Tag: climate

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eXtension Announces Four New Climate/Extreme Weather Fellows

eXtension has selected four Cooperative Extension professionals to serve as Climate/Extreme Weather Fellows for 2020. Building on their existing work, the Fellows will lead teams of graduate and undergraduate students that will pull together resources across Extension related to Climate and Extreme Weather to create a landscape view of Extension programs and a system-wide repository. A request will go out shortly to the entire system for resources and information to add to the repository. 

These individuals include:

  • Dr. Sarah Klain, Andrew J. Senti Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Services, Environment & Society Department, Utah State University
  • M. Jennison Kipp Searcy, Resource Economist, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
  • Dr. Paul Lachapelle, Professor, Department of Political Science, Montana State University – Bozeman, Extension Community Development Specialist
  • Dr. Roslynn McCann, Associate Professor, Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist, Utah State University

Cooperative Extension is positioned to be the leading national resource with the most experience with on-the-ground implementation of conservation-based programming. The eXtension Climate Coalition, a member director-led effort, created a Fellowship as a short-term project dedicated to the compilation of program data across the Cooperative Extension System (CES).  The fellows will identify programming that is currently being implemented that aligns with Project Drawdown, other frameworks, and generally accepted conservation practices. Using eXtension support, the Fellows will develop a repository for this information that can help the CES develop a narrative around the work being performed across the U.S. The repository will be dynamic, accessible, and easy for specialists, program leaders, agents and educators to update and add to. Information will include programs, success factors, and adoption rates. It will be used to help:

 

  • Identify gaps in conservation/climate programming
  • Identify areas of greatest impact (or identify trends)
  • Help us identify measurements of acceleration
  • Focus CES interests on identified climate/extreme weather actions (solutions)
  • Help CES tell our story around climate/extreme weather programs (we will have an opportunity to seek funding and partners based on our current and future capacity)
  • Help identify where we are accelerating our impact the most
  • Empower CES Educators to align with these programs and their strengths
  • Allow for some longitudinal analysis
  • Foster some alignment in CES programming across the country 

About the Fellows (Photos will be included)

Sarah Klain is the Andrew J. Senti Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Services in the Environment and Society department at Utah State University. She has a PhD in Resources, Environment and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the tangible and intangible ways in which people value ecosystems, particularly in the context of expanding renewable energy landscapes. Much of her past research focused on cultural ecosystem services, marine spatial planning and offshore wind farms. Currently, she is developing participatory research to integrate traditional ecological knowledge and western science in the context of climate-smart restoration in the Intermountain West. She teaches courses on environmental policy and ecological economics and serves as a handling editor for the journals People and Nature as well as Ecosystems and People. As an interdisciplinary sustainability scholar, her work contributes to the fields of ecological economics and conservation social science.

Jennison Kipp Searcy is an Ecological Economist and Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist with the University of Florida’s Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC) and Center for Land Use Efficiency (CLUE). In this position, she collaborates with multidisciplinary research teams and private- and public-sector partners throughout the state to facilitate the adoption of strategic, holistic, and integrated sustainability practices in Florida’s new master-planned community developments. She is also State Coordinator of the Sustainable FloridiansSM Program and a co-founder of Florida’s CIVIC (Community Voices, Informed Choices) Extension Program. Climate-related research and Extension programming have been unifying and enduring elements of Jennison’s professional career. She holds Master’s degrees in Agricultural & Environmental Economics and Environmental Pollution Control from Penn State University (where her research contributed to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Assessment of Climate Change Impacts) and served in Kenya as an Agroforestry Extension Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps (where she saw and experienced first-hand some of Earth’s most priceless and rapidly disappearing equatorial glaciers).

Paul Lachapelle is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Montana State University-Bozeman and serves as the Extension Community Development Specialist.  His teaching and research spans many disciplines and practices including community climate change resiliency, diversity and  inclusion, social impact investing and social justice topics.  His publications include the edited book, “Addressing Climate Change at the Community Level” (Routledge 2019) as well as journal articles on energy impacts in communities, democratic practice and local governance, and community visioning and leadership.  He earned a Ph.D. (Forestry) at the University of Montana’s College of Forestry and Conservation with a focus on natural resource policy and governance and serves as Editor of the Community Development Society Current Issues Book Series and member of the Board of Directors (and past-President) of the International Association for Community Development.

