Members present: Steve Pueppke, University of Illinois; Marshall Martin, Randy Woodson, Purdue University; Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University; Forrest Chumley, Kansas State University; Ian Gray, Gary Lemme, Michigan State University; Marilyn DeLong, Sarah Greening, Phil Larsen, Bert Stromberg, Al Sullivan, University of Minnesota; Darrell Nelson, University of Nebraska; John Allred, Dave Benfield, Ohio State University; Kevin Kephart, South Dakota State University; Margaret Dentine, University of Wisconsin; Mary Ann Rozum, CSREES; Darrell Cole, USDA/ARS; Madelyn Alt, Daryl Lund, NCRA Office

• All COPS/ESCOP Meeting - Salt Lake City, Utah - July 22-24, 2002
• NCRA Regional Meetings/Experiment Station Section Meeting/SAES/ARD Directors' Workshop - Baltimore, Maryland - September 23-25, 2002 (meeting information available at: http://129.2.12.6/escop92002/)
• NASULGC Meeting - Chicago, Illinois - November 10-12, 2002
• NCRA March Meeting - March 11-13, 2003 - Kansas City, Missouri
  

Agenda Item: 4.0
Presenter: Ian Gray
Title: Interim Actions of the Chair
Background Information:

• NCA and NEA Joint meetings: The NERA inquired through their Executive Director David MacKenzie the possibility and desirability of having the NE chairs meet with the chairs of their sister departments in the North Central Region (NCA Committees). NERA decided that there is benefit in having the chairs meet as a group. The NCRA Executive Committee was polled and we saw potential value in this arrangement but also indicated that NCRA through MRC does ask the appropriate NCA Committee to review and comment on projects. Since this is business of the NCA Committees, it would be most acceptable if the chairs met collectively but there was also some meeting time for the chairs of the North Central Region to carry out their business. Discussions between the AAs and chairs of the NCA Committees and their counterparts in the Northeast Region are continuing.
• Research and Extension Director Interaction: As a followup to the ED's report in March, Larry Tidemann, Chair of the NC Extension Directors, and I appointed an ad hoc committee consisting of myself (MSU), Larry Tidemann (SDSU), Marc Johnson (KSU), Sharon Anderson (NDSU), Dale Vanderholm (UNL), and Daryl Lund to recommend ways in which the two organization could interact more frequently. We held one teleconference to discuss immediate next steps. See the ED's report for further details.

Action Taken: Information only.

Agenda Item: 5.0
Presenter: Daryl Lund
Title: Executive Director's Report
Background Information:

1. Research and Extension Directors' Meeting - As reported at the March meeting of NCRA, I am making efforts to get the NC Extension Directors together with the NC Research Directors. To that end, Ian Gray appointed an ad hoc committee (Ian Gray (MSU, NCRA Chair), Larry Tidemann (SDSU NC Ext Dir Chair), Sharon Anderson (NDSU NC Extension Director Immediate Past Chair), Marc Johnson (KSU), and Dale Vanderholm (UNL) and myself to recommend mechanisms for closer relations. The committee met once by teleconference and suggested that the set of directors meet jointly for breakfast or after their formal meetings at Fond du Lac this summer. Upon checking for attendance, only four Extension Directors will be there. The alternative is to have one of the Extension Directors who will be attending meet with the NCRA and provide information about the regional nature of Extension's programming. The suggested topical outline is: (1) Extensions' Vision for the Future, (2) How does the region's vision fit with the national vision?, (3) What are the planning mechanisms used by the regional extension directors?, (4) What is the role of the agents and specialists groups?, (5) Some suggestions for further enhanced interaction with the Research Directors at the regional level including the consideration of MAPs (Multiple Activity Programs). It was suggested that Elbert Dickey (UNL and vice chair of the NC Extension Directors) be invited to attend the MRC meeting and make a report on the above items at the assembled NCRA meeting. An Experiment Station Director would be asked to do the same at a forth coming NC Extension Directors' meeting. Eventually it would be desirable to have a face-to-face meeting of the Extension and Research Directors of the NC Region.

