Tag Archive for: ntae

Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith named eXtension’s Educational Technology Fellow

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Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith has been appointed as eXtension’s Educational Technology Fellow. This fellowship is made possible by the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NIFA. The purpose of this Fellowship is to catalyze adoption and awareness of new educational technologies and practices among professionals in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service.

She will lead the offering of online professional development opportunities and serve as editor of Version 1 of the Technology in Extension Education and Organization eFieldbook to be published with eXtension in 2020. The eXtension eFieldbook is a digital platform for aggregating content, tools and engagement available to all professionals in Cooperative Extension. The professional development will be delivered through eXtension’s upcoming FlexLearn social intranet platform, available to the entire Land-Grant university system beginning in 2020.  

Dr. Hayden-Smith will work in alignment with a new Futuring Panel for Technology in Extension Education and Organizations. This panel will be preparing a separate trend report of technology use in the practices of Extension professionals and in Extension organizations. 

Dr. Hayden-Smith has most recently served as a Cooperative Extension advisor in Digital Communications in Food Systems & Extension for the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. She’s the editor of the UC Food Observer, a communications platform in support of UC’s Global Food Initiative.

She previously led the 4-H and Master Gardener programs in Ventura County, where she also served as the first female director of Extension. Hayden-Smith was also the leader for UC ANR’s statewide initiative in sustainable food systems. She is a practicing historian and has published extensively about gardens as a civic enterprise in America.  She was a Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, advocating for a new Victory Garden movement.

Her book, “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War 1”, published by McFarland, was released in spring 2014.

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

USDA NIFA logo

This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2015-41595-24254 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.

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UNL’s Weather Ready Farms Partners with eXtension Through USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement

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As part of eXtension’s New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NIFA, the eXtension Foundation is partnering with four existing programs aligned with USDA strategic goals across Cooperative Extension in Year 1 to explore new methods and models for program scale and implementation. These initiatives are being documented in a series of eFieldbooks to inform the system of the models, learnings, and outcomes. Professional development opportunities will be created and delivered centered upon these learnings and offered to the entire system beginning in 2020.  

The first program identified by the Catalyst team is Weather Ready Farms from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tyler Williams, Cropping System Extension Educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln leads this program. Tyler will also serve as a funded Fellow with eXtension throughout the course of this project.

As one of four topics within the current NTAE Cooperative Agreement, Weather Ready Farms will expand to additional geographies and conditions. Williams, along with an action team will develop documentation to assist with professional development of Extension educators and seek expansion opportunities through assisted market research.

About Weather Ready Farms

Weather Ready Nebraska is a portfolio of Extension engagement programs developed to increase resiliency by identifying vulnerabilities and prioritizing actions. Included are initiatives that emphasize climate and weather literacy, scenario planning to overcome impactful conditions like drought or flooding, and an innovative credential dubbed Weather Ready Farms.

Weather Ready Farms is an emerging certification  program designed to improve or increase resilience towards the impacts of extreme weather on Nebraska’s farms. Participants learn through a year-long program consisting of in-person and online material about improving resilience towards the impacts of extreme weather on Nebraska’s farms. Certified producers successfully undergo separate phases including assessment, education, and verification. 

Since the formation of Weather Ready Farms in 2017, researchers and educators from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln designed a self-assessment framework to be used as an initial assessment of whole-farm risk to weather-related losses. This self-assessment was pilot-tested by four producers, representing over 4000 acres of row crops, in the spring of 2019. Through feedback from the pilot-test, the framework is currently under revision to better address farm-to-farm variation. 

The potential for impact, and collaboration with partners, is illustrated by the substantial variety and scale of weather-related losses on farms in Nebraska and the surrounding region. In 2017, the USDA Risk Management Agency issued over $2.1 billion in indemnity payments to the 12 North Central Region States due to weather-related losses in agriculture.