Dr. Roslynn Brain McCann is a Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist in the Department of Environment and Society, College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. She uses conservation theory, communication techniques, and social marketing tools to foster environmental behaviors in the areas of land (conservation, reducing, reusing and recycling), air (quality and climate change), food (consuming locally with a focus on CSA’s and farmer’s markets), water (quality, quantity, water resilient landscaping), and energy (efficiency and renewable energy). Roslynn also teaches communicating sustainability, helps facilitate the National Extension Sustainability Summit, runs a national database of sustainability-focused Extension programs, and is the coordinator for Utah Farm-Chef-Fork, the USU Permaculture Initiative, and Sustainable You! kids’ camps.

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eXtension RFP for Climate/Extreme Weather Fellowship

Cooperative Extension is positioned to be the leading national resource with the most experience with on-the-ground implementation of conservation-based programming. The eXtension Climate Coalition proposes creating a Fellowship effort as a short-term project dedicated to the compilation of program data across the Cooperative Extension System (CES).  The fellow(s), which could be one or two, will identify programming that is currently being implemented that aligns with Project Drawdown, other frameworks, and generally accepted conservation practices. Using eXtension support, the Fellow(s) will develop a repository for this information that can help the CES develop a narrative around the work being performed across the US. The repository will be dynamic, accessible, and easy for specialists, program leaders, agents and educators to update and add to. Information will include programs, success factors, and adoption rates. It will be used to help: 

  • Identify gaps in conservation/climate programming
  • Identify areas of greatest impact (or identify trends)
  • Help us identify measurements of acceleration
  • Focus CES interests on identified climate/extreme weather actions (solutions)
  • Help us tell our story around climate/extreme weather action (we will have an opportunity to seek funding and partners based on our current and future capacity)
  • Help identify where we are accelerating our impact the most
  • Empower CES Educators to align with these actions and their strengths
  • Allow for some longitudinal analysis
  • Create some continuity in our programming across the country

Deliverables: 

The Fellow(s) will lead: 

  • Offering of at least one synchronous online professional development opportunity and use of the connect.eXtension.org social intranet platform. 
  • Development and population of the Climate/Extreme Weather repository
  • Documenting current CES programs and practices in Climate/Extreme Weather and
  • Serve as the editor of Version 1 of the Real-Time Programmatic Inventory in Extension Education ePub to be published with eXtension no later than September 1, 2020. The eXtension ePub plus Connect.extension.org is a digital platform for aggregating content, tools and engagement available to all professionals in Cooperative Extension.

Responsibilities:

  • Serve in the role of editor of the ePub Version 1 and identify a review group and authors/contributors and follow the publication guidelines of eXtension. eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as publisher of the ePub. 
  • Work with eXtension to establish a 6-8 person working group of professionals within and outside Cooperative Extension to serve as an advisory committee/editorial board. Schedule the working group to help gather and curate existing research, programs and best practices using eXtension technologies.
  • Develop a timeline with milestones for the project. A suggested time frame for this project is May through August. Aiming to have the final draft completed by September 1 for broader sharing and feedback. 
  • Report on progress to eXtension regularly.
  • Offer at least 1 online professional development opportunity in the form of a webinar for Extension professionals.
  • Establish a group in Connect Extension and use it to keep in touch with the working group, the Advisory Committee and eFieldbook contributors.
  • eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as the publisher of the ePub, and data repository development and implementation. eXtension also provides technical support and marketing for professional development offerings.  

 

Compensation:   Proposals should address how they will utilize $20,000 in the Climate/Extreme Weather Fellowship effort to support the overall work.  The $20K will be to accomplish the deliverables.  Examples of possibilities include two faculty/specialists applying together and receiving stipends of $10K each to share the effort (this could be faculty at one or two institutions); one faculty/specialist receiving a stipend of 5K to oversee and guide the work of a doctoral or master’s candidate who would receive a $15K stipend. 

Reporting: The Fellow(s) will report to Megan Hirschman, eXtension Partnership and Development Specialist.  eXtension will provide $20,000 in total to support this work to the Fellow or the Fellow’s institution, depending on the best way to handle the funds for the institution. 

Timeline: 

Deadline for proposals: May 6, 2020

Start Date: May 20, 2020.

Project End Date: September 30, 2020.  This project is not static, and the philosophy will be to have 80-90% completion by September 1, and have an opportunity to introduce it to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) at that time.  

