NCRA Summer Meeting
July 2005
Manhattan, KS

Click HERE to View the NC Land Grant University
Meeting Information and Agenda

Agenda Items

Item 4.0: Executive Committee Report and Interim Actions of the Chair
Presenter: Steve Slack

Steve Slack sent an evaluation memo to the University of Wisconsin regarding Daryl Lund's performance over the past year.  Other than this, no other actions were taken by the NCRA Chair or the Executive Committee.  

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken: None. 

Item 5.0: Executive Directors Report
Presenter: Daryl Lund

1. POW/AR Rules:  The Federal Register published the rules CSREES would like to use for the plans of work and annual reports of the experiment stations, cooperative extension and higher education.  The deadline for comment was July 7.  At this moment I know that two stations are intending to file comments.  At the meeting I will summarize the concerns raised in any responses I receive.
    

2. BAA Think Tank Subcommittee: The Think Tank Subcommittee has formulated the approach it will be taking to address the issue of formula funds for research.  Each Experiment Station director will be asked for specific input into the questions as the writing teams develop their analyses and responses to the questions.  I will be working with Bob Steele looking at the use of the formula funding mechanism in other federal agencies.  The web address for access to this information is http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/catalog.FORMULA_GRANTS_RPT.show  .  Tom Fretz is posting papers on the formula funds issue at http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/nera/FormulaFunds/.  The Think Tank Subcommittee will have its report and recommendations at the NASULGC annual meeting in November.  Current thinking within CSREES on formula funds is that the system must change.  Options include (1) Proceed on the President’s plan and eliminate Hatch, McIntire-Stennis and Animal Health in the FY 07 budget, (2) Restart the clock (ie. 50% reduction in Hatch and McIntire-Stennis and elimination of Animal Health in FY 07), (3) Introduce competitive funding into Hatch et al. through a mechanism such as the multistate funding program.  At least 50% - 75% would be competitively awarded when the 5-year plan is submitted, and (4) Use an infrastructure support model similar to the 1994 institution model (i.e. create an endowment fund).  One of the options not being considered at all is the status quo. 

MEMORANDUM
 
 
TO:                  Board on Agriculture Assembly
                       Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
                       Other Interested Individuals
 
FROM:             Jeffrey D. Armstrong and Fred A. Cholick
                        Co-Chairs, BAA “Think Tank” Subcommittee
 
DATE:               July 6, 2005
 
SUBJECT:        Moving Forward!
 
 

On May 26, you all received a memo from Eddie Gouge containing a message from the BAA “Think Tank” Subcommittee (TTS) asking you for input into the questions around which the “Think Tank” Subcommittee is to organize its work.  We heard from many of you with your opinion not only of the questions themselves but with input into the answers to those questions.  The TTS met June 26-28 in Washington DC to contemplate your responses and get our work organized.  Your comments regarding the questions were very helpful and we will continue to seek your input as the process of our deliberations unfolds.

At our June 26-28 meeting, we focused much of our discussion on the second question in which we wanted to explore the fundamental core values and principles that we hold in support of research and education for the agriculture and food system.  Coming out of that meeting, we would like to share our initial thoughts on these core values and principles.  As we continue our deliberations, your comments on these should be sent to Daryl Lund (dlund@cals.wisc.edu). 

Core values of a system that serves research and education needs in agriculture and natural resources:
1. Values diversity in type, size and mission of institution.
2. Links research, education and extension across states in a unique nationally coordinated system.
3. Addresses relevant, needs-driven priorities in research, education and extension complementary to discovery- driven programs.
4. Involves active stakeholder engagement.
5. Responds to needs through flexible and rapid redirection of resources.
6. Links research, education and extension that provides future practitioners and scientists.
7. Maintains scientific capacity.
8. Integrates nationally the breadth of intellectual and physical resources responsive to local needs.
9. Enhances the global competitiveness of the U.S.
 
Principles for operationally delivering on core values:
1. Supports continuity for long-term research.
2. Stabilizes funding.
3. Links research to extension and outreach.
4. Relies on partnerships that promote collaboration and cooperation.
5. Maintains appropriate balance with federal in-house research.
6. Provides mechanism for leveraging state and non-federal funds.
7. Links funding to importance of needs.
8. Demonstrates accountability to stakeholders and funders.

3. NIMSS: Nikki has begun working on her MS thesis that will be an analysis of NIMSS.  By the time of the meeting, you will have received an invitation to participate in the survey of users.  It is imperative that you participate so that Nikki has good representative data from all sectors of users.  Nikki will thank you and so will NIMSS!  The survey will arrive via the online survey tool, Zoomerang. 
    

4. Water Seminar:  The BRT has begun working on the idea of building champions for issues in which we (the System) have great interest.  The prospectus (attached) has been widely shared and the first seminar is proposed for Wisconsin in October.  Senator Herb Kohl is the champion.  The prospectus calls for partial support from ESCOP and ECOP at $10,000 each per seminar (currently two being planned, Wisconsin and Utah).  The balance of support would come from stations in the area and industry in the region.  ESCOP will consider this request at its July meeting at the All COPs meeting in Kansas City.  I recommend that NCRA support funding these two seminars from funds held in the ESCOP account at NASULGC.  If successful, future seminars should be considered in the overall work plan of the BRT and partially funded through that mechanism rather than by ESCOP and ECOP.  Please come prepared to discuss this issue.      

Refer to the following documents:

Water Quality Prospectus (pdf)
Water Quality Seminar Expenses (xls)

5. Travel Funding: In the NCRA Office, we often receive questions about participant travel funding. Eric Young, Executive Director in the Southern Region, looked into this common query and came up with the following information:

   From the perspective of CSREES, all of our multistate activities are eligible for Hatch Multistate Research Funds because they are all peer reviewed by an appropriate group. Only the NCAC projects are not peer reviewed, but remain eligible because they are administrative activities and can be funded under the experiment station's multistate activities administrative project.

   What each director specifically funds using their MRF (salary, travel, operating, etc.) is entirely up to the individual SAES director, unless the directors in a particular region have mutually agreed to only use MRF for one purpose (ie. travel) or only on specific types of activities (ie. NC-projects). Each region may decide whether or not to place restrictions on MRF use.