2. Report Card from Farm Bill - David MacKenzie, ESCOP representative to the BAA Farm Bill Task Force (chaired by Milo Shult) has performed an analysis of the outcome of the Farm Bill relative to the position of the Experiment Stations. Generally the outcome was very favorable, with authorization of significant increases in competitive grants within USDA and research facilities funding authorization. Two items which were not included are: (1) change in the indirect cost rate for USDA competitive grants programs, and (2) reporting requirements for multistate, integrated activities. Both can be "fixed" through legislative action but the Experiment Stations need to get a consistent message to Congress. Item 1 is the sticky one and a means of getting a sense of the membership needs to be done (perhaps through a survey of the Directors by the ESCOP Budget and Legislative Committee). Item 2 can be done immediately when appropriate sponsors are found.

3. Homeland Security - The Homeland Security Task Force presented a proposal to the ESCOP Executive Committee to form a National Institute of Agricultural Security (NIAS). The report can be found on the ESCOP Homepage at www.escop.msstate.edu. Look under "Officers and Committees", then under "Executive Committee", then under "Homeland Agro-Security Task Force", and then click on "Agro-Security Initiative" (posted 5-13-02). The 12 recommendations were adopted by the ESCOP Executive Committee and subsequently by the BAA Policy Board. The proposed temporary Board of Directors met June 5 to begin the process of setting up the NIAS as a 501-C3 organization. Furthermore, there is the real potential to have an additional $212M for Agro-Security in the FY 03 budget. This is supported by the BAA BAC (Budget and Advocacy Committee) and by the ESCOP B/L Committee. The primary rationale on setting up a NIAS is to provide a mechanism for tracking new dollars for specific purposes.

4. Training AAs - A new AA recently commented that he received valuable information from an experienced AA (Ian Gray) on the responsibility of an AA and how the multistate research system works. He suggested that we have a periodic training session for new AAs (and refresher for the current AAs). The NCRA Office would be pleased to do this if the need is sufficient. We could organize a face-to-face meeting (prior to one of the regularly called meetings (e.g. the Summer meeting or the Spring meeting) or a teleconference with participants to review the guidelines. I would appreciate some feedback from the membership on this idea.

5. Administrative Assistant Position - Madelyn Alt has served the Association as the Administrative Assistant for the NCRA for the last seven years. During that time, she was responsive to the needs of the membership and was especially helpful in interpreting the Multistate Research Guidelines. More recently she ushered NCRA into the electronic age by getting all of our NC, NCR, NCA and NCT projects and activities into the National Information and Management Support System (NIMSS). I know you join me in wishing Madelyn well as she takes on new challenges. Finding a replacement won't be easy but the process has begun.

SELECTED LISTING OF ACTIVITIES:
NCRA:
NCRA Spring Meeting Baltimore, March NCRA MRC Meeting Baltimore, March NCRA Summer Meeting Planning, April-May Mini-Landgrant Summer Meeting Planning Committee, April-May Research and Extension Directors Interaction Committee, May-June

ESCOP:
Monthly participant in Chair's Advisory Committee Teleconference CARET Spring Meeting, Wash DC, March ESCOP Spring Meeting Wash DC, March National Multistate Coordinating Committee Clemson, April ESCOP NIAS Board of Directors, June ESCOP Budget/Legislative Committee Exec Vice-chair NRSP Task Force Memphis, June Fall Workshop Agenda Chair ESCOP Committee on Committees

NASULGC:
Presidents' Food and Society Initiative monthly teleconferences Presidents' Food and Society Initiative Strategic Planning Conference Chicago, May European Partnership Meeting Orlando, April

CSREES:

Administrative Officers' Meeting Kansas City, April

Professional:
World Food Logistics Organization Scientific Advisory Council San Antonio, April
Visiting Scholar Institute Pertanian-Bogor Indonesia, May
Rutgers Food Science Advisory Council New Brunswick, June
Institute of Food Technologists Anaheim, June
Organized Forum on Food Science and Technology Funding
Roundtable participant on Distance Education as means of Networking and Communication
Symposium Paper presenter on Energy Research and Development in the Food Processing Industry

Continuing Education Task Force
Chair Summit Conference ad hoc Committee
International Union of Food Science and Technology Distance Education Task Force Chair

Action Requested: Information only.