Support For This Initiative and Implications for the System

Through funding by eXtension’s NTAE Cooperative Agreement, Weather Ready Farms will receive direct support from a third-party marketing firm specializing in agriculture that will conduct market research and an audience engagement initiative that establishes baseline measures for reach and utilization of Extension information, identifies new markets, measures growth in reach and utilization of Extension resources and information, and determines best practices for using technology to engage target markets. 

The results and learnings from this initiative will be captured in an eFieldbook led by Tyler Williams and provided to the entire Land-Grant University system. An eFieldbook is a digital, curated, peer-reviewed collection of program resources that provide multimedia communication and interaction between and among experts, individuals, teams, partners, and other content contributors. Professional development opportunities will be delivered to the entire system through eXtension’s new FlexLearn platform to provide information and support for replicating this model across the system. FlexLearn will be available for the entire system in Spring, 2020. 

Additionally, eXtension’s Partnership Development Specialist, Megan Hirschman, will provide direct support to the Weather Ready Farms program by exploring public and private-sector partnerships that build capacity for this program, and further efforts to expand the reach of row crop producers in the state of Nebraska to engage with this program. 

This initiative will run through August 2020. Three other program initiatives have been selected for 2019-2020 aligned with USDA strategic goals including a mass media campaign supporting pollinator stewardship efforts in Texas in partnership with the National Pesticide Safety Education Center and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and a food sovereignty initiative in partnership with the College of Menominee Nation.

Topic areas and programs were identified by a three-member Catalyst team consisting of former  senior Extension leaders that address USDA strategic goals. The Catalyst Team includes:

  • Scott Reed, Former Vice Provost University Outreach & Engagement, and Director of Extension at Oregon State University
  • Fred Schlutt, Former Director of Cooperative Extension at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks
  • Jimmy Henning, Faculty, Plant & Soil Sciences Department, and Former Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

USDA NIFA logo

This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2015-41595-24254 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.

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NPSEC and Prairie View A&M University Extension partner with eXtension through USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement for Mass Media Pollinator Stewardship Effort

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Advancing the role of integrated pest management, including effective use of pesticides, is critical to controlling the spread of harmful pests and diseases. It is estimated that 40 percent of global crops are lost to agricultural pests each year.

The US Department of Agriculture Strategic Plan 2018-2022 emphasizes prevention and mitigation of agricultural pests and disease. There are recognized, undesirable effects associated with application and misuse of pesticides, especially by the general public without knowledge or training in pesticide safety. The potential to negatively impact pollinators is one of those effects.

Pollinator health and sustainable colonies is critical for In the United States. One third of all agricultural output depends on pollinators. Insects and other animal pollinators are vital to the production of healthy crops for food, fibers, edible oils, medicines, and other products. The commodities produced with the help of pollinators generate significant income for producers and those who benefit from a productive agricultural community. Pollinators are also essential components of the habitats and ecosystems that many wild animals rely on for food and shelter.

As part of eXtension’s New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NIFA, the eXtension Foundation is partnering with four existing programs aligned with USDA strategic goals across Cooperative Extension in Year 1 to explore new methods and models for program scale and implementation. These initiatives are being documented in a series of eFieldbooks to inform the system of the models, learnings, and outcomes. Professional development opportunities will be created and delivered centered upon these learnings and offered to the entire system beginning in 2020. 

One initiative identified for partnership is a mass media effort led by the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). NPSEC supports and serves Extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs) to be the premier national source of high quality research-based pesticide safety education.

Increasing the level of awareness about pesticides and their impact on pollinators by the general public can help to sustain pollinators around homes, farms and businesses. This project led by NPSEC will target messaging about pollinators using mass media (radio, digital, social) to reach a larger audience than is typical with most Extension messaging, will direct the audience to additional Extension resources and will develop a methodology to measure audience engagement, including change in behavior and implementation of practices benefiting both native and managed pollinators. The approach will be pilot tested in a select group of Texas communities and the content resources available through Prairie View A&M University Extension.

