Extension Foundation Releases Three New Titles

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Three new titles are available on the Extension Foundation’s website. The brief publications – written as magazine-style feature stories – share project work funded through the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) program, a cooperative agreement between USDA NIFA, Oklahoma State University, and the Extension Foundation. NTAE’s goal is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that will increase the impact of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) in the communities it serves, and provide models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension teams across the nation. 

Each of the publications is excerpted from the New Technologies for Ag Extension 2022-2023 Yearbook, an 83-page magazine, which shares how these grant projects improve human, environmental, and community health. 

  • West Virginia University Extension – “My Hometown is Cool.” Educators at West Virginia University Extension have created a toolkit to teach youth how to be community developers and entrepreneurs. This publication provides a brief overview of how the program works and what the creators hope to accomplish with this exciting program.

 

  • West Virginia State University – “Out of the Mines.” This publication shares how an NTAE project team is focused on helping rural communities in West Virginia capitalize on historical and natural resources, to compensate for the dwindling coal-based economy. Extension professionals from West Virginia State University planned to pilot the concept in Kimball, West Virginia. In this story, you’ll learn why this effort is critical for southern West Virginia and what the team hopes to accomplish. 

 

  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst – “Capacity Building – Expanding Urban Extension.”  A University of Massachusetts Extension team plans to train up to 10 UMass Extension educators to engage more effectively with underserved and urban audiences in a wider range of communities in Springfield, Massachusetts, and across the state. The team will also partner with a variety of community organizations to develop resources and programs that use and build on the strengths of this broader target audience. This publication provides a brief overview of the program’s goals and strategies.

The Extension Foundation carries dozens of titles in its library. Four to five additional publications are slated to hit the shelf each week through the end of November. Sign up to receive publication notifications here. You can find the entire library of publications here.

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University of New Hampshire Partners with Extension Foundation for USDA-NIFA’s $3.4M New Technologies for Ag Extension Award

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In partnership with the Extension Foundation, the University of New Hampshire was awarded the USDA-NIFA New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement (Grant Number 2023-41595-41325). 

The Technology-Enhanced Cooperative Extension Hub (TECHExt), a groundbreaking initiative led by the University of New Hampshire Extension (UNH Extension) in partnership with the Extension Foundation (EXF), aims to revolutionize the Cooperative Extension System (CES) by infusing it with state-of-the-art technologies and practices. The project aligns with the strategic priorities of the USDA-NIFA and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), aiming to foster innovation, increase the capacity of Extension professionals, update NewTechnologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) delivery and management policies, enable locally meaningful opportunities through responsive marketing, and conduct comprehensive evaluations for continuous improvement. 

This project will meld UNH Extension’s deep-rooted expertise in community-based research and outreach with EXF’s successful initiatives like Connect Extension, Ask Extension, and ExtensionBot. Utilizing EXF’s substantial track record of executing impactful programs — evidenced by its efficient utilization of over $2.1 million in funding across 72 Extension collaborations in the previous NTAE project cycle– TECHExt is designed to enhance digital accessibility, professional capacity, and stakeholder engagement. UNH Extension will focus on two cornerstone projects: implementing New Hampshire’s comprehensive Digital Equity Plan and transforming its existing email marketing into an integrated omnichannel strategy. These initiatives will align with EXF’s Connect Extension for internal and external community engagement and Ask Extension’s public-facing Q&A service, which answered over 39,212 public inquiries in 2022 alone. Through this strategic collaboration, UNH Extension and EXF aim to create a more inclusive, effective, and technologically advanced CES, setting a precedent for similar systems nationwide. The full award briefing can be found on USDA-NIFA’s website linked here. 

More information about this award will be available in the Fall of 2023, including funding opportunities for Cooperative Extension professionals. Please visit extension.org to stay up-to-date with developments. 

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Extension Foundation Releases Four New NTAE Titles

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Four new titles are available on the Extension Foundation’s website. The brief publications – written as magazine-style feature stories – share project work funded through the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) program, a cooperative agreement between USDA NIFA, Oklahoma State University, and the Extension Foundation. The goal of NTAE is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that will increase the impact of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) in the communities it serves, and provide models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension teams across the nation. 