Submit proposals (500 words or less)  and supporting documentation (resume) to:

Megan Hirschman
Partnership and Development Specialist
eXtension Foundation
Cell: 989-330-1265
meganhirschman@extension.org

 

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Climate Climate Learning Network i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps: No-till as an Adaptation to Weather Variability

The Northern Plains region is not a stranger to extreme weather and too much rain or too little rain is often a problem when managing crop land. In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and thousands of miles away from any ocean, the Northern Plains can have some of the most extreme weather in North America.

Average precipitation ranges from less than 10 inches in western Wyoming and Montana to over 35 inches in southeast Nebraska. It is obvious that we can have highly variable year-to-year precipitation, but there is some concern that there will be an increase in this variability moving forward. How can a farmer prepare for this year-to-year variability? No-till management may be one answer for adapting to the impact the highly variable and highly destructive weather can have on crop production.

No-till uses a systems approach to crop production where crops are grown with minimal soil disturbance and the soil is kept covered with crop residue to conserve soil and water. Continuous no-till and crop rotation, intensity, and diversity are keys to making no-till successful and building the soil system while minimizing potential issues.

No-till is not a one-year management plan. It is continuously planting crops, every ear, without tillage to get the full benefits. Management of residue, nutrients, pests, equipment and other factors must be a part of the no-till systems approach.

pic-for-no-till-blog-postFor no-till, the major advantages are soil moisture conservation, erosion control, minimum fuel and labor costs, and builds soil structure and health. Some disadvantages are increased dependence on herbicides, no incorporation of fertilizer or excess residue, and slow soil warming on poorly drained soils. The advantages or disadvantages may be more or less important to each individual operation, thus play a large role in the adoption of no-till.

As a part of the i-Three Corps project, we visited Murdoch Enterprises, a long-term, no-till farming operation located in south central Nebraska. Marlin Murdoch, co-owner and operator, has been no-till farming since the mid-80s and credits no-till for their farming success during the wet and the dry years.

“As long as you keep the residue out there it seems like that helps alleviate the real extremes of being too wet or too dry…the residue is the key to any extremes that are out there.” – Marlin Murdoch, co-owner of Murdoch Enterprises

Marlin farms in an area of the state that is mostly limit-irrigated, where they are limited to 45” of irrigation water over five years (avg. 9 inches per year). In many years, this is not enough water to grow high yielding crops, or even grow a crop at all, so practices must be used to take advantage of every drop.

Marlin mentions there are multiple benefits to maintaining residue on your field. “No-till can be such an advantage because it keeps the residue on top and keeps the sun from baking the ground, causing the moisture that we do have to evaporate….. it is always better to keep the ground cooler and that residue can do that.”

No-till also protects the soil from erosion. Thunderstorms are a common site during the growing season in south central Nebraska and with that comes very heavy rainfall. The enhanced soil structure and surface residue from no-till protects the top soil from water erosion, crusting from raindrop impact and allows better infiltration.

Marlin mentions the benefits can be more than economical or environmental: “We spend less time out there for operations over the field, so it gives time to be with the family.”

The extreme weather in the Plains can’t be beaten, but management strategies can be adopted to minimize the impact of these variables and create a more economically stable operation.

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Citizen Science Climate Climate Learning Network i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps – Climate Literacy for Youth

Climate Literacy for Youth is a collaborative effort between Auburn University and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to extend online learning for youth on the topic of climate science. Through an ongoing USDA NIFA grant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has developed an online learning module focused on climate science for youth audiences. Animal Agriculture in a Changing EnvironmentIn partnership with the For Youth, For Life Learning Network based at Auburn University, the course was to be be modified for greater youth appeal and aligned with a digital form of recognizing learning achievement. A collection of youth oriented content pages on the topic of Climate Literacy are being developed via eXtension as well. While the project has experience some delays, the project team is committed to its completion and making the learning resource available.