Action Taken: Any comments on the Board on Agriculture strategic plan should be directed to Dr. Colin Kaltenbach.

Agenda Brief: 6.1
Presenter: Daryl Lund for Virginia Clark Johnson
Agenda Item Title: ESCOP Activities
Background Information:

There has been no face-to-face ESCOP meeting since the March report to NCRA. Several conference calls have been held focusing on the Homeland Agrosecurity Task Force Report and the creation of a National Institute for Agricultural Security. All 12 recommendations contained in the proposal were adopted during a May 3rd conference call. The report is available on the ESCOP homepage.

Action Requested: Information only.

Action Taken: None.

Agenda Brief: 6.2
Presenter: Darrell Nelson
Agenda Item Title: ESCOP Budget and Legislative Committee
Background Information:

The ESCOP Budget and Legislative Committee has been heavily involved in monitoring and advocating for legislation and appropriations during the past year. Although overall responsibility for these activities rests with the Board on Agriculture Assembly Budget and Advocacy Committee most of the new initiatives arise from the COP legislative, budget, and/or advocacy committees. A summary of the legislation and advocacy activities in which the ESCOP Budget and Legislative Committee has been involved is given below:

Legislation:

• 2002 Farm Bill - This legislation passed in May and will have significant impacts upon American agriculture particularly commodity support payments and natural resource conservation. A major development for LGUs was the renewed authorization for IFAFS at a level of $1.3 billion over the next six years within the USDA mandatory accounts.
• 2002 Bioterrorism Bill - This legislation passed in May. It has a major focus on protecting public health from terrorist attack. Agrosecurity aspects address hiring new inspectors for the U.S. food system and at border crossings to prevent entry of foreign diseases into the country. The bill also authorizes $50,000 per university to assess susceptibility of key research facilities to terrorist attack.

Proposed Legislation:

• The ESCOP Homeland Agro-Security Task Force has recommended and the ESCOP Executive Committee and Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board have approved the development of a proposal for a National Institute for Agricultural Security (NIAS). The NIAS would be funded by a federal agency (Homeland Security) and would provide funding on a competitive basis to LGUs for improvement of site security and development of measures to prevent and respond to agroterrorism attacks. The budget for NIAS may be as large as $300 million per year.

Appropriations:

• CSREES has provided a total of $20.6 million (from DOD and APHIS) in FY 2002 funding to 15 states to improve animal and plant disease diagnostic capabilities. Most of the animal disease funding was provided to Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in 5 states.
• Advocacy efforts for the CSREES FY 2003 appropriation have been directed at supporting the Board on Agriculture Assembly Budget and Advocacy Committee's budget. Advocacy efforts are focused on increasing the NRI appropriation to $240 million, ensuring that IFAFS funding is not eliminated by the Appropriations Committees, and supporting the special request for $212 million in agrosecurity funds. The agrosecurity initiative is directed at improving research site security and conducting research on means to mitigate attacks on the U.S. food supply.
• CSREES is beginning work on developing the budget proposal for FY 2004. The agency has developed white papers on the following topics: (i) Host-pathogen interactions, (ii) Developing a regulatory environment based on sound science, (iii) Expanding economic opportunities for farms, families, and communities in the new market based economy, (iv) New products, new technologies, and new ideas - consumer driven agriculture, and (v) Food safety. It is likely that some additional white papers will be developed including an effort on precision agriculture, sensors and controls. The COP budget and legislative committees will be reviewing these documents to determine how these relate to LGU priorities. At this point in time, agrosecurity remains the number one priority for ESCOP based on the priority setting exercise held at the last SAES/ESS Workshop.

Action Requested: Stand ready to contact members of your state's congressional delegation asked by the Board on Agriculture Assembly Budget and Advocacy Committee or the Board on Agriculture advocacy organization.

Action Taken: Information only.