
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What’s it Like to Work with the eXtension Foundation as an NTAE Project? - Bridging the GAPs
eXtension recently announced the opportunity for nominations for the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) for Year 2 projects. The nomination form will be available on June 15th until July 20th, 2020. Selected projects will receive wrap around services from the eXtension Foundation to support and amplify the project/program outcomes. Wrap around services include: Project/Program advisory support from a Catalyst (current or past senior program or administrative Cooperative...
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Announcement of eXtension Foundation New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Project Acceleration Opportunity for 2020
Acclerate Your Projects & Programs The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce nominations for New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) for 2020. The NTAE cooperative agreement with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will enter the second year on September 1, 2020. Nominations are a short request for information that is quickly and easily completed in minutes. Nomination forms will be available June 15, 2020. Requirements of projects/programs to...
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What’s It Like to Work with the eXtension Foundation as an NTAE Project? - Using Mass Media for Extension Messaging
eXtension recently announced the opportunity for nominations for the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) for Year 2 projects. The nomination form will be available on June 15th until July 20th, 2020. Selected projects will receive wrap around services from the eXtension Foundation to support, accelerate, and amplify the project/program outcomes. Wrap around services include: Project/Program advisory support from a Catalyst (current or past senior program or administrative...
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ICYMI: Accelerate Your Projects and Programs: A Discussion on the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) Nomination Process for 2020-2021
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with eXtension Catalyst Team members @Scott Reed , @Jimmy Henning , and @Fred Schlutt for an overview of the New Technologies for Ag Extension Nomination process, wrap-around services provided to projects, goals, outcomes, and how eXtension is able to help accelerate projects and programs through NTAE. This opportunity is available to ALL Cooperative Extension professionals, not just those from eXtension member institutions. Thank you to...
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eXtension Welcomes West Virginia State University and the University of Arizona as Newest Members for 2020
The eXtension Foundation welcomes West Virginia State University and the University of Arizona as our newest members for 2020. A complete listing of eXtension members is available here . Institutions that are members of the eXtension Foundation get access to the Impact Collaborative program and Impact Collaborative sponsored events. A listing of member-only events is available in Connect Extension or directly on the eXtension website and includes, but not limited to: Two national Innovation...
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Encouraging adoption of protection behaviors to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) have highlighted a new guidance document for encouraging the adoption of COVID-19 protection behaviors, "The current pandemic requires adoption of health-promoting behaviors, such as mask wearing, physical distancing, and handwashing. The first two of these behaviors—mask wearing and physical distancing—require the development of health habits that are new to the U.S. population and inconsistent with existing habits and...
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National Action Dialogue: Extension Futures Summary Report
In partnership with ECOP, two National Action Dialogues (NAD) focused on Extension Futures were held on July 13 and July 14, 2020. 382 participants from 69 Land Grant Universities (LGU) representing all five ECOP regions and program areas along with18 partner organizations who collectively shared ideas, concerns, and needs within 5 focus topics, guided by 10 Facilitators, and informed by 17 Key Informants. The purpose of the Action Dialogue was to imagine near-future possibilities for how...
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Ask Extension Pilot Program
The eXtension Foundation is seeking volunteers to pilot the upgraded Ask An Expert platform, dubbed Ask Extension, to test features and provide input on user experience for long term improvements. Historically, Ask An Expert has served Cooperative Extension as a digital outreach tool to connect millions of U.S. citizens with you - their local Extension experts. The upgraded Ask Extension provides significant improvements in terms of enhanced ability for clients to dialogue with the expert,...
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ICYMI: Healthy Eating, Social Media, & Lower Income Communities – A Research Review
Yesterday, we hosted a webinar led by Jessica Larson - Public Affairs Specialist, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She provided a research review that offered insights on how various SNAP-eligible audiences use social media channels, particularly when it comes to health and healthy eating. Participants had a chance to find out which platforms are preferred by different lower income populations to more effectively communicate healthy eating messages...
