Friday, March 27, 2020

NACAA 2020 AM/PIC Update - March 27, 2020

NACAA Members,

As you are all aware, the 2020 AM/PIC is scheduled for July 19-24, 2020 in Virginia Beach, VA.  Registration was expected to begin April 1st.  However, in light of the current coronavirus pandemic facing our country and world, the NACAA Board is currently reviewing our options for the meeting since the likelihood that the conference will go on as currently scheduled is doubtful.

Although a copy of The County Agent magazine highlighting the AM/PIC schedule was just mailed,  please hold off on submitting your registration materials at this time.

We are looking forward to holding our 2020 AM/PIC, but in light of the current situation, we need to delay any final decision for a least 2 more weeks while the evaluation process for potential options continues.  We will send out details as soon as they are finalized, along with a registration link.  You can rest assured that as we explore potential options the health and safety of our members will take utmost priority.

Prayers for the safety of you, your families and our nation and keep up the good work of keeping our farmers, ranchers and the general public informed and educated about Covid 19.

Thank you for your understanding and thank you for your continued trust in NACAA!  

Stay safe and all the best.

Gene McAvoy
NACAA President

Monday, March 23, 2020

Webinar Link

WEBINAR LINK FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WERE UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE

NACAA Members,

Planning & Conducting Extension Programs Using Video Conferencing During the COVID-19 Pandemic:  https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/0_poj5ug0z

If you are interested in obtaining the PowerPoint slides, please contact the speakers directly at— Julie Robinson:  jrobinson@uaex.edu  or Mary Poling: mpoling@uaex.edu

Regards,
Sergio
NACAA TET Chair
__________________________________
Sergio Arispe , Ph.D., P.A.S., Assistant Professor
Oregon State University
Department of Animal & Rangeland Sciences
OSU Extension Service—Malheur County | Livestock and Rangeland
710 SW 5th Ave
Ontario, OR 97914
P: 541-881-1417 (x104) | C: 530-304-0620 | F: 541-889-8840
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

SARE Fellows Application Now Available

SARE Fellows Application Now Available 

NACAA Members,
In 2020, the responsibility and selection process of the SARE Fellows Award was assumed directly by SARE.  Below is the new process for applying for the award.  The information submitted will be going directly to SARE not NACAA.  NACAA did discover there was an incorrect link for the 2020 award process still showing on the NACAA website.  If you did submit on that incorrect link (prior to yesterday) - within the NACAA website, you will need to re-submit on SARE's official application below.

NEW PROCESS BELOW

Applications are now being accepted for the SARE Fellows program . SARE Fellows is a unique professional development opportunity for agricultural educators to:

  1. Forge new connections with colleagues from other parts of the nation
  2. Evaluate agriculture within a social, economic and environmental systems framework
  3. Visit innovative producers using practices that sustain agriculture for future generations
  4. Improve agriculture education programs for local stakeholders

Applications must be submitted by May 1, 2020. Apply online now .

SARE Fellows participate in a series of sustainable farming and ranching systems trainings, with a focus on basic sustainable production strategies and how they work in the field. In this two-year program, Fellows are introduced to sustainable farming and ranching practices under a range of conditions and network with other agents to gain practical knowledge to improve Extension programs back home. Learn more about the SARE Fellows program and previous participants’ experiences .

Eligibility
  • Extension professionals working with farmers and ranchers from 1862, 1890, 1994 institutions.
  • Must have an interest in learning about sustainable agriculture across the United States and in applying what you learn with your clientele.

Application Process
Applications must be submitted by May 1, 2020. Apply online now .

Support provided by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture . The availability of this program will be dependent upon the consent of USDA SARE and the availability of funds.

NACAA Update – (COVID-19) and NACAA 2020 AM/PIC

NACAA Update – (COVID-19) and NACAA 2020 AM/PIC

Over the past several weeks, the NACAA Board of Directors has been evaluating and monitoring the current (COVID-19) situation.  As the outcome of this pandemic is still very fluid, and changing hourly, the board wants to assure you that we are still planning on holding the 2020 AM/PIC - July 19-24 in Virginia Beach, VA.  The health and safety of our members, speakers, partners and volunteers are of vital importance and will always be held at the forefront of any decision that is made in regard to the AM/PIC.  As we continue to monitor the situation, we will send additional communication to you if the board decides that modifications to the AM/PIC program are necessary. For now, we continue to plan for a successful event. The next edition of The County Agent Magazine is currently being printed and will mailed within 10 days and on-line registration will begin April 1, 2020 .

NACAA will be extending the Early-bird registration timeline (reduced cost) to now conclude on May 30, 2020 (instead of May 15).  Registration will continue until June 30th after that date, but the cost will not be at the Early-bird rate.

NACAA will also be extending the Deadline for entries for the Journal of the NACAA until March 30 th .

In addition to those modifications, NACAA Vice President Bill Burdine, along with the NACAA Council Chairs are extending the submission deadline for awards, oral presentation abstracts and posters to March 30 .  This new date is only for submissions with an original deadline of March 15.  Posters to be judged must have the pdf submitted by March 30 th 

We are also extending committee deadlines by two weeks to give committees adequate time to perform their duties. 

New deadline dates are:
March 30 - Award, poster, oral abstract submission
April 15 - State Chair approval
May 01 - Regional Chair approval
May 15 - National Chair approval

If State Chairs have already selected a State Winner, and would like to consider new submissions, please contact Scott Hawbaker at nacaaemail@aol.com to have selected State Winners cleared to allow for new entries.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact a committee chair, Council Chair or Bill Burdine.