Climate forcing illustration
Natural Climate Forcing

 

Climate Literacy for Youth extends online learning for youth on the topic of climate science through interactive learning modules presented through an online course. The core collection of youth oriented content pages on climate science on the www.extension.org website allows for deeper learning during or following the course. Based on an existing online course developed at Texas A&M University, the project modified and enhanced the course presentation to have greater appeal and flexibility for a youth audience. In collaboration with eXtension’s For Youth, For Life Learning Network (FYFLnet) based at Auburn University, the team also identified and created original youth oriented content pages to expand on specific climate issues.  In addition, the FYFLnet intends to work within the Auburn University Outreach LMS (AU Catalog) to provide an easily accessed open online course consistent with the original Climate Science content. The course will feature multiple modules based on original course layout in a manner to enable easy transition from one module to another. With the integration of digital badges in the AU Catalog LMS there will be an option to recognize learning achievement in the Climate Science course with a digital badge to be awarded upon completion of the course.

Weather conditions
Climate Literacy – Weather Conditions

 

The Climate Science course was developed as a part of an existing project targeted for youth audience. One goal of this collaboration is to extend the course to youth in 4-H programs in Texas and Alabama. It will also integrate in the www.extension.org environment making it available nationally and globally. The learning objective of the course is to improve youth understanding of and appreciation for climate science (literacy) to inform decisions in the larger conversation on climate. This project will keep that objective with a focus on engaging a broader youth audience through collaboration.

To learn more about the Animal Agriculture in a Changing Environment please visit the website at this link:  http://animalagclimatechange.org/.

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Climate i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps: Ag Adaption to Variable Weather

Project Progress

Our I-Three Corps project is on schedule, YEAH!!! Our team, six members from three states, have been diligently working on the project and nearing completion.  To date, our team has finalized the evaluation method and questions for the project, identified two producers (Montana and Nebraska) and two citizen scientists (Montana) to interview and video for the project, completed the filming, drafted two fact sheets and one other blog post.  We are excited with the progress especially since we had difficulties finding producers willing to film and experienced scheduling conflicts.

 

Recent Progress

The film crew spent an awesome day interviewing and filming the final producer for the projects. We met with Greg Schlemmer outside of Fromberg, Montana, to tour and understand his no till farming practice under sprinkler and furrow irrigation.  This was an incredible experience and opportunity to see a producer adapting his management strategies to rather arid growing conditions.  Greg farms around 3,500 feet elevation with an annual precipitation of 11 inches with clay soils.  The farm has access to a constant water supply out of the Clark’s Fork River, which they can irrigate from around April until freeze, which is normally the end of October.

Greg has been able to increase his organic matter from 2% to 3.5% while still growing his standard crop rotation of silage corn, sugar beets, and barley. The increase in organic matter is supported through the normal crops as well as companion cropping soybean with the corn and planting a cover crop after barley.  The operation has been cultivated for three years under no till practices and has already experienced many benefits from this new management style, such as: decreasing fertilizer inputs, decreasing fuel usage by two-thirds, increasing yields and sugar content in sugar beets, almost eliminating soil erosion, less stress to plants during hot periods due to increased soil moisture, and other benefits. 

Corn field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto
Corn field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto

 

Why Is This Important

Greg captured it best. If no till were not economical for his operation then he would not do it. Soil conservation methods are gaining acceptance in the Midwest but have not taken hold in western states due to the difference in climate, crops/market, and other reasons.  Highlighting a no till operation in an arid climate with similar crops will stimulate more interest in the practices, especially if it is economical.

Is no till for every operation? The general consensus is “No”, especially for an operation with furrow irrigation.  However, Greg’s operation indicates that no till can even work with furrow irrigation.  Learning from early adopters that are pushing the knowledge of what is possible can assist agriculture communities to be more competitive, more economically stable, and increase overall operation and community resiliency.

What a great experience!!

No-till sugar beets in furrowed irrigated field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto
No-till sugar beets in furrowed irrigated field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto

 

Image 1. Corn field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto

Image 2. No-till sugar beets in furrowed irrigated field at Greg Schlemmer’s farm near Fromberg, MT. Photo Credit. David Keto

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Climate Learning Network Extension i-Three Corps Impact

i-Three Issue Corps – How do we get things done in Extension? We “Borrow, Adapt, Adopt”

All extension agents are familiar with the method of finding the best practices, adapting and adopting them to work in our communities. This is an efficient way to provide proven projects and methods with limited resources. While the idea of ‘Borrow, Adapt, Adopt’ may not be anything new, using it as a formal project method is.