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eXtension Selects 8 Projects For Acceleration From Cooperative Extension for 2020-2021
As part of eXtension’s New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NIFA, the eXtension Foundation selected 8 projects from 33 competitive nominations across the system for year two to participate in its project accelerator program. The nomination process opened in May 2020 and closed in July 2020. All Land Grant Universities were eligible to submit nominations. The project period is September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. Requirements included: Projects...
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September 2020 Farm Journal Story Lead Contest: How Are You Bringing People in Your Local Communities Closer to Farmers and U.S. Agriculture?
For this month’s Cooperative Extension feature, Farm Journal’s Trust In Food seeks your stories about helping bring people in your local communities closer to farmers and U.S. agriculture. Amid COVID-19, many companies are reporting they will redouble efforts related to mitigating climate change, lowering environmental impact & helping consumers make sustainability-conscious purchasing decisions. What are you doing to help local consumers & farmers connect and better understand the...
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Results from the August 2020 Farm Journal Story Lead Contest
In May, the eXtension Foundation launched a monthly story lead contest in partnership with Farm Journal in the Farm Journal Monthly Story Lead Contest sub group here in Connect Extension. Monthly winners, along with their Extension Directors and Administrators, have the chance to work with Farm Journal to further develop their story and have it published in Farm Journal media. The topic area for the August 2020 contest was about about an innovative research project, on-farm trial or farmer...
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Impact Collaborative Trains 31 New Innovation Facilitators
In August 2020, the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative program hosted its second Innovation Facilitator training for the year. 31 new Innovation Facilitators representing 12 Land-Grant universities completed the training, joining 153 others that represent 50 Land-Grant Universities. Participants spent six sessions learning the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-Building methodology and obtained skills and tools that will help catalyze innovation with local project and program...
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County Connectivity Landscape Dashboard Announced
COVID-19 has sped the adoption of virtual programming in Cooperative Extension across the nation and has highlighted a need for information about connectivity at the county level for use in planning virtual programs. A new tool developed by a team at Purdue University may help. With funding from eXtension Foundation, they’ve created a County Connectivity Landscape Dashboard to help Cooperative Extension professionals as they plan online programming and outreach methods. Dr. Roberto Gallardo,...
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Juntos Publication
Three years ago, Juntos partnered Dr. Crystan Lee, an assistant professor from the college of education at NC State. Dr. Lee started The Literacy and Community Initiative and through this initiative, a local Juntos 4-H club was able to publish two books. This summer, Dr. Lee published an article titled Encountering the Affective in Latino Immigrant Youth Narratives .
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New eFieldbook Available! Kemēcemenaw: Tribal Extension Partnerships That Support Indigenous Food Sovereignty on the Menominee Indian Reservation
“This eFieldbook will serve as a valuable resource to Cooperative Extension professionals that are working with indigenous populations, while focused on sovereign food production.” - Fred Schlutt, New Technologies for Ag Extension Catalyst, Former Extension Director - University of Alaska Fairbanks. The US Department of Agriculture 2018-2022 Strategic Plan recognizes it’s role in helping provide access to safe and nutritious food for limited income people, by supporting limited resource...
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Organizations Partner to Combat the Digital Divide by Launching Searchable Wi-Fi Map for Needed Broadband Connections
American Connection Project organizations launch an interactive tool for users to locate more than 2,300 free Wi-Fi locations in 49 states ARDEN HILLS, MINN. (October 20, 2020) – Several partner organizations today announced the launch of the American Connection Project (ACP) interactive Wi-Fi map. The map provides a free resource to help the public locate more than 2,300 free Wi-Fi locations across 49 U.S. states. The map includes Wi-Fi locations from Land O’Lakes, Inc. and its ag retail...
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Urban Green Infrastructure Workshop: Reflections from our last gathering
Green infrastructure is a strategically planned network at the city and even regional scale that includes both land (parks, urban forests, raingardens, bioswales, greenspace, to name a few), and water (rivers, watersheds, etc.). Working in green infrastructure also enables the clear illustration of often forgotten connections between local and regional food systems and water (roof gardens, community gardens, urban farms, fruit orchards, etc.). Other benefits of green infrastructure include...