   The new multistate nomenclature system, agreed to by all regions (ie. NCR committees becoming NCCC/NCERA committees) will help define these inter-regional project functions. The uniform nomenclature system eliminates different regional project designations. For instance, there will no longer be CCs only within NERA and the West, ERAs only in the South, and Rs in the NCRA. All of the regional associations have agreed to convert to CC and ERA committees, as well as AC and DC committees. The only difference will be in the regional identifier before the new nomenclature (NC, NCCC, NCERA, NCAC, NCDC).

   The new nomenclature does not change the way committees functions; they simply define the committee more accurately.

   For more information, see the project nomenclature descriptions at http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/identifiers.htm. 

   It is my understanding from talking to several directors in the NC Region and Dick Lower that the NC directors agreed to limit any funding that a director might designate for a project to travel only for all projects except NC projects.  Does the Association want to continue with that guideline (it can only be a guideline because directors are really free to allocate their federal funds in any way that they want)?

    

6. Impact Statement Update: We have now posted 22 impact statements on the NCRA impact statement website.  There are 14 committees on cue, all of which have recently undergone midterm review in April 2006.  These impact statements are due August 19th.  Other committees who have not written impact statements yet and wish to submit before they are called upon to do so, may use the form at http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/ImpactSubmissionForm.doc to send their impact statement to the NCRA Office. 

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken:

• The NCRA supports the Water Quality Seminar and advocates ESCOP funding from the NASULGC account. 
• The NCRA Directors continue to support the fact that travel funding, within the NCRA, is left up to the discretion of the individual director.  NCRA committees may meet twice per year in certain situations with individual SAES director approval.  Such situations include a committee changing its meeting date rotation (ie. the committee wants to meet in May instead of October) or a committee that wishes to meet in conjunction with a conference. 
• A reminder will be sent out August 1 to committees on cue to turn in Impact Statements August 19.  Station directors should be copied on this reminder. 

Item 6.0: NCRDC Report (NC1100)
Presenter: Cornelia Flora

Action Requested: Vote on $24,000 OTT funding request. 

Action Taken: Refer to MRC Report.

Item 7.0: NCRDC Map of Diversity Research and Outreach
Presenter: Cornelia Flora

Mapping Diversity in the North Central Region (DRAFT Word Doc) - Susan Fey and Cornelia Flora, The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, May 2005

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken: None. 

Item 8.0: NIAS Report
Presenter: Terry Nipp

National Institute for Agricultural Security
Activities Update
2004 - 2005

Moving Agrosecurity to the Forefront

The National Institute for Homeland Security (NIAS) was officially formed when its founding Board of Directors first convened in February 2003.  At that time, a great number of federal activities were underway to address homeland security and biosecurity concerns, but relatively little attention was being paid to the potential impacts of bioterrorist acts against our nation’s agriculture and food system.  In fact, some federal officials publicly dismissed the need to protect the food and agricultural system.  

NIAS has served as a catalyst to help bring the issue of food and agriculture biosecurity concerns forward at the national level and then to keep these concerns “front and center” before federal policy makers.  The NIAS Executive Director, Members of the NIAS Board of Directors, and NIAS members have met with White House staff, federal agency administrators and program leaders, and Congressional Committee Chairs, to work through the critical steps that need to be taken to protect our food system.  NIAS has played a critical role in insuring that food and agricultural research and education concerns are being addressed as a critical component of the nation’s continually developing process to protect the country from possible acts of terrorism.  Positive changes include: 

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded four university-based National Centers of Excellence for research and education.  Two centers specifically deal with agriculture and food biosecurity. 
• DHS created a Food and Agriculture Sector Council (FASC) to facilitate communications with the food and agricultural industries.  NIAS is an affiliated member of the FASC Subcouncils on Animal Production and Plant Production, respectively. 

• The President has announced several Homeland Security Directives that specifically address the need to protect the food and agricultural sector.  NIAS regularly met with the White House Council on Homeland Security, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and federal agency officials as these directives were being developed.

• USDA has moved forward to address homeland security concerns facing food and agriculture.  NIAS has continued to meet with the Secretary’s office, FSIS, APHIS, REE, ARS and CSREES.
• The Department now has a Director for Homeland Security that reports to the Secretary. 
• FSIS and APHIS is integrating “security” into their traditional food safety roles.
• CSREES has provided significant funding to address biosecurity issues through the National Research Initiative and the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative.  CSREES has been a part of an ongoing process to link our federal and state laboratories into a national network.  CSREES has also supported the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN).

• The Food and Drug Administration created a research program to study food biosecurity and has funded a mix of studies to identify vulnerabilities in the nation’s food production and distribution system and to develop protection from such attacks.  NIAS has met with the Commissioner and the Deputy for Counterterrorism, as well as appropriate agency officials.

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has worked with USDA to develop guidelines for handling hazardous pathogens in research laboratories to prevent access to these materials by terrorists.  NIAS has met with the CDC, APHIS, and ARS administrators and senior staff responsible for managing select agents as revised guidelines were developed.   

• The National Institutes of Health and CDC have become increasingly aware of the biosecurity implications of the possible interplay between human and animal diseases.  NIAS has participated in NIH and CDC sponsored workshops and has met with officials at the National Institutes for Allergenic and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).  

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is studying the challenges of disposing of contaminated animals and food materials.  NIAS has met with officials and staff engaged in hazardous waste management and water quality protection.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has become increasingly engaged in developing counterterrorism programs to protect the food system; they recently held an international conference on agrosecurity.   The NIAS Executive Director attended the conference and has met with FBI officials and staff from the FBI Counterterrorism offices, as well as officials in the Department of Justice and the intelligences community.  

Despite remarkable progress, so much remains to be done.  The parting reflections of HHS Secretary Thompson are still alarmingly appropriate, as he wondered aloud why there has not yet been a terrorist attack against our food system since it would be so easy to do.  The very attributes that make our food production and distribution system so efficient and economical also make it vulnerable to attack.  In addition to the very real threats to human health, multi-billion dollar industries could be collapsed in days with potentially immense impacts on the United States economy.  The role of agricultural research and education will continue to have a pivotal role in developing the technologies and educational outreach that will enable us to prepare, prevent, detect, mitigate and recover from attacks on our nations food supply.

