New Online Course Available! Roots to Results: An Overview of the Cooperative Extension System

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The Extension Foundation is excited to announce the launch of a new self-paced online course: “Roots to Results: Overview of the Cooperative Extension System.” This course is open to anyone who wants to better understand Cooperative Extension, whether you’re new to the system, need a refresher, or are working with Extension in a partnership role.

It’s a flexible resource designed to support onboarding, professional development, and increased awareness of Extension’s unique role and impact. Feel free to share or adapt this announcement for your own networks!


What You’ll Discover

Behind nearly 3,000 Cooperative Extension offices across the U.S. lies a remarkable transformation story from agricultural roots to today’s dynamic local impact network. This course guides you through the key concepts that make Extension so impactful and serves as an excellent onboarding tool for new Extension professionals or anyone who wants to learn more about Extension.

Course Learning Objectives

In this self-paced online course, you will learn about:

  • The history and purpose of the Cooperative Extension System and how it connects research to communities
  • Its organizational structure, including how local, state, and federal partnerships work together to drive its mission
  • Key partners, from Land-grant Universities to government agencies, and how these collaborations enhance Extension’s reach and effectiveness
  • A wide variety of focus areas, from agriculture and youth development to health and local engagement

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone interested in understanding the Cooperative Extension System, whether you’re new to Extension work or seeking to refresh your knowledge

Time Commitment: Approximately 30 minutes to complete all lessons (timing may vary based on your engagement with supplemental resources)

Ready to Get Started?

  1. Visit https://campus.extension.org 
  2. Click the login button (top-right corner).
  3. Log in with your existing Campus credentials, or create a new account following the on-screen instructions.
  4. Use the Search function to look for “Roots to Results,” OR browse the Professional Performance category and locate the course there.
  5. Open the Roots to Results course page and follow the self-enrollment instructions to access the course materials.

Questions about the course? Contact Lisa Linfield (lisalinfield@extension.org).

This course 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 views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

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RFA: Extension Foundation – Team Health Dashboard Development

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Introduction

The Extension Foundation (EXF) invites applications from qualified software developers to collaborate on building and supporting the next version of the Team Health Dashboard (THD). This RFA seeks proposals from applicants with demonstrated expertise in Ruby on Rails development, system integration with Google Forms and Google Scripts, database-driven user experiences, and scalable email notification systems.

The THD is an internal tool that helps Cooperative Extension teams assess and improve their team dynamics over time through structured surveys and automated feedback loops. The goal of this partnership is to enhance the existing dashboard (now in v2.1 planning), transition to Rails 8 and Ruby 3.3.x, and implement administrative controls, survey validation, and smarter email workflows.

Scope of Work

Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver on the following:

Development & Engineering

  • Upgrade and deploy the THD application using Rails 8 and Ruby 3.3.x.
    Implement webhooks and/or Google Scripts to handle form submissions and forward them to the Rails API endpoint.
  • Add survey validation logic to prevent duplicate submissions by the same user per survey cycle.
  • Support cron-based or time-triggered notifications (90, 181, 271, 360 days).

Administrative Tools

  • Enable EXF Admins to:
    • View team-level submission metadata (not individual answers).
    • Delete teams and associated submissions.
    • Remove users from teams.
    • Archive teams and reset survey cycles.

Email Notification System

  • Ensure ActionMailer is fully functional with preview capabilities.
  • Allow configurable notifications for team leaders upon team member submissions.
  • Improve FROM/REPLY-TO address handling so emails originate from the team owner’s email rather than a generic address.
  • Implement customizable threshold logic for sending dashboards (100% for baseline, 80% for subsequent surveys).

Vendor Obligations

The selected developer(s) will:

  • Participate in weekly check-ins with the EXF product owner.
  • Use GitHub for version control and coordination.
  • Deploy staging environments on Heroku and/or other EXF-preferred platforms.
  • Deliver clean, well-documented code with handoff documentation and training.
  • Remain available for ongoing maintenance (separate contract) if desired.
  • Maintain a business insurance policy appropriate to their area of expertise. 

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Demonstrate advanced experience in Ruby on Rails, ActionMailer, and web app deployment.
  • Have a track record of developing secure, user-friendly, and database-integrated tools.