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Recap of "Prescribed fire education training" Virtual Chat
Summary of discussion Q&A from virtual chat "Prescribed fire education training" We had a great discussion of several prescribed fire topics - liability, insurance, training format, and more! Below is a summary of some of our discussions. For the full chat, see the archive at https://connect.extension.org/chat-event/connect-extension-chat-prescribed-fire-education-training Query: The State of Oregon mandated a certified burn manager program in the early 90’s, however, the mandate was not...
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No Holes in the "Boat"
Gary Hamel says in his book The Future of Management , that the practice of management is to... "set & program objectives, motivate & align efforts, coordinate & control activities, develop & assign talent, gain & apply knowledge, amass & allocate resources, balance & meet stakeholders demands AND... build & nurture relationships." The companies that have survived crisis & thrived have leveraged the wisdom of all the members on their team. Companies where...
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ICYMI: Poetry As A Tool in Extension Programs
Last week, we were fortunate to host Dr. Hiram Larew, an award-winning poet, advocate, and leader in the Arts and Poetry community, and David Myers, an Ag Extension Agent at the University of Maryland Extension for a wonderful webinar! The purpose of their presentation was to demonstrate how poetry is being used to help deliver messages about an important agricultural issue, namely local and global hunger. They used hunger as an example to illustrate how poetry can be used when discussing a...
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Thank You, Master Gardeners
Master Gardeners are a vital part of Extension, and they are an invaluable connector to local communities. In this unprecedented year, their hard-work and dedication had a big impact and they provided a needed human connection for many folks who were suffering from isolation during quarantine. This video is dedicated to them.
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Five Extension Project Teams Receive Seed-Funding Grants from Impact Collaborative Summit
Twenty-five teams representing twenty-six Cooperative Extension institutions attended the first Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit on October 13th and 14th. Using technology – including Zoom and virtual whiteboards – participants were connected with tools, resources, coaches, facilitators, and Key Informants in a customized experience designed to catalyze their work. Teams were provided one-on-one coaching from twenty-six of our Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Facilitator network.
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ICYMI: Development of market assessment tools for improved sustainability and profitability of small and medium-sized U.S. dairy farms
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...
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Key Takeaways: Using Data to Understand the Community You Serve
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...
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Interest in Understanding Ecosystem Service Values by Conservation Professionals in the Northeastern US
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...
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2021 Impact Collaborative Events: Registration Open NOW for eXtension Members!
eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce open registration for several 2021 events in our Impact Collaborative program. This includes registrations for the Innovation Skill-Building Experience and the Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training. These events are for everyone inside eXtension Foundation member institution s . The eXtension Foundation invites all members to participate in the Impact Collaborative program to build skills in innovation, hone project & program...
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Virtual Volunteer Opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago
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...
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Workforce Readiness & Makerspace Team from Oregon Brings Community Partners to Impact Collaborative Summit, Wins Seed-Funding Grant for Western Region
“The Impact Collaborative provided an ideal space for the Malheur Workforce Readiness team to work through a structured process that challenged their thinking and assisted them with building a strong, informed, foundation. It equipped them with critical insights on how to best evaluate their program and the potential impact, and better communicate and engage with their partners moving forward” - Anita Azarenko, Interim Vice President - Outreach and Extension, Extension Director, Oregon State...
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Colorado State Extension Mindful Engagement Project “Ready to go in a way we wouldn’t have been”, thanks to the Impact Collaborative Summit
Mindful Engagement is a newly conceptualized project from Colorado State University (CSU), led by Sue Schneider, an Extension agent in Family and Consumer Sciences and Community Development based in Fort Collins. The team also includes CSU Extension’s Lisa Auer, who serves as the site coordinator for the Larimer County Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI); and Tony Lynch, a community champion who is a member of the 2020 FLTI cohort. The team was one of 25 groups from across the...