Highlights of NIAS Activities

 A quick summary of some of NIAS’s activities are highlighted here, with more detailed descriptions provided in the following report.

• NIAS collaborated with Iowa State University and a consortium of universities to develop and submit a proposal to the Department of Homeland Security for a national Center for High Consequence Event Preparedness and response, which is presently under review.  For more details, click .
• NIAS worked with the DHS National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Diseases (NCFAZDD) at Texas A&M in the development of a national conference on extending the work of the Center through a national academic network.    
• NIAS collaborated with the National Center for Food Processing Defense and the NCFAZDD in developing a proposal for a Conference on Food and Agriculture Analytical Methods that has been submitted to USDA/CSREES’s National Integrated Food Safety Initiative; it is currently under review.    
• NIAS is an affiliated member of the DHS Food and Agriculture Council, participating in the Animal Agriculture Subcouncil and the Plant Agriculture Subcouncil. 
• NIAS has taken the lead in implementing a project funded by CSREES through Oklahoma State University to develop management practices for handling hazardous non-select agents.  NIAS has developed a prototype decision-making aid for managing these agents, which has recently been positively reviewed by personnel at APHIS, CDC and ARS.    
• NIAS has provided requested private briefings to Congressional Committee Chairs and Ranking Members in the House and Senate regarding agricultural biosecurity concerns. 
• NIAS has been asked to testify in upcoming Congressional Hearings.    
• NIAS was asked to review and provide technical comments on draft legislation for the development of Bioshield II and draft legislation that will be introduced in the Senate to address agrosecurity concerns. 
• NIAS has provided numerous presentations and participated in many conferences, workshops and meetings dealing with homeland security, biosecurity, and agricultural security.  At these many events, NIAS has represented and described the role of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Extension, and the agricultural research and education system in addressing the challenges of homeland security. 
• NIAS has worked with an array of its member institutions as they explore opportunities to address homeland security concerns.  NIAS has worked with individual scientists, institutions and consortia as they develop proposals and programs. 

NIAS Projects and Activities

DHS National Centers of Excellence
NIAS has been closely involved in the emergence and implementation of the DHS Centers of Excellence.  NIAS was asked to comment on the authorizing legislation for the Centers when it was under review by the House Science Committee and the House and Senate panels on Homeland Security.  NIAS actively encouraged the White House Council on Homeland Security and the Office of Science and Technology to consider food and agriculture as early priority topics for the new Centers.  As a representative of NIAS, Dr. Nipp was asked to serve on a panel review team for the selection of the National Center for Food Processing Defense.  He subsequently served on the DHS site visit team and on an advisory group to DHS University programs.  Dr. Nipp participated in DHS meetings with the University Centers to explore how the Centers could network with each other and collaborate closely with the larger academic community.  NIAS is working closely with the two Centers that address agriculture and food biosecurity concerns and is exploring how to extend the collaborative outreach of these Centers to the broader academic community.

DHS Center for the Study of High Consequence Event Preparedness and Response
The NIAS Board of Directors (BOD) tasked Dr. Terry Nipp, the NIAS Executive Director (ED), to facilitate developing a proposal that included NIAS in response to the “Broad Area Announcement” for the fifth DHS university-based Center of Excellence.  Since this Center will deal with education and outreach to diverse communities, the goal was to develop a proposal that would build on the diverse areas of specializations within our universities while building on our capacity to reach out through the Extension system.  Dr. Stan Johnson, the Vice President for Outreach at Iowa State University, was asked as a member of the NIAS BOD to help take the lead in developing this proposal.  Based on the BAA and discussions with DHS, Dr. Nipp and Dr. Johnson assembled a team that includes Colorado State University, Cornell University, Tuskegee University, the University of Arizona, the University of Puerto Rico, Washington State University and others.  This proposal was designed to allow flexibility for expanded collaboration with other university partners as the project unfolds, reserving several million dollars for the development of future partnerships with other universities.

 DHS Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense
The DHS Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense (NCFAZDD) at Texas A&M continues to explore how they might extend their collaborative network of university partners in collaboration with NIAS.  The Center recently held a national conference on Establishing an Academic Network for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Diseases.  As the President of NIAS, Dr. D.C. Coston served on the Steering Committee and spoke at the conference.  Dr. Nipp worked closely with the Center during the development and implementation of the Conference.  One of the organizing goals of the conference was to explore how innovative partnerships can be developed and put in place among universities and specialists to be able for DHS to be able to “reach back” into the scientific community for needed expertise.  As well, the conference explored how a new “network” of relations could be developed to better enable the universities and private sector to work together, to develop collaborative projects, to seek funding, and to meet practical DHS requirements.

National Center for Food Processing Defense
NIAS collaborated with the National Center for Food Processing Defense and the NCFAZDD in developing a proposal for a Conference on Food and Agriculture Analytical Methods, which has been submitted to USDA/CSREES’s National Integrated Food Safety Initiative.  NIAS has been asked by the NCFPD to consider how the Center might communicate better with NIAS members and to develop working relations with the Extension system.  

 Western Institute for Food Safety and Security 
The DHS Office of Disaster Preparedness and FDA have provided funding to the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) at the University of California-Davis to develop education and training programs on food security for food handlers.   WIFSS has been in discussions with NIAS about possible collaborative endeavors.   

DHS Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection 
In addition to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Dr. Nipp meets regularly with DHS program leaders and staff in the DHS Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IIAP), particularly with the Infrastructure Coordination Division (ICD).

Food and Agriculture Sector Council
The DHS/IIAP has enhanced Information Sharing Advisory Councils (ISAC) to create a framework for communicating with the private sector regarding homeland security concerns.  A general council was created, made up of a number of private sector councils.  Initially, the food and agriculture sector was not included, but it was subsequently identified as a priority concern and a Food and Agriculture Sector (FASC) was created as the thirteenth sector council.  Well over a hundred private sector companies represent the food and agriculture sector at FASC meetings.  The FASC is in turn made up of about a half dozen subcouncils.  NIAS is an affiliated member of both the Animal Agriculture Subcouncil and the Plant Agriculture Subcouncil.  On behalf of NIAS, Dr. Nipp attends FASC Subcouncil, full Council, and General Council meetings.

