National eXtension Initiative

The National Agricultural Law Center is providing an online webinar “Legal Issues in Animal Agriculture: Regulating Living Space.” The webinar will be on May 10, 2012 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. (Eastern). The webinar is the first in a series of National Agricultural Law Center outreach activities focused on legal issues in animal agriculture. Center Staff Attorney Elizabeth Rumley will be the speaker. For full information about the webinar, including registration, visit the Center’s website here. The webinar is provided by the National Agricultural Law Center with support from Banks Law Firm, PLLC. In addition, the Center is partnering with eXtension to provide the webinar in conjunction with the Center’s role as the lead national institution for the eXtension Agricultural Law Community of Practice.

This presentation is designed to be useful to anyone — Extension personnel, academics, attorneys, lobbyists, federal and state policymakers, producers, and others — with an interest in a definitive understanding of the status, evolution, and future of food animal confinement laws in the United States.

While designed for attorneys and non-attorneys, the presentation has been approved for 60 minutes of Continuing Legal Education credit in Arkansas. Cost of the webinar is $50. For attorneys outside of Arkansas, the National Agricultural Law Center will happily provide any needed documentation or materials necessary for a non-Arkansas attorney to obtain Continuing Legal Education in their respective state. Also, the Center would be willing to assist wherever needed to have the webinar approved for Continuing Education for Extension personnel in their respective states. For assistance, please contact Center Director Harrison Pittman at hmpittm@uark.edu.

The webinar will focus on the emerging legal and policy issues dealing with farm animal confinement. The presentation focuses on the status, substance, and evolution of the laws and regulations of farm animal confinement in the United States. In the last 10 years, several states have adopted statutes that regulate the amount of living space required to raise certain kinds of farm animals. Controversial ballot initiatives such as California’s Proposition 2 have led to higher-profile compromises like last summer’s HSUS/UEP agreement, among other significant developments that impact the future of the animal agriculture industry.

For registration and payment, click here.

Speaker Information:

Elizabeth Rumley is a staff attorney at the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. At the Center, her primary research focus is on legal issues in animal agriculture, and she frequently lectures on those issues and others to audiences nationwide. Additionally, she has co-taught a course titled “Animals and Agricultural Production, Law and Policy” at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and will be teaching a course on legal issues in animal agriculture this summer at the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, & Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Her article A Proposal to Regulate Farm Animal Confinement in the United States and an Overview of Current and Proposed Laws appeared in the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (14 Drake J. Agric. L. 437 (Fall, 2009)) and she has co-written an article on the enforcement powers of humane society members that will be published this spring in the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review.

At the Center Rumley works closely with the University of Arkansas’ Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, Animal Science Department, and the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Department. In addition, Rumley works closely with and is on the advisory board of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Center for Food Animal Well-Being.

She is licensed to practice law in Michigan and Ohio after earning her B.A. from Michigan State University, her J.D. cum laude from the University of Toledo College of Law, and her LL.M. in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

The NETC Conference Committee at the LSU AgCenter has been busy making preparations for what they hope will be one of the best NETC conferences ever. They need YOU to bring that “Voodoo You Do” to New Orleans! NETC is a great opportunity to learn from colleagues at other universities and to share successes and challenges in a variety of technology areas including web development, programming, networking, digital audio / video, distance education, social media, and more.

Visit www.netc2012.org now to register early and save $100!

Early registration for NETC 2012 ends at midnight on Monday, April 16. Don’t forget to make your hotel reservations by April 28 to get the conference rate.
Early Registration (before April 17): $350.00
Late Registration: (after April 17): $450.00

NETC 2012 will be held at the Astor Crowne Plaza, located at the Gateway to the French Quarter where Canal Street meets Bourbon Street. The excitement of the French Quarter awaits you right outside your door.

Hotel Conference Rate:
$119/night + tax, $20 extra for each person over 2
Reserve Online Or Call 1-888-962-0547 and use the conference code NETC by April 28, 2012.
Note: To book pre-conference and post-conference rooms at the conference rate, you must reserve by phone.

Tours are already starting to fill up, so be sure to register early. The registration site will allow for multiple forms of payment, so most folks will be able to use personal credit cards as well as their institution’s payment method. Also, don’t miss out on the riverboat cruise. Even if you don’t plan to participate in the 404 event, the riverboat cruise is a great value for dinner and an evening of entertainment!

See you in New Orleans!

The next few months bring a variety of professional development for Extension and others. Everyone is welcome to participate in sessions of interest to them. A few highlights are included here. See the full listing of online events at Learn (learn.extension.org) and plan to attend.

Use each session’s unique URL in Learn to share with others who may be interested. Sign-in with your eXtensionID to follow a session. Update your notification settings to get reminders.