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Results from the November/December 2020 Farm Journal Story Lead Contest
Last year, the eXtension Foundation launched a monthly story lead contest in partnership with Farm Journal in the Farm Journal Monthly Story Lead Contest sub group here in Connect Extension. Monthly winners, along with their Extension Directors and Administrators, have the chance to work with Farm Journal to further develop their story and have it published in Farm Journal media. The topic area for the November/December 2020 contest was about the important work Extension is doing to better...
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COVID-19 Vaccine Education Toolkits for Cooperative Extension
Overcoming hesitancy to receive the new COVID-19 vaccines is a growing issue across the U.S. despite more 400,000 deaths resulting from virus to date. According to a recent report published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, rural residents are among the most vaccine hesitant groups with seven in ten rural residents expressing at least some reluctance to receive the vaccine. But as trusted members of the communities they serve, Cooperative Extension faculty and staff are in a unique position...
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Asset Based Community Recovery - Add Your Voice!
The pandemic has shown us that we can’t do anything alone. However, we can use our experience and the experiences of others to learn and grow from this pandemic to be better prepared for future disasters and emergencies. That's our invitation to you. If you work with community groups, local government, families, businesses, non-profits, farmers, youth, or any other sector of communities, consider joining us for one of our upcoming Asset-based Community Recovery Workshops! Through the...
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Cornell Extension LIVCO Project Team Finds Impact Collaborative Was “An amazing team building opportunity”
A team from Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Livingston County came together at the recent eXtension Foundation Impact Collaborative Summit. Their association is situated on a park-like campus of more than one hundred acres. They had an idea of turning their campus into a learning laboratory for the community, with demonstration gardens and more. The team was one of 25 groups from across the country that participated in the first ever virtual Impact Collaborative Summit , held in...
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NEW! Assistant Project Director for Immunization Education
Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) Assistant Project Director for Immunization Education Position Description This project is a collaborative effort among the Extension Committee on Policy (ECOP), eXtension, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It grew out of efforts undertaken by the ECOP Health Innovation Task Force. eXtension anticipates receiving funding for Immunization Education efforts. Key Extension leaders on this project...
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Transformational Engagement in an era of Reskilling and Economic Recovery
New blog at Longview Engagement illustrates reskilling priority. Read and respond-- Transformational Engagement in an era of Reskilling and Economic Recovery - Longview Engagement Eric Dunker, Associate for Business Strategies, Associate Vice President and Dean: Business, Technology, and Workforce Partnerships, Arapaho Community College For over 100 years, universities and community colleges have brought practical research and relevant education to their local communities and industry...
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THE QUEST FOR TALENT EQUITY: ENGAGEMENT IN THE REGIONAL TALENT PIPELINE ECOSYSTEM
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash.com Eric Dunker, Associate for Business Strategies, Associate Vice President and Dean: Business, Technology, and Workforce Partnerships, Arapahoe Community College As our society becomes more diverse, businesses and communities have moral and economic reasons to create systems with talent equity outcomes across the educational and labor market continuum. Higher education is rightly focused on educational equity, but this pandemic has demonstrated large...
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1890 Extension Leadership Academy Prepares Future Leaders To Act As Change Agents, Creates Culture of Innovation
The 1890s Extension Leadership Academy (ELA) is designed to prepare future and upcoming leaders in Cooperative Extension to act as change agents, with the goal of creating a culture that encourages and sustains innovation. The academy seeks to equip leaders to respond to critical challenges proactively. The ELA is offered in collaboration with Fort Valley State University & Extension Foundation , alongside key partners from Kentucky State University and Lincoln University. The most...
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Mission, Vision, Priorities!
An Abraham Lincoln quote comes to mind, who I thought you might like to have quoted at this point.. 😉 “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew .” Annual Message to Congress-Concluding Remarks, December 1, 1862 Developing our Mission, Vision, Priorities helps us rise with the challenges in front of us. They help us lean into, even...