USDA CSREES: Managing Hazardous Non-Select Agents
In response to security concerns identified in a USDA Inspector General study of the handling of potentially hazardous materials at university agricultural research facilities, USDA/CSREES funded a study through Oklahoma State University to develop best management practices for handling hazardous “non-select” agents.  NIAS has had the lead in implementing this project, which includes collaborators from Colorado State University and Utah State University in the Western Region, Michigan State University in the North Central Region, West Virginia University in the North East Region, with Oklahoma State University providing the lead for the Southern Region. 

 In April 2004, NIAS facilitated a workshop that included multidisciplinary teams from the lead institutions and federal agency personnel from USDA, DHS, and the White House Council on Homeland Security.  The workshop participants recommended developing a prototype decision-making tool for assigning risk and appropriate management protocols for handling hazardous biological materials.  NIAS took the lead in developing the prototype decision tool, which builds on work underway at Sandia Laboratories, the APHIS guidelines for transporting materials, the ARS Guidelines for Biocontainment, and the CDC Best Management for Biological Laboratories (BMBLs).  The prototype decision-tool was presented to the AES/ARD Directors at their annual meeting in September 2004.  The Directors recommended that a preliminary classification be conducted utilizing the decision tool to provide consistent national guidelines, before testing the decision tool at individual institutions.

NIAS has since shared the proto-type decision tool with appropriate program specialists and leaders at CDC, APHIS and ARS.  The federal agencies have responded favorably to the prototype decision tool but suggested that NIASS wait until guidelines from CDC and USDA for “select agents” could be reconciled, since the decision-tool depended on these guidelines.  The agencies have worked through this process and Dr. Nipp has met with the CDC Director for Select Agents and appropriate APHIS and ARS staff.  NIAS is incorporating the federal chances and will work with teams of specialists to conduct an initial set of recommendations untiring the prototype decision tool.

Federal Agency Program Development

DHS National Response Plans
Dr. Nipp has worked with federal staff and agency contractors who have been involved in the development of the National Response Plan, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, and the National Incident Management System.  As a member of the DHS/FASC, Dr. Nipp was asked to review and provide comments on early drafts of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan.

DHS Alerts 
DHS/IIAP has been developing a process for providing warnings and alerts to the private sector about possible security concerns.  As the NIAS ED, Dr. Nipp has assisted in this process and has been a recipient of “sensitive but not classified” announcements.  Dr. Nipp has met with DHS staff currently engaged in developing a secure web-based communications system (HSIN) which will have a significant food and agricultural component.

USDA APHIS Alerts 
USDA APHIS has “as needed” teleconferences with the private sector to discuss security concerns and food safety emergencies.  Dr. Nipp is on their restricted “call-list” for these discussions, which have recently included briefings on such topics as BSE biosurveillance. 

Congressional Oversight and Legislation

Congressional Briefings
NIAS has provided requested private briefings to Congressional Committee Chairs and Ranking Members in the House and Senate regarding agricultural biosecurity concerns.  NIAS has been asked to identify panels of experts in an array of areas impacting agriculture and food biosecurity.

Congressional Hearings
The House Homeland Security Committee will be holding hearings on agrosecurity in the near future.   Dr. Nipp has been asked to testify on behalf of NIAS.  The hearings will likely be, in part, a response to the recent GAO report on federal agency efforts to protect the food and agricultural sectors from terrorist attacks. 

Technical Reviews of Legislation
As the NIAS Executive Director, Congressional offices and committees have asked Dr. Nipp to review emerging draft legislation that deals with biosecurity, particularly as it may impact food and agriculture.  NIAS has been asked to review and provide technical comments on draft legislation for the development of Bioshield II and draft legislation that will be introduced in the Senate to address agrosecurity concerns.   Dr. Nipp also meets with the Congressional Research Service to discuss upcoming legislative oversight reviews, Congressional Hearings, and emerging legislation. 

Presentations

2005 National Priester Extension Health Conference
Dr. Nipp delivered the keynote address on homeland security issues at the 2005 National Priester Extension Health Conference.  NIAS activities were described and new roles for Extension in homeland security were explored.

CAST Annual Meetings
As the President of NIAS, Dr. Coston was asked to provide a presentation about NIAS and its activities to the annual meeting of the Council on Agricultural Science and Technology.

Food Terrorism Symposium: Risks and Limitations
As the Executive Director of NIAS, Dr. Nipp was asked to speak at a conference for food manufacturers and processors, hosted by a regional section of the Institute of Food Technologists.  The Symposium examined the new FDA requirements on the food industry.

USDA CSREES Briefing - Biosecurity and the Food System: Research and Education 
Dr. Nipp was asked to provide a briefing to USDA/CSREES program leaders and staff regarding NIAS activities and DHS food and agriculture research and education activities. 

Reviews: NIFSI Review Panel
Dr. Nipp was asked to serve as a panel reviewer for the USDA/CSREES’s National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (NIFSI).  A new category had been created within the NIFSI to fund integrated biosecurity research, education and extension projects and because of NIAS’s activities, Dr. Nipp was asked to assist in the review the proposals in this new biosecurity category.

Conferences and Workshops           

FBI -   International Conference on Agrosecurity
The NIAS ED participated in the recent conference hosted by the FBI that examined the law enforcement and counterintelligence aspects of protecting the nation’s agriculture and food systems.  The FBI “law enforcement” approach is becoming an organizing principle under the leadership of the new DHS Secretary.

DHS -   Building Research Partnerships
Dr. Nipp represented NIAS at a national conference hosted by DHS to examine homeland security research activities and priority needs.  The conference was organized to examine the range of science and technologies needed to anticipate, detect, respond and mitigate acts of terrorism.  Sections of the conference addressed food and agricultural concerns.

ASM Biodefense Conference
Dr. Nipp conferred regularly and provided resource information about agricultural biosecurity research to the organizers of a Biodefense Conference hosted by the American Society of Microbiology.  Dr. Nipp was introduced to the conference participants by panelists from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate during their presentations on biosecurity research activities underway through DHS and HHS.