Kara Maddox, Communications and Engagement Manager for NPSEC is serving as an eXtension funded Fellow to produce an eFieldbook focused on using large-scale mass media techniques to achieve measurable behavior changes and adoption of new practices. The pollinator stewardship initiative will serve as the example of the mass media campaign for this eFieldbook. An eFieldbook is a digital, curated, peer-reviewed collection of program resources that provide multimedia communication and interaction between and among experts, individuals, teams, partners, and other content contributors. Professional development opportunities will be delivered to the entire system through eXtension’s new FlexLearn platform to provide information and support for replicating this model across the system. FlexLearn will be available for the entire system in Spring, 2020. 

Three other program initiatives have been selected for 2019-2020 aligned with USDA strategic goals including a program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln centered upon row crop producers taking risk-reducing strategies to build farm resilience against weather and climate incidents, and a food sovereignty initiative in partnership with the College of Menominee Nation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Topic areas and programs were identified by a three-member Catalyst team consisting of former  senior Extension leaders that address USDA strategic goals. The Catalyst Team includes:

  • Scott Reed, Former Vice Provost University Outreach & Engagement, and Director of Extension at Oregon State University
  • Fred Schlutt, Former Director of Cooperative Extension at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks
  • Jimmy Henning, Faculty, Plant & Soil Sciences Department, and Former Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

USDA NIFA logo

This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2015-41595-24254 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.

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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

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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 eligible populations have access  to programs that support their local food needs. One of the USDA’s strategies is to provide indigenous peoples with traditional foods that are desired. 

As part of eXtension’s New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Cooperative Agreement with USDA-NIFA, the eXtension Foundation is partnering with four existing programs aligned with USDA strategic goals across Cooperative Extension in Year 1 to explore new methods and models for program scale and implementation. These initiatives are being documented in a series of eFieldbooks to inform the system of the models, learnings, and outcomes. Professional development opportunities will be created and delivered centered upon these learnings and offered to the entire system beginning in 2020.  

The Menominee Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative is a collaborative project between the 1994 College of Menominee and University of Wisconsin – Madison Extension programs. Meg Perry, College of Menominee Nation, is serving as the eXtension Fellow for this project. The initiative is built on existing work with sovereign food systems that connect indigenous cultural beliefs of spirit, body, mind and heart to the food system. The initiative will assess community needs through the Menominee Wellness Survey and integrate indigenous language and culture through Menominee stories about food and indigenous food programs and outreach strategies. The project will take a deep dive into sovereign food production, exploring the impact that workshops and seed and plant distributions has on the presence of indigenous food being sold at community Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture. 

As one of four topics within the current NTAE Cooperative Agreement through eXtension Foundation, this project will develop an eFieldbook and professional development opportunities that will be shared with other 1994 Tribal institutions, FALCON, and tribal organizations. An eFieldbook is a digital, curated, peer-reviewed collection of program resources that provide multimedia communication and interaction between and among experts, individuals, teams, partners, and other content contributors. Professional development opportunities will be delivered to the entire system through eXtension’s new FlexLearn platform to provide information and support for replicating this model across the system. FlexLearn will be available for the entire system in Spring, 2020. 

Three other program initiatives have been selected for 2019-2020 aligned with USDA strategic goals including a mass media campaign supporting pollinator stewardship efforts in Texas in partnership with the National Pesticide Safety Education Center and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and a program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln centered upon row crop producers taking risk-reducing strategies to build farm resilience against weather and climate incidents. 

Topic areas and programs for the NTAE Cooperative Agreement were identified by a three-member Catalyst team consisting of former  senior Extension leaders that address USDA strategic goals. The Catalyst Team includes:

  • Scott Reed, Former Vice Provost University Outreach & Engagement, and Director of Extension at Oregon State University
  • Fred Schlutt, Former Director of Cooperative Extension at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks
  • Jimmy Henning, Faculty, Plant & Soil Sciences Department, and Former Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

USDA NIFA logo

This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2015-41595-24254 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.