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Updated County Health Rankings - Released April 1
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has released the annual update of its County Health Rankings featuring information on more than 30 factors which influence health. The new rankings can be accessed at https://www.countyhealthrankings.org Released every year by the UWPHI, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Rankings show that where you live influences how well and how long you live. An easy-to-use snapshot, the Rankings compare the health of all...
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Connecticut Agriculture is Showcased in UConn Students’ Documentary
'Completely Connecticut Agriculture' explores the creativity and resilience of Connecticut farmers It’s easy to take our food supply for granted while strolling through the abundant aisles of a grocery store. We do not often consider how our food gets to the store or where it comes from. A group of students in UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) is bridging the communication gap between agriculture and consumers in their documentary film, Completely...
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ICYMI: CONNECTING LATINO YOUTH/FAMILIES/COMMUNITIES W/EXT RESOURCES
Contrary with what many think, Latino/x population in the US is not a monolith, far from fitting the one-size-fits-all formula, the 60 million Americans of Latino/Hispanic origin represent over 20 Latin American countries, and a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels, geographic locations, histories, political affiliations. Visit this virtual chat archive to learn what extension professionals across the country have been doing to be successful in reaching the Latino/x...
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CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION BEGINS FASTTRACK FARMING FOR BEGINNING FARMERS
WILBERFORCE, OH —Introducing underrepresented populations and military veterans to the opportunities in farming is the goal of the new Central State University Extension (CSUE) FastTrack Farming: A Beginning Farmer Training Program. The FastTrack Farming program is available to individuals who have never managed a farm or who have managed a farm for less than ten years, says CSUE Associate Director of Extension Dr. Siddhartha Dasgupta. “We are committed to assisting individuals who have...
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University-wide Engagement and the Transdisciplinary University
Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash Lou Swanson, Emeritus Vice President of Engagement, Colorado State University Scott Reed , Vice Provost Emeritus, Outreach and Engagement, Oregon State University Blah blah ‘….. disciplinary ’ - what’s the difference? Each is quintessential in their power to produce knowledge. It is not a matter of which type of academic inquiry is better than the others. But one of these, a single author writing within the narrow foci of a single sub-discipline tends...
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RFA: Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching & Engagement (EXCITE) Immunization Education Pilot Projects (Activity 2)
Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, Health Innovation Task Force Extension Foundation EXTENSION COLLABORATIVE ON IMMUNIZATION TEACHING AND ENGAGEMENT (EXCITE) IMMUNIZATION EDUCATION PILOT PROJECTS (ACTIVITY 2) DATES: MAY 1, 2021 - APRIL 30, 2023 ELIGIBILITY: The RFA for EXCITE Activity 2 is open to all Land Grant University CES professionals. Each LGU may apply as part of an unlimited number of lead and collaborating applications for EXCITE Activity 2. At most, one project per...
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4-H Family and Consumer Science Agent Position OPEN
The San Juan County Extension Office in Aztec New Mexico is hiring a 4-H Family & Consumer Agent. We have an incredible strong 4-H program with nearly 400 4-H members, 20 clubs and over 100 community volunteers. The 4-H Family and Consumer Science Agent works closely with our 4-H Agriculture/Livestock Agent, Adult Agriculture Agent, and Adult Family and Consumer Science Agent. The SJC Office has strong support of our local government and community, a dedicated group of 4-H members and...
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Accelerating Success: Q&A with Dr. Fred Schlutt
Dr. Fred Schlutt is a forty-year Extension professional. He worked in Texas, Wyoming, Maine, and Alaska. Dr. Schlutt served for 10 years as the Director of Alaska Cooperative Extension. He was the 2017-2018 chair of ECOP ( Extension Committee on Organization and Policy ). He holds three degrees from Texas A&M. Dr. Schlutt currently shares his expertise as an Extension Foundation Catalyst. Catalysts are Extension experts who support New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) projects chosen...