HHS/USDA Workshop: Biotechnology and Biosecurity
As the Executive Director of NIAS, Dr. Nipp was asked to participate in a “by-invitation only” workshop that was co-hosted by USDA and HHS to examine the biosecurity concerns regarding biotechnology.  The workshop participants were introduced to the Executive Director and staff for the new National Advisory Biosecurity Committee (NABC) that will be operated by HHS.  The workshop findings will be submitted to the NABC.  

U.S. Animal Health Association
Dr. Nipp attended the annual meetings of the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA) and participated in the sections dealing with agricultural biosecurity. 

IFT Summit Conference: Food Defense Pertaining to Potential Intentional Contamination
 Dr. Nipp served as a panel discussion leader in an “invitation only” summit hosted by the Institute of Food Technology that included university, federal, and private sector specialists.  The conference presenters described ongoing research and participants identified current and emerging research needs for food system defense. 

NAS Workshops
Dr. Nipp has participated in several workshops and briefings hosted by the National Academy of Sciences on homeland security research and education.

Veterinary Research Priorities
Dr. Nipp was asked to participate to discuss biosecurity research that would need to be addressed by the veterinary science community.  Dr. Nipp had previously served on a White House Blue Ribbon Panel on animal biosecurity research priorities. 

Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security 
Dr. Nipp represented NIAS in a set of discussions that examined federal and university homeland security curriculum and training needs.

Seeking Security: Pathogens, Open Access, and Genomic Databases
 Dr. Nipp participated in a Congressional briefing regarding an NAS report on biosecurity concerns and the possible need to classify information in genomic databases.  The NAS report recommended avoiding unnecessary and unconstructive regulatory approaches to avoiding the abuse of genomic information.

University Opportunities 
NIAS responds to a range of requests from its member institutions to help identify funding opportunities to develop agrosecurity research and education projects.  Typically, several institutions are collaborating together to address an area of perceived need and are seeking guidance regarding which federal agencies are the most appropriate sponsors.  The NIAS ED has worked with member institutions to explore funding opportunities for a number of topics, including:

• Invasive Species and Biosecurity

• Microbiological Forensics

• Plant Biosecurity

• Food Handler Training, Food Safety and Security

• Laboratory Facilities for Biosecurity Research

• Disposal of Hazardous Wastes and Environmental Regulations

• Animal ID, Tracking and Biosecurity

• Building an Academic Biosecurity Communications Network

Private-Sector Explorations 
NIAS has been exploring how it might best collaborate with the private sector.  NIAS is a member of the Animal Agriculture Coalition, which includes a mix of private sector and science-based organizations.  NIAS has been asked to consider becoming a member of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, which is also a mix of private sector and science-based institutions.  Dr. Nipp has been asked to meet with ANSER regarding their Journal of Homeland Security and their new responsibilities managing the DHS Homeland Security Institute.  Dr. Nipp has met with Booz-Allen, Eli Lily, and Pfizer to discuss private-sector biosecurity research concerns.

State and Local Government Explorations
DHS has developed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and National Food Department Officials (NFDO) to address Homeland Security agricultural concerns at the state level.  Dr. Nipp has met with the project’s managers to discuss their ongoing activities and to discuss the possibility of collaborative activities in the future.

Collaborating with Science-Based Associations
NIAS leadership and members have participated in an array of activities involving scientific associations and organizations, including: the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute for Food Technology, the American Society of Microbiology, the Plant Phytopathology Society, and the U.S. Animal Health Association. 

NIAS Meetings and Discussions                       

In addition to the preceding projects and activities, the NIAS BOD and ED are engaged in an ongoing series of meetings with government officials, federal agency program leaders, science-based institutes and associations, and the private sector.  The following is a summary list of the agencies that have been met with during the past year.  

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken: None. 

Item 9.0: Sun Grant Initiative
Presenter: Kevin Kephart

The Highway Bill has now passed on the floor.  They are looking at ~$2 million per center over the next five years.  The Conference Committee is working through these points slowly, but they have high hopes that it will be at the White House by the end of July 2005. 

Action Requested: None, for information only. 

Action Taken: None

Item 10.0: Update on Regional Climate Atlas
Presenter: Forrest Chumley

Publication Request Proposal NCRA Committee From NC-1018

The CSREES research committee NC-1018 (formerly NC-094) continues development of a full color publication of a north central regional agricultural climate atlas as an outcome of their regional climate database development. This atlas is the culmination of work of this committee to collect information about the agricultural climate in the north central region including high quality comprehensive county-level climate, crop yield and soil information for 1971 to the present. 

This atlas is a first of its kind, current overview of many measured values and derived data of the agricultural climate of a highly intensive agricultural area of the country. Comprehensive information about the agriculture, soil, and climate of the North Central Region is not available via any other group. Average temperatures on a county basis, soil type information and crop productivity are just few of the potential products that will be displayed in this publication. 

We wish to publish this atlas in two forms, a hard copy to be distributed to states in the region for agricultural experiment stations, colleges of agriculture, libraries and other interested parties, and an electronic form, which can be quickly and easily updated. 

To move forward with creation of the hard copy, we request funding in the amount of $25,000 to complete development of the hardcopy publication, cover review cost printing and for final delivery to states in the region. 

Cost
Final development (printing and review)	$3500
Publication	$20000 (4000 @ $5/copy)
Delivery	$1500
Total	$25,000

We are currently in the process of revising the book to include more current data and finalizing the maps and products we wish to include. The book will be sent for review before finalizing the publication. This "coffee-table" version will be supplemented via a web site for more current information as the data become available. We are approaching another funding group to develop the web version of the publication.

NC-1018 Committee Dennis Todey,
Chair

The committee has approached eExtension about providing a web-based tool based on the climate atlas.  At the moment, they are beginning with a pdf.  However, the committee is hoping to produce an interactive website in the future. 

The NCRA directors suggested that each station should indicate the desired number of copies (~1000 between the stations as far as initial numbers), which will be printed on demand rather than expecting 4000 copies at the outset.  The NCRA Office will take care of the billing via its FY07 office budget. 