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eXtension Fellowship Opportunity: Technology in Extension Education & Organizations

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Technology in Extension Education and Organizations Fellow
Funded by the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) Project

The purpose of this Fellowship is to catalyze adoption and awareness of new educational technologies and practices among professionals in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service. The Fellow will serve as editor of a peer-reviewed publication and leader of related professional development offerings with production and technical assistance of the eXtension Foundation. The Fellow will work in alignment with a new Futuring Panel for Technology in Extension Education and Organizations. This panel will be preparing a separate trend report of technology use in the practices of Extension professionals and in Extension organizations.

The Fellow will lead the offering of at least 4 synchronous online professional development opportunities and serve as editor of Version 1 of the Technology in Extension Education and Organization eFieldbook to be published with eXtension no later than June 1, 2020. The eXtension eFieldbook is a digital platform for aggregating content, tools and engagement available to all professionals in Cooperative Extension. The professional development will use the eXtension social intranet platform called FlexLearn.

Responsibilities:

    • Serve in the role of editor of the eFieldbook Version 1 and identify a review group and authors/contributors and follow the publication guidelines of eXtension.
    • Identify and offer 4 online professional development opportunities in the form of learning circles, webinars or other synchronous, online awareness-building and skill-building experiences for Extension professionals using eXtension’s FlexLearn platform. 
    • eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as publisher of the eFieldbook. The Journal of Extension provides peer review. eXtension also provides technical support and marketing for the 4 professional development offerings.  

Reporting and Stipend:

  • The Fellow will report to the eXtension Foundation COO. eXtension will provide $5,000 to support this work to the Fellow or the Fellow’s institution, depending on the best way to handle the funds for the institution. 

Duration:

  • Beginning on, our near November 1, 2019 to August 1, 2019.

Apply

To apply for this fellowship, please submit the following information to Brenna Kotar, Assistant to the CEO, eXtension Foundation, ceoassistant@extension.org:

  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
  • Three professional references, including email and phone number contact
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eXtension Announces New Fellowship Opportunity: Technology in Extension Education and Organizations Fellow Funded by the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) Project

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The purpose of this Fellowship is to catalyze adoption and awareness of new educational technologies and practices among professionals in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service. The Fellow will serve as editor of a peer-reviewed publication and leader of related professional development offerings with production and technical assistance of the eXtension Foundation. The Fellow will work in alignment with a new Futuring Panel for Technology in Extension Education and Organizations. This panel will be preparing a separate trend report of technology use in the practices of Extension professionals and in Extension organizations.

The Fellow will lead the offering of at least 4 synchronous online professional development opportunities and serve as editor of Version 1 of the Technology in Extension Education and Organization eFieldbook to be published with eXtension no later than June 1, 2020. The eXtension eFieldbook is a digital platform for aggregating content, tools and engagement available to all professionals in Cooperative Extension. The professional development will use the eXtension social intranet platform called FlexLearn.

Responsibilities:

  • Serve in the role of editor of the eFieldbook Version 1 and identify a review group and authors/contributors and follow the publication guidelines of eXtension.
  • Identify and offer 4 online professional development opportunities in the form of learning circles, webinars or other synchronous, online awareness-building and skill-building experiences for Extension professionals using eXtension’s FlexLearn platform. 
  • eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as publisher of the eFieldbook. The Journal of Extension provides peer review. eXtension also provides technical support and marketing for the 4 professional development offerings.  

Reporting and Stipend:

  • The Fellow will report to the eXtension Foundation COO. eXtension will provide $5,000 to support this work to the Fellow or the Fellow’s institution, depending on the best way to handle the funds for the institution. 

Duration:

  • Beginning on, our near November 1, 2019 to August 1, 2019.

Apply

To apply for this fellowship, please submit the following information to Brenna Kotar, Assistant to the CEO, eXtension Foundation, ceoassistant@extension.org:

  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
  • Three professional references, including email and phone number contact

 

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Tag Archive for: ntae

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