Offering web-based learning? Click “Create a new event” to list it at Learn so others may share and participate.

Upcoming Highlights:

e-Agriculture for Improved Livelihoods and Food Security: Assessing the Requirements for Electronically Linking Farmers with Markets, April 10, 2012

RSS feeds and feed readers, April 11, 2012 EDT

Natural spaces: A place for positive youth development, April 18, 2012 EDT

Finding and following on online networks, April 18, 2012 EDT

Findings of the Extension Social Media Study, May 16, 2012 EDT

Social Networking: Boundaries and Professionalism, May 17, 2012 EDT

Recent:

The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People: Implications for Cooperative Extension. Held on April 3, 2012. Recordings available

Creating your own Learning Network. Held on April 4, 2012. Recording available

Questions and Comments, contact Beth Raney at bnr1@extension.org.

eXtension news releases posted by resource areas:
13–Families, food and fitness
6 each–Dairy, Family caregiving, Personal finance
5 each–Gardens, lawns and landscapes; Plant breeding and genomics
4 each–Climate, forests and woodlands; Organic agriculture
3 each–Bee health, Beef cattle, Blueberries, Creating healthy communities, Grapes
2 each–Corn and soybean production; Diversity, equity and inclusion; Drinking water and human health; Entrepreneurs and their communities; Forest farming; Hogs, Pigs, and Pork; Home energy; Parenting; Science for youth
1 each–Animal manure management, Apples, Community planning and zoning, Companion animals, Cotton, Extension master gardener, Farm energy, Farm safety and health, Food safety, Freshwater aquaculture, Goats, Horses, Military families, Pesticide environmental stewardship, Wildfire, Wildlife damage management, Rangelands

extension news releases from land-grant universities and other sources:
7–University of Missouri
5 each–Cornell University, University of California
4 each–Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Texas AgriLife Extension
3 each–Iowa State University, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University, University of Arkansas, University of Illinois
2 each–Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, University of Kentucky, Washington State University
1 each–Alabama Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University, Maryland Cooperative Extension, New Mexico State University, North Dakota State University, University of Delaware, University of Georgia, University of Nebraska, University of Tennessee
36–Other sources
2–Original releases

99-TOTAL

A critical part of the 2011-1014 eXtension Strategic Plan is the Enhancement of State and Local Value for eXtension within the Cooperative Extension System. A State and Local Value Enhancement (SLVE) Plan has been developed and two initial goals are already underway. First, as noted in another article, a State and Local Value Enhancement Working Group has been formed. And, second, eXtension has organized and will conduct 8 listening sessions during April focusing on Cooperative Extension’s perceptions of eXtension and use of technology. Institutional Teams nationwide recruited volunteers for the listening sessions. The sessions are divided into four clusters:

Group 1–County secretarial/support staff
•Tuesday, April 10
•Wednesday, April 11

Group 2–County agent/educator/program assistant
•Thursday, April 12
•Tuesday, April 17

Group 3–State/regional specialist/faculty
•Wednesday, April 18
•Thursday, April 19

Group 4–Administrator
•Tuesday, April 24
•Wednesday, April 25

The one-hour sessions will be conducted via Adobe Connect and moderated by Michael Lambur or Sarah Baughman. A report on the findings will help the SLVE Working Group develop plans, resources, and implementation steps to address local value enhancement within Cooperative Extension.

For more information, please contact Jerry Thomas at jthomas@extension.org or Terry Meisenbach, tmeisenbach@extension.org.

Carla Craycraft, former Associate Director for Content Development, has been named chair of the 2012 National eXtension Conference Program Planning Committee. Other members of the committee include: Craig Wood, eXtension; Lela Vandenberg, Michigan State University; Terry Meisenbach, eXtension; Heather Merk, Ohio State University; Beth Raney, eXtension; Meridith Berry, University of Missouri; Amy Hays, eXtension; Diane Bales, University of Georgia; Aaron Hundley, eXtension.

The committee is working on the October 1-4, 2012 conference slated for the Renaissance Hotel in Oklahoma City, OK. More information on the Conference will be available in the coming months. If you have speaker ideas or topics you’d like to see as a part of the conference please send an email to Carla Craycraft: Carla.craycraft@extension.org.

eXtension is pleased to announce the formation of a new working group focused on State and Local Value Enhancement. Members of this working group include eXtension staff and volunteers from state Cooperative Extension Systems across the country. The members of this working group will help to identify states and institutions where participation in eXtension can be enhanced and expanded and then assist local Institutional Teams in that process. In states where there is no Institutional Team, the Working Group will work to help develop a team and get it up and running in the state.