Action Requested: Provide a recommendation that Forrest Chumley can take back to the committee. 

Action Taken: The NCRA Office will take care of the development and delivery charges, plus 200 copies for NC1018 to work with via via its FY07 office budget.  Each station will indicate the desired number of copies, which will be printed on demand.  The directors expect that they will need ~1000 copies between the 12 stations.  Therefore, approximately $6000 dollars for the publishing will come from the NCRA (200 copies at $5 per copy (~$1000) and delivery and final development (~$5000)).  The directors emphasized that an interactive version would be more beneficial than simply a "coffee table book." 

Item 11.0: Status of the Increased Efficiency Committee
Presenter: Wendy Wintersteen

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken: This committee will not be formed due to lack of interest. 

Item 12.0: ESCOP Reports

Item 12.1: Science and Technology Committee
Presenter: Forrest Chumley

NC505's whitepaper on BSE was discussed on the last conference call.  A final version of this will be available soon. 

Action Requested: None, for information only. 

Action Taken: None

Item 12.2: Communications and Marketing Committee
Presenter: Wendy Wintersteen

1. The Land Grant Experience website (http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/NERA/LandGrant/LandGrantExperience.html) includes a number of essays and papers regarding land grant universities.  This is an excellent resource and should be shared with experimentation and extension administrators and faculty.
2. A recommendation was submitted to ESCOP to endorse in principle the following concepts:

• Acquainting OMB staff to the SAES system via field visits
• Support for the BRT seminar series to be conducted bi-annually and rotating among the four regions.  The seminar will focus on a single high priority national issue. 
• Suggested evaluation and changes in the format of the Ag. Science on the Hill starting in 2007.

3. The committee is developing a proposed revision of the current system for writing impacts.  The committee suggests a rolling deadline for specific hot topics that will incorporate submissions from the states to develop a national press release.  Others can tailor the piece to fit local needs.  We would propose that the impact statements be released, perhaps four times a year, system-wide on the same day.  The committee identified the following topics that could be addressed:

• Quality of life in rural America
• Soybean rust
• Avian influenza
• Sudden oak death
• Honeybee crisis  - Varroa mite and the resulting decline in populations

4. The committee is working towards creating a culture of marketing in the system.  The purpose is to increase the visibility and importance of agricultural research, and consequently to elevate the recognition accorded to agricultural science.  A possible supplement to the Formula for Success called ‘Building on Success’ is under development. 
    

Action Requested: None, for information only. 

Action Taken: None

 

Item 12.3: Budget and Legislative Committee
Presenter: Daryl Lund

Senate Subcommittee Marks up Ag Appropriations Bill

To Members of the NASULGC System:

The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee met yesterday and sent its spending bill for F.Y. 2006 on to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. As you know, this measure contains funding for programs administered by the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Highlights of the Senate action are described below and detailed in documents posted to the nasulgc-bac.com Web site at the following locations:

www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2006/Senate.xls
www.nasulgc-bac.com/documents/FY2006/House-Senate.doc

Highlights of Senate Bill
With few exceptions, CSREES line items in F.Y. 2006 would be funded at their F.Y. 2005 levels. The exceptions are set forth in the following table:

Research & Education Line Items F.Y. 2005 Senate Mark Change
Evans-Allen 36,704,000 37,477,000 +773,000
Special Research Grants 120,314,000 110,281,000 -10,033,000
National Research Initiative 179,552,000 190,000,000 +10,448,000
Alternative Crops 1,186,000 833,000 -353,000
Resident Instruction and Distance Ed. Grants 496,000 0 -496,000
Agrosecurity Education 0 750,000 +750,000
Federal Administration 42,546,000 38,193,000 -4,353,000

Extension Line Items F.Y. 2005 Senate Mark Change
1890 Institutions Extension 32,868,000 33,643,000 +775,000
Expanded Food & Nutrition Ed. Program 58,438,000 62,909,000 +4,471,000
New Technologies for Ag Extension (eXtension) 0 2,000,000 +2,000,000
Federal Administration and Special Grants 21,883,000 22,443,000 +560,000

Integrated Activities Line Item F.Y. 2005 Senate Mark Change
Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative 8,928,000 10,000,000 +1,072,000

Discussion
The Senate, like the House of Representatives, has rejected the proposal in the President's F.Y. 2006 Budget Request to reduce by 50 percent funding for the Hatch and McIntire-Stennis formula fund programs and to eliminate funding for the Animal Health & Disease program.

With respect to the President's proposal to transfer Sec. 406 line items to the National Research Initiative (NRI), the Senate did not concur with the House. The Senate has rejected the consolidation of the Sec. 406 funding lines within the NRI.

The Senate, even in this tight budgetary year, was able to make modest increases to several of the line items singled out by the Budget and Advocacy Committee of NASULGC's Board on Agriculture Assembly for "priority attention." These line items included: (1) the NRI; (2) Agrosecurity Education; (3) EFNEP; (4) eXtension; and (5) the Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative. In addition, the Senate made increases to two other programs of importance to the 1890 Institutions: (1) Evans-Allen; and (2) 1890s Extension.

The only item on the BAC's "priority attention" list to receive a decrease under the Senate mark was the Resident Instruction and Distance Education Grants line item for the land-grants in the U.S. territories. However, the House did agree to continue funding for this important program at last year's level of $500,000 and we will continue to fight hard for this line item when the House and Senate meet to reconcile differences between the two versions of the Ag Appropriations bill.

Next Steps
The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the Ag spending bill tomorrow afternoon, and changes to CSREES accounts are possible. Floor debate on this bill may occur in July, following the Independence Day recess.

Fred H. Hutchison
Fleishman Hillard Government Relations

Action Requested: None; for information only. 

Action Taken: None. 