Continue reading “i-Three Issue Corps – How do we get things done in Extension? We “Borrow, Adapt, Adopt””
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i-Three Corps Information Issues Working Differently

i-Three Issue Corps – Working Smarter With Concept Mapping

Being selected to be part of the i-Three Issues Corps brought some trepidation. How would we be innovative? How would our project show impact? Fortunately, thanks to the i-Three Corps leadership, we learned new tools and strategies to tackle the challenges we face as extensionists. One example that really moved our project team forward was the concept map expertly proposed by Dr. Paul Pangaro in San Antonio at the Design-a-thon.

Susan and Mark using sticky notes and markers to make a concept map on paper.
CFW team working on the concept map at the design-a-thon in San Antonio. Photo by Robert Bardon.

Paul is a master of design thinking – an innovative process combining methods from engineering and design with business thinking, the social sciences and arts.

After a few attempts at defining our problem systematically on paper, with markers and stickies, we cut through the fog to arrive at the key points of attack that would lead to success.

What a productive exercise! The process allowed us to collaborate as a team, to brainstorm, think innovatively, understand our project in greater depth and most importantly, identify the gaps in our model – places we need to focus effort to make our project a success and see impact.

Map of project inputs, outputs and actions.
Draft of the concept map for the Climate, Forests and Woodlands project. Photo by Susan E. Moore.

We didn’t do it alone — reviewers from another i-Three Corps team enhanced what we thought was a finished product. Our trip to the eXtension i-Three Corps Issues Teams Design-a-Thon at NeXC 2016 was a highpoint in our nearly two-year process of innovation and impact with the Climate, Forests and Woodlands (CFW) Community of Practice. We had the issue of climate change clearly in our sights, now we can strategically address the key areas where we can actually make a difference in the lives of our clients. Our team sends a shout-out to Paul, to the eXtension staff, to the other i-Three Corps Issues Teams – thanks for everything, we could not have done it without you!

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Citizen Science Climate Learning Network i-Three Corps

i-Three Issue Corps – Citizen Science: Capturing Variability of Precipitation

Agriculture producers rely on the weather to bring them a good year for their livestock and crops.  However, as we all know, the weather can be a puzzle.  Precipitation is an important part of this puzzle and unfortunately can be very unpredictable in certain communities. Having a good sense of the precipitation within their community can help a producer with land management decisions. This information can be particularly important with changing weather and extreme weather events.

Through CoCoRaHS, also known as Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, citizen science can improve our understanding of precipitation.  The CoCoRaHS network includes all 50 states and citizen scientists including agriculture producers and general community members.  By using low-cost measurement tools and utilizing an interactive website and mobile application, CoCoRaHS gathers localized and timely recordings of precipitation.  Agriculture producers, natural resource managers, educators, and researchers use this information.

Through our i-Three Issue Corps project we recently had the pleasure of filming our interview of two CoCoRaHS citizen scientists who also use the data. We hoped to better understand why they volunteer and how the process works through the recorded interviews, and to share with potential citizen scientists and data users.  Expect these videos to be available this summer.

CoCoRaHS users include a rancher in Southwest Montana.  Rain gauges are nothing new to ranchers.  Comparing precipitation amount from field to field has been part of a way of life for a long time.  As such, the rancher decided to participate in CoCoRaHS to help his neighborhood gain an understanding of the localized precipitation to better plan livestock management.  The CoCoRaHS network provides the rancher an understanding of not only the precipitation information for their ranch, but how the precipitation looks across the region.

photo1
CoCoRaHS volunteer, Byron Martinell, shows University of Wyoming Extension Videographer, David Keto, how he checks the rain gauge. © Brad Bauer

Catherine Cain, owner of Southwest Montana Native Landscapes, LLC, is also a CoCoRaHS citizen scientist and data user in southwest Montana.  She uses the information from the CoCoRaHS network to help her customers select which varieties of native plants will work best in their personal garden. The information has helped the nursery better serve their clients.

University of Wyoming Extension Videographer David Keto captures citizen scientist Catherine Cain checking her CoCoRaHS rain gauge. © Brad Bauer
University of Wyoming Extension Videographer David Keto captures citizen scientist Catherine Cain checking her CoCoRaHS rain gauge. © Brad Bauer

Consider joining the CoCoRaHS network. As a CoCoRaHS volunteer you can have the feeling that you have made an important contribution that helps others.  A dense network of CoCoRaHS volunteers is important for monitoring drought and flood conditions because of variable rainfall patterns.  By providing your daily observation, you help to fill in a piece of the weather puzzle that affects many across your area in one-way or another. Join your friends and neighbors – it is easy to join!