Each of the publications is excerpted from the New Technologies for Ag Extension 2022-2023 Yearbook, an 83-page magazine, which shares how these grant projects improve human, environmental, and community health. The Yearbook shares innovative Cooperative Extension work across the U.S., from technology to composting to youth development to health and equity. In addition, the publication shares information about the vital work undertaken by ECOP’s Program Action Teams.

  • University of Illinois – Community Seminar Series. The University of Illinois Extension launched the Community Seminar Series in 2020 and has been refining and expanding it ever since. A collaboration between U of I Extension and U of I’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI), the CSS is an effective way to educate the public on health topics and give students majoring in health fields a chance to build their expertise, through developing and presenting the seminars. This story provides a brief overview of the goals and strategies of this program.

 

  • University of California ANR – Community is Our Jam. Through virtual and in-person workshops, participants in the University of California Master Food Preserver program learn about reducing food waste and about safe food storage, preparation, and preservation methods. This feature describes how the team has focused on equity, broadening their program’s audience and impact and the lessons the team has learned while developing the program. 

 

  • Penn State University – Buy, Cook, Eat Local. While changing food habits isn’t easy, learning how to cook healthy food using farm fresh ingredients may help people improve their diets. An innovative program that Penn State Extension educators launched in spring 2023 is lowering barriers to healthy eating by introducing people to fresh produce and other local foods. This story describes how the program works and how the team collaborates in the community, specifically with farmer’s markets, to accomplish its goals.

 

  • The National Center for Home Food Preservation: Because We Can. Specialists in consumer and retail food safety from nine Southeastern land-grant universities launched the Food Safety Extension Network in 2021 to raise general awareness of the importance of preserving food safely and to be a resource for home cooks, small, independent food retailers, and home-based food preparation businesses. This piece gives an overview of how the Network was built and how it expects to operate. Participating institutions are: University of Arkansas, Clemson University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech University.

The Extension Foundation carries dozens of titles in its library. Four to five additional publications are slated to hit the shelf each week through the end of November. Sign up to receive publication notifications here. You can find the entire library of publications here.

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New Extension Foundation Publication: “Pumpkin Smash Playbook”

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The Extension Foundation has released a new title. “Pumpkin Smash Playbook” shares how the University of Illinois Extension and community partners organize and host Pumpkin Smashes, fun community events that collect pumpkins for composting. The team hosted its first Pumpkin Smash in 2019. Since then, the organization has refined the process of planning, funding, and running Smashes. This playbook details how to organize a similar event in your community.

Smashes teach people about the importance of composting and help keep pumpkins out of landfills. But they also provide Extension organizations with an opportunity to increase Extension’s visibility and reach new communities, particularly in urban areas. 

“Pumpkin Smash Playbook” was written by Kathryn M. Pereira, an Extension educator with the University of Illinois Extension. It’s the latest publication released by the Extension Foundation for the Cooperative Extension Service. It was made possible with funding from the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) grant program.

The Extension Foundation has recently added new titles to its library, including the New Technologies for Ag Extension 2022-2023 Yearbook. The 83-page Yearbook – presented in a lively magazine format – documents dozens of projects funded through the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) program, a cooperative agreement between USDA NIFA, Oklahoma State University, and the Extension Foundation. The goal of the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) grant is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that will increase the impact of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) in the communities it serves, and provide models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension teams across the nation.

You can find the entire library of publications here.

 

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Extension Foundation Board of Directors Names Dr. Beverly Coberly as the New Chief Executive Officer of the Extension Foundation

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Extension Foundation Awarded Cooperative Agreement from EPA to Support Pesticide Safety Education Programs

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News Release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a cooperative agreement to the Extension Foundation (EXF) to administer a national subaward program supporting Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs). The new project, titled “Empowered Up: A Comprehensive PSEFMP Promoting Efficiency & Environmental Justice,” will receive up to $15 million over five years. It will build upon a previous PSEP subaward program, also managed by EXF, which concluded in July 2023.

PSEPs, based at land grant universities, provide education and training on the safe and proper use of restricted use pesticides (RUPs)–those that are the most acutely toxic pesticides or that must be applied with special care—to applicators in agricultural, commercial, and residential settings. Federal law restricts RUP use to certified applicators or someone under their direct supervision, because of the harm RUPs can cause to people and the environment without additional safety measures. Applicators must undergo rigorous certification procedures to ensure they can use RUPs safely and effectively.  Under this agreement, EXF will provide funds to the PSEPs, which will help prepare applicators for certification and re-certification by teaching them safe and proper application methods, protecting applicators and the public from improper pesticide use.