Item 13.0: ARS Report - no report provided

Item 14.0: CSREES Report
Presenter: Mary McPhail Gray

CSREES Update for the 2005 Meeting
North Central Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors
 

A draft implementation plan for the proposed State Agricultural Experiment Station Competitive Program (SAESCP), which was included in the Administration's Fiscal Year 2006 budget plan funded at $75 million, was published on the CSREES Web Site on July 1,2005, and sent via e-mail to all agency partners. The draft plan has been written in the form of a Request for Applications (RF A) by an agency team comprising program leaders from throughout our organization under the leadership of Dennis Kopp, Assistant Administrator for Program and Analysis, and Gary Cunningham, Associate Administrator. Members included: Muquarrab Qureshi, Meryl C. Broussard, Catalino Blanche, Larry R. Miller, Peter Johnson, Jill Auburn, Mary McPhail Gray, Ray Knighton, Gary Cunningham, Dennis Kopp, Winson S. Sherman, Ralph Otto, Audrey Trotman.

CSREES is required to have a program implementation plan in place and staff positioned to manage the effort should Congress appropriate funds for the program. Although that seems unlikely for 2006, based on appropriations action in the U.S. House of Representatives, we want this draft to generate discussion about how we might approach designing a competitively awarded grants system that would capture the strengths of the SAES system, while meeting a high standard of stakeholder input, peer review, and a balance of stability in program management and responsiveness to critical issues. Please carefully review and comment on the plan.

Address for Plan: http://www.csrees.usda.eov/newsroom/news/news.html

Under CSREES News is a story about the SAES Report. The Report is located at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/csrees news/05news/saes plan.pdf

Address for Comments: arccomments@csrees.usda.gov

CSREES HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS REQUESTED

1. Last year we established a CSREES Hall of Fame. Inductees into the CSREES Hall of Fame worked, coordinated, or supported activities exemplifying CSREES' synergy of excellence in any combination of research, education, and extension approaches on local, regional, national, or international levels, and demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the Agency. Ten members of the CSREES Hall of Fame were inducted last year during the Agency's 10^th anniversary celebration.

We are seeking nominations from Staff and CSREES Partner Organizations (Land-Grant and partner, institutions), and individuals. Nominees may be living or deceased. A Committee will review the nominations arid recommend deserving nominees for final selection by the CSREES Administrator. New recipients will be inducted ~to the CSREES Hall of Fame during our annual awards ceremony this October, pending identification of at least one qualified nominee.

Nominations and endorsement letters must be emailed or faxed to us by 5:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, August 12, 2005. Email submissions go to: jspurling@csrees.usda.gov Fax number: 202-720­-8987. For evaluation criteria information and nomination package go to the CSREES Web Site.

PROPOSED 2007 - 2011 PLAN OF WORK GUIDELINES PUBLISHED

CSREES published the proposed Guidelines for State Plans of Work for the Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds in the Federal Register on June 7, 2005, (70 FR 33055-33062). These guidelines prescribe the procedures to be followed by the eligible institutions receiving Federal agricultural research and extension formula funds under the Hatch Act of 1887, as amended (7 U.S.C. 361a et seq.); sections 3(b)(1) and (c) of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, as amended (7 U.S.C. 343 (b)(I) and (c»; and sections 1444 and 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (7 U.S.C. 3221 and 3222). The recipients of these funds are commonly referred to as the 1862 Land-Grant Institutions and 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, including Tuskegee University and West Virginia State College. To read the proposed guidelines go to the CSREES website. For more information contact BART HEWITT, Program Analyst, Planning and Accountability Staff, at 202-720-0747 or bhewitt@csrees.usda.gov.

ONE SOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS

The One Solution Initiative is designed to increase the quality and completeness of reports to OMB, Congress, and the public in a way that better aligns the budget with performance outcomes across Research, Education and Extension and simplifies the reporting burden of the partner.

Driven by a host of Executive and Congressional mandates, such as the President's Management Agenda, OMB's Budget Performance Integration, Government Paper Elimination Act, Federal Financial Management Improvement Act, mid AREERA, One Solution will integrate a disparate set of reporting processes into a more coherent and. sensible whole. 

Because One Solution will offer streamlined reporting requirements across the three knowledge areas of Research, Education, and Extension, the burden will be reduced for universities and colleges who have been entering the same information more than once into several reporting systems.

The One Solution business case is now available and offers a glimpse of the technical blueprint and supporting business processes for the new system. The business case shows a positive return on investment that will free up Agency and university staff time to work on higher value activities.

Electronic html-based forms will be prepopulated with information that CSREES already knows about a project or work unit, such as a state extension program team. Pop-up features will provide better explanations and recommend responses to the customer. Automatic e-mail notification will alert principal investigators and national program staff of report and review due dates.

Implementation of One Solution has already begun with a mock-up of the new on-line submission of the 2007-2011 Plan of Work (POW) for Research and Extension formula funds. Projections indicate that the Plan of Work will be ready this Fall for university staff to input their data.

A key feature of One Solution is the classification taxonomy backbone. The improved version of Current Research Information System (CRIS) will include knowledge areas for Education and Extension while maintaining the legacy of the Research information. The revised taxonomy is now known as the Knowledge Area Classification System v1.0. Dramatic advances in technology have occurred during the four decades of CRlS operations. In support of One Solution, the CRlS database is being migrated to a relational architecture. This will increase the flexibility of data management and improve the ability for different systems inside CSREES to talk with each other and with the partners' systems. One Solution is governed by an Executive Committee chaired by Gary Cunningham with several active working groups within the areas of business process enhancement, data collection simulation, taxonomy revision, and coordination of budget, planning and accountability (P&A), program, and finance (OEP) with technology (ISTM).

To assist in the initial planning of One Solution, CSREES staff visited six states in an effort to understand their reporting systems. These university representatives also reviewed portions of the business case and dozens of other university staff participated in business case related teleconference calls. The business case has been shared for comment with the thirteen regional directors throughout the Land-grant System, representing Research, Education, and Extension. Finally, six Directors from the three areas were asked to provide feedback on the new taxonomy. Over the next few months, the One Solution group will be sharing more detailed information and interacting on a more frequent basis with the partnership as a whole as One Solution plans and products are tested and piloted. A web site will be launched shortly to post news and information about the Initiative. Even though it will take a few years, the results that One Solution will produce are well worth the wait. One Solution is a vehicle designed to carry CSREES and the Partnership into an era of increased public accountability and quality government reporting. For further information, please contact Greg Crosby (gcrosbv@csrees.usda.gov) One Solution at 202-401-6050.