Additional climate related information from Extension and partners can be found at:

MSU Climate Science Team http://cms.msuextension.org/climate/

USDA Northern Plains Regional Climate Hub http://www.climatehubs.oce.usda.gov/northernplains

High Plains Regional Climate Center http://www.hprcc.unl.edu

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i-Three Corps Information

i-Three Issue Corps – Bringing Climate to the County

pixabay.com
Storm over Farm – pixabay.com

As an Extension Educator in Gibson County, which lies in Southwestern Indiana, I take seriously the mission to extend Land-Grant University research to the public. Over the course of Extension’s history, the system has become excellent at promoting and extending traditional programming, whether agricultural economics to farmers or canning demonstrations to eager homemakers.

Today, there are new and untraditional topics that affect the local populace of our cities, towns, and rural areas. One such topic is climate change. The topic can be framed in many different ways: as affecting human health through allergen counts or extended heat waves, influencing policy around emission standards and other governmentally-controlled variables, or affecting the types and kinds of plants that will grow in a region at a given time.

There are many regional initiatives that attempt to address a certain aspect of climate change and agriculture. The Corn Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (sustainablecorn.org) has spent five years of intensive research looking at climate change and agricultural adaptation.

Downloadable Decision Support Graphs at agclimate4u.orgThe Useful to Usable initiative (agclimate4u.org) has developed web-based tools that analyze the climate of an area and describe impacts that climate may have on particular on-farm decisions, such as nitrogen application or corn hybrid maturity selection.

Schmitz takes a selfie with find of Palmer Amaranth in 2014
Schmitz takes a selfie with find of Palmer Amaranth in 2014

The National Climate Assessment (nca2014.globalchange.gov), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and other reports address certain agricultural impacts in regards to climate change. These reports are commonly cited in research but rarely make a headline in pop culture.

The issue at hand is to make the linkages between climate change and agriculture real to the individual farmer, input supplier, processor, or consumer. Through participation in the i-Three Corps, I hope to find ways to recognize impact through the extension of regional and national University research to a local populace. Wherein a tool on a website, participation in a webinar, or specific agronomic recommendation may cause an agriculturalist to become more profitable or the land he or she influences to be more sustainably managed, the mission of the Extension system has been fulfilled and an important success in educational method noted.

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Announcements Information

What a Ride!!! Putting professional development and innovation to work

If it seems like I’m short of breath it’s because for the last three months I’ve been running a “Summer Sprint” (if you know me you’re laughing right now).  So named and led by Chris Geith, eXtension’s new CEO, the eXtension team, Board of Directors, and innovation partners nationwide who have been swiftly reimagining Cooperative Extension for the future.

eXtension’s Board has given us three imperatives:  to increase professional development for Cooperative Extension; to improve the Cooperative Extension System’s ability to co-create and disseminate programs and knowledge for their publics; and to expand the number of Extension innovations creating new tools and new methods to achieve local impact.  Quite a mouthful.  Yes?

In fewer words…in fact just three: eXtension will create new methods for addressing critical issues; explore innovations for application in Extension; and prototype and offer professional development to deliver fast, effective results (impact). Issues, innovation, impact.  We call them i-Three.

Exciting times are ahead!  We’re now entering our “Fast and Furious Fall”.  First we’re recruiting a pilot group of Extension professionals, 200 of the best and brightest individuals Cooperative Extension has to offer.  We’ll bring them together in a cohort to explore projects and ideas that will help to increase Extension professionals’ ability to deliver a visible and measureable impact, locally and system wide.

IMG_0533

Starting January 1 these 200, this i-Three Issue Corps, will work independently or in teams to identify projects with a focus on Climate or Food Systems.  Projects will feed into two other areas of eXtension:  the i-Three Innovation Labs and the i-Three Rapid Solutions.  More about those two aspects will come in future blog articles.

IMG_1919

But, as I said, all of this is a pilot.  This coming week we’re sharing these plans with Extension Directors and Administrators from across the country.  We’re hoping they’ll be affirming our ideas and concepts as presented by our Board of Directors and recommending their faculty, staff, educators, and agents to be a part of this first 200 Corps members.  In 2016 these 200 will set the stage for 2017 and an i-Three Corps of 2000 with more issues and more outstanding Extension professionals working with us!