The new award comes at a critical juncture. In 2017, EPA strengthened certification standards for applicators of RUPs, and required states, tribes, and territories to submit to EPA revised certification plans to meet or exceed the federal standards. All revised plans must be approved by EPA  by November 4, 2023 and then implemented. Many will have to update certification materials as a result. PSEPs will play an essential role in revising materials and trainings, conducting outreach to applicators, and playing other key roles in implementing the regulation.

With this new cooperative agreement, EXF also seeks to expand its environmental justice focus. The previous agreement required the publication of materials for pesticide applicators in multiple languages. The new cooperative agreement also requires  the promotion of environmental justice elements, namely collaborations between PSEPs and minority-serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander, and predominantly Black serving institutions.

To learn more about occupational pesticide safety and health, visit EPA’s website.

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Extension Foundation Selected as Vendor for USDA’s 22007 Outreach Support Program

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Highlights:

  • Through the 22007 Outreach Support Program, USDA would like to expand community-based partnerships to ensure all producer communities understand DFAP, know how to seek assistance, and know how to apply.

  • Extension Foundation is one of three organizations facilitating the 22007 Outreach Support Program. Extension Foundation is responsible for executing the application and funding process to provide funding and guidance to eligible Event Host applicants to plan and host 22007 outreach and/or technical assistance events in coordination with the 22007 regional hub vendors.

  • In partnership with USDA, Extension Foundation will facilitate coordination between Event Hosts and the DFAP regional hub vendors.

  • Event Hosts will only be responsible for planning, marketing, and hosting the outreach events. The DFAP Regional Vendors will be onsite at each event and will be responsible for providing program information and/or technical assistance to interested applicants.

  • To be eligible for funding, your organization must commit to host three (3) in-person events with a target of at least 35 attendees per event.

  • Your events should be accessible, culturally and linguistically appropriate and open to all producers and those who serve producers in your community who would like to learn more about DFAP or get assistance submitting an application. 

The Extension Foundation was selected by USDA to serve as one of its vendors for Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to solicit applications from eligible applicants pre-selected by USDA and assigned to the Extension Foundation, provide technical assistance, and make decisions on applications based upon USDA guidance. Section 22007 of the IRA directs USDA to provide financial assistance to producers who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs. To implement this legislative directive, USDA established the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. This program gives USDA the ability to provide financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners determined to have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021. 

Congress directed that the program should be administered by non-governmental organizations, so in May, USDA signed contracts with three non-governmental vendors who, together, constitute a national administrator and four regional hubs. The vendors are working together to solicit applications from eligible farmers, provide technical assistance, and make decisions about each case (following rules set by USDA).  

The 22007 application opened on July 7, 2023 and will now close on January 13, 2024. 

To ensure maximum producer participation and increase their awareness of financial assistance, USDA has partnered with community-based organizations across the country with experience in agriculture and trusted relationships with producer communities. Leveraging partner networks will enable USDA to meet its goal to reach broad, diverse, and inclusive communities in all geographic regions. 

Toward this end, USDA is seeking to expand partnerships with trusted producer-serving organizations.

Specifically, USDA would like to support organizations to host 22007 outreach events in coordination with the DFAP regional hubs vendors through the 22007 Outreach Support Program. The purpose of this program is to facilitate awareness and understanding of the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program among producer communities through effective, accessible, and inclusive outreach and technical assistance events across geographic regions.

At minimum, eligible applicants: 

  1. must be verified non-profit organizations or institutions of higher education; 
  2. commit to plan, market, and host three (3) in-person events with a target of at least 35 attendees per event by December 22, 2023;
  3. coordinate with the funder organization and the DFAP Regional Hub Vendors to facilitate their 22007 activities at the events; and
  4. submit required reporting event outcomes.

Funding for each event is set at $2,500, the total award will be $7,500 to host the three events.

Learn more at 22007.extension.org

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The Extension Foundation is a nonprofit established in 2006 by Extension Directors and Administrators nationwide. Extension Foundation is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP).

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This website is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension (funding opportunity no. USDA-NIFA-OP-010186), grant no. 2023-41595-41325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

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