NRE RECRUITMENT ACTION

CSREES will be recruiting a National Program Leader for Rangeland and Grassland Resources. This position will consolidate a number of duties spread throughout the agency, and join range and grass together as has been done in several other USDA agencies (e.g. NRCS and ARS, and in DoI).

eXTENSION UPDATE - JUNE 2005

This is a monthly update devoted to the topic of eXtension. It contains descriptions of project activities. For more complete information about these and other eXtension activities, please visit and register at intranet.extension.org. Hopefully, you will find the Web site informative and good for remaining engaged in the initiative. Please share this information with others interested in eXtension 

FIRST CALL FOR ENGAGEMENT DUE JULY 8

Friday, July 8, at 5 p.m. EDST is the due date for the first Call for Engagement pre-applications. After review of pre-applications, those selected will be invited to prepare full applications. Content teams that believe they are not ready to proceed with full proposals may request a one-time planning grant to begin the formation of a CoP and prepare for a future application for a CFE. Pre-application, planning grant applications and full applications are to be submitted through the Call for Engagement Submission system at: http://intranet.eXtension.org.  A description of the CFE review process can be found on the Web site under the headings of Welcome/Governance/Organization & Policy.

FAQ INITIATIVE TO BEGIN THIS SUMMER

eXtension will launch a FAQ initiative inviting content providers throughout the Cooperative Extension Service to submit their most frequently asked questions and related answers. The internally focused strategy will help identify potential Communities of Interest (Cols), CoPs and content leaders. It will result in a working model to col1ect, categorize, publish and develop a collaborative model for responding to customer questions. The initiative will be organized and managed through support provided by institutional teams. The Call for FAQ's and Answers wil1 begin in July.

JULY 12 eXtension NATIONAL VIDEO CONFERENCE

The next eXtension national video conference is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, 2005, from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The July 12 program will focus on the 1) the Community of Practice: Call for Engagement review process; 2) the launch of the national Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) initiative, and 3) a report on the 2005-2007 Implementation Plan. Iowa State University will produce the program with origination points from the North Carolina State University and the University of Kentucky. C-band satellite coordinates will be AMC-4, Transponder 24 (Horizontal), the program will also be streamed over the Internet by accessing real.unl.edu/extension. 

2005-2007 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The 2005-2007 implementation plan is complete and will be available at the eXtension Web site on Friday, July 8. The plan serves as the roadmap for building eXtension as an Internet-based, aggregated information and educational delivery system with access to the best resources the Cooperative Extension system has to offer.

FORMATION OF INSTITUTIONAL TEAM

Twenty institutions have submitted a list of their eXtension institutional work team. Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to email a list of their institutional work team to eXtension at their earliest convenience. The first formal meeting of institutional teams will be in late July to coincide with the launch of the eXtension F AQ initiative. Please email institutional lists to Lisa_Schultz@extension.org. 

NATIONAL FAQ WIKI TRAINING

The ACE Information Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) has agreed to assist eXtension by spearheading a major training effort around the National F AQ initiative planned for this summer and fall. The SIG has agreed to create an instructional learning module to help extension educators learn to work in a wiki environment. In addition, the SIG will explore opportunities for conducting several live training webinars prior to .the unveiling of the full system in October 2005. Ray Kimsey at North Carolina State, and vice-chair elect for the IT SIG, has agreed to help organize the training effort. Ray can be reached at ray - kimsey@ncsu.edu if you are interested in assisting. For more information on wikis see the Wikipedia Web site.

LISTENING SESSION PAPER TO BE PUBLISHED

The final report from the September 2004 Agricultural Water Security Listening Session in Park City, Utah, will be posted on the CSREES website as a 60 page pdf file on or about July 11,2005. The report captures the strengths, opportunities, gaps & barriers, and bold steps for water supply and availability related to the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area of USDA, which includes CSREES, ARS, ERS, and NASS. 1) Housing, 2) Choosing to Lead, 3) Programs of Distinction

FAMILIES, 4-H AND NUTRITION OPPORTUNITIES

Programs of Distinction Collection

Suzanne Le Menestrel (202-720-2297; slemenestrel@csrees.usda.gov)
Programs of Distinction is a collection of peer-reviewed youth development programs that exemplify the high quality programs occurring in communities across the United States. The peer review process was initiated in early fall 2004 to offer opportunities for scholarship for 4-H educators, to build a database of best practices in youth development programming, and to tell the story of 4-H. In addition, being recognized as a Program of Distinction is a perquisite for applying for the Annie E. Casey 4-H Families Count Family Strengthening Awards through the National4-H Council. The collection is housed in a searchable web-based database on the National 4-H Headquarters website, http://www.nationaI4-hheadquarters.gov/about/pod.htm.  Four workshop seminars at the NAE4-HA annual conference in Seattle will feature the recognized Programs of Distinction. Dr. Le Menestrel, together with four of the Program of Distinction peer reviewers, will also be presenting a NAE4-HA Board Seminar on how to submit a Program of Distinction and how to be a peer reviewer. Program manuscripts are accepted on a continuous basis and quarterly Centra web meeting training sessions will be held for individuals interested in learning how to submit a Program of Distinction.

76th National4-B Conference

Maria Parisi (202-720-8857; mparisi@csrees.usda.gov) 
Save the Date! The 76th Nationa1"4-H Conference will be March 25-30, 2006, with most delegations traveling on the 25th and 30th. "Capitol Hill Day" will be Wednesday, March 29. Known as the "Secretary's Conference," the National 4-H Conference is USDA's premiere annual youth development event. Since its inception, the National 4-H Conference has engaged youth, Extension professionals, and volunteer leaders in discussion and captured their recommendations to inform 4-H Youth Development Programming. Conference Delegates at the 75th National4-H Conference shared these recommendations:

More attention on state and national opportunities to keep young teens interested in 4-H,
A national service project,
Getting high school credit for 4-H activities, and
An increase in 4-H communication across the nation.
For additional information, visit the National4-H Conference website at http://4hconf.4-h.org/.

Leadership and Volunteer Development Conferences

Chuck Graves (202-720-3566;