Application Requirements

Proposals should include:

  • An overview of the applicant’s relevant experience and technical skills.
  • A proposed approach to implementing the functionality described.
  • Timeline and milestones (we anticipate a ~10-week development window).
  • Cost estimate based on fixed price or hourly rate.
  • Examples of past projects, GitHub repos (if available), and client references.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

  • Technical expertise and experience with Rails and associated technologies.
  • Understanding of EXF needs and survey-based applications.
  • Clarity and feasibility of the proposed implementation plan.
  • Cost-effectiveness and value for investment

How to Apply

Please submit your information and materials to the following form: https://registry.extension.org/251604153959057

Questions?

Contact aaronweibe@extension.org

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AgriProspects Launches 2nd Round of Grants to Boost CES Workforce Capacity in Digital Credentials & AI

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AgriProspects, a national program of the Extension Foundation, is excited to announce their second round of grants aimed at advancing Extension-led adult agricultural workforce development (AAWD) across the nation.

Supported by USDA-NIFA through the AFRI-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce (NECIW) (2023-67037-40533), AgriProspects will award up to five two-year grants of $200,000 each to support regional or national-scale projects that build Cooperative Extension’s capacity and readiness in two focus areas:

  1. Digital credentialing initiatives for adult agricultural workforce development in rural and urban areas; or
  2. Artificial Intelligence tools and resources to support the agricultural sector and supply chain and the adult agricultural workforce in rural and urban areas.

Proposals should expand workforce skills through competency-based approaches, clearly define target audiences and learning outcomes, involve end users in project design, leverage Extension and partner strengths, and focus on digital credentials or AI in Extension.

This opportunity is open to all Land-grant Colleges & Universities, regardless of Extension Foundation membership.

For more details on eligibility, proposal requirements, office hours, resource sessions, and deadlines, visit https://agriprospects.extension.org/mini-grant-round-2/.

Day 2 of the AgriProspects Summit will have sessions reviewing digital credentials and the broader digital credential ecosystem. A kick off session for this grant cycle will also be held as part of the Summit at 3pm Eastern. To learn more, visit https://agriprospects.extension.org/agriprospects-summit-2025/.

Questions? Contact us at agriprospects@extension.org.

About the Extension Foundation

The Extension Foundation is a nonprofit organization that serves as a strategic partner to the Cooperative Extension System, enhancing its capacity to address pressing community challenges through innovative programming and resources. Focused on fostering collaboration, the Extension Foundation supports the development and dissemination of research-based educational materials, leveraging technology and partnerships to reach diverse audiences. By promoting initiatives that drive engagement, workforce development, and social impact, the Foundation plays a critical role in modernizing extension services. Its work enables local extension professionals to better serve their communities, ensuring that relevant and timely information is accessible to those who need it most, ultimately contributing to the vitality and resilience of communities across the nation.

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Extension Foundation Announces Appointment of Adam Hughes to Lead National Health and Well-Being Coordination Efforts

The Extension Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Hughes, MPH, to provide national-level managerial support for Cooperative Extension’s health and well-being initiatives. In this role, Hughes will support the implementation of the five high-level recommendations from Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Well-Being, approved by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) in 2021. His appointment began on March 1, 2025, under a one-year contract.

A seasoned public health leader with over 20 years of experience across the nonprofit, government, and higher education sectors, Hughes currently serves as a State Extension Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension. His work has spanned strategic program development, organizational leadership, and advancing health through community-engaged approaches. He brings a strong understanding of Cooperative Extension’s health-related infrastructure and programming, as well as a passion for building collaborative networks.

In his new role with the Extension Foundation, Hughes will serve as the primary liaison for health and well-being efforts and support the National Health Leadership Committee (HLC), He will also promote promising practices from across the nation, coordinate with Land-grant institutions, and represent the Cooperative Extension System in national conversations on health.

“Adam Hughes has a deep commitment to community health and a proven track record of leadership,” said Beverly Coberly, Chief Executive Officer of the Extension Foundation. “We are thrilled to have someone with his experience and integrity advancing the health and well-being priorities of the Cooperative Extension System.”

Hughes holds a Master of Public Health from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Springfield College. He also serves in leadership roles with the Cornell Center for Health Equity and the Rural Health Network of South-Central New York.

For more information about Cooperative Extension’s health and well-being initiatives, visit https://health.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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