The SLVE Working Group’s first task is to conduct a series of listening sessions among Cooperative Extension workers nationwide. Eight sessions throughout April will bring together county secretaries/support staff, county agents/educators/program assistants, state/regional specialists/faculty, and administrators to answer questions related to technology, working differently, engagement with eXtension and related topics. From those listening sessions the Working Group will develop plans and resources to further broaden and enhance value of eXtension at the state and local level.

Members of the State and Local Value Enhancement Working Group include: Lela Vandenberg, Michigan State University; Jeff Hino, Oregon State University; Janet Hollingsworth & Keith Fielder, University of Georgia, and Stephen Judd, University of New Hampshire. Serving as co-chairs of the Working Group are Jerry Thomas, Ohio State University and Terry Meisenbach, eXtension.

For more information on the Institutional Team Advisory Committee, please contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org or Jerry Thomas at jthomas@extension.org.

eXtension is pleased to announce the formation of a new Institutional Team Advisory Committee. The members of this group will help to determine effective programming for Institutional Teams nationwide, including monthly web conference content and materials and message development for Team use. The group will also help to determine content tracks for the upcoming National eXtension Conference, review criteria for and evaluate nominations for the annual Be, Grow, Create Institutional Team and Individual Awards, and help to recruit and build Institutional Teams within their regions.

Members of the eXtension Institutional Team Advisory Committee are: Robert Casler, University of Arizona; Meridith Berry, University of Missouri; Janet Sylvia, University of Georgia; Neal Vines, Penn State University; and Todd Beane, West Virginia State University.

For more information on the Institutional Team Advisory Committee, please contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org.

The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics (NAREEE) board, which advises the Secretary of Agriculture and land-grant colleges and universities on policies about effective federal agricultural research, education and education, recently met at Texas A&M University. A focus of the meeting was the role, impacts and programs of the Cooperative Extension System. A number of USDA leaders and state Extension Directors/Administrators shared information with the Board. Also, information about a number of CES programs was shared including a session on eXtension.

Dan Cotton, eXtension Director, and Natalie Hummel, Extension Specialist, Louisiana State University Ag Center, and a leader of the Blueberries Community of Practice defined what eXtension is, how it is organized, and the important role of Communities of Practice in augmenting CES programming and how CES is working to engage online audiences.

According to Natalie, “eXtension has transformed my work as an Extension professional…learning to engage people through social media…extending my reach and opportunity to engage colleagues and the audience in meaningful learning opportunities.”

Following the session, the Board asked many interesting questions and share a number of observations on the importance of eXtension in today’s society.

Jimmy Henning, Director of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and Chair of the eXtension Governing Committee, presented information regarding new eXtension metrics at the recent National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting. Using interactive clicker technology, Jimmy asked colleagues to rank the importance of the metrics related to the value of eXtension in their state or area.

• Ask an Expert questions answered by in-state experts
o 63% considered this important, 7% were neutral in their opinion, 30% considered this unimportant

• Ask an Expert questions answered by out-of-state experts
o 62% considered this important, 21% were neutral in their opinion, 17% considered this unimportant

• Gaps in disciplinary expertise filled by eXtension Communities of Practice
o 74% considered this important, 8% were neutral, 18% considered this unimportant

• Quantification of NIFA grants with eXtension as part of integrated proposal
o 61% considered this important, 9% were neutral in their opinion, 30% considered this as unimportant

• Gain in knowledge facilitated by eXtension products, teams or Communities of Practice
o 75% considered this important, 13% were neutral in their opinion, 11% considered this as unimportant

• Change in behavior facilitated by eXtension products, teams or Communities of Practice
o 79% considered this important, 5% were neutral in their opinion, 16% considered this as unimportant

• Impacts facilitated by eXtension products, teams or Communities of Practice
o 79% considered this important, 5% were neutral in their opinion, 17% considered this as unimportant

• Quantification of usage of professional development sessions facilitated by eXtension
o 76% considered this important, 4% were neutral in their opinion, 20% considered this as unimportant

• Number of courses, guests and views of online courses delivered by eXtension (Moodle)
o 68% considered this important, 8% were neutral in their opinion, 25% considered this as unimportant

• Documented expansion of reach of Communities of Practice by Social Media support of eXtension
o 60% considered this important, 16% were neutral in their opinion, 25% considered this as unimportant

• How eXtension.org increases the discoverability of LGU websites
o 81% considered this important, 4% were neutral in their opinion, 16% considered this as unimportant

• Contributions to eXtension (Communities of Practice, FAQs, AaE) are valued and rewarded at my institution
o 42% considered this important, 21% were neutral in their opinion, 36% considered this as unimportant

The information will be used to help impact efforts and strategies moving forward with regard to the collection and presentation of metric reports and implementation of state and local value programming..