Cooperative Extension professionals from 1890 Land-grant Universities gathered at the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) to plan for natural and man-made disasters during the 1890 Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Advisory Group (AG) 2024 face-to-face workshop and business meeting.

The three-day annual meeting took place June 4-6 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Six 1890 universities were represented with attendees from Fort Valley State University (FVSU), Southern University Ag Center (SU), Tennessee State University (TSU), Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) and N.C. A&T.

Additional EDEN delegates in attendance included representatives from Washington State University (WSU), University of Illinois (U of I) the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.

During the three-day training, participants focused on building community and cultural competency in disaster education. Dr. Ray McKinnie, associate dean and administrator for Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T gave opening remarks to attendees and welcomed them to campus. In addition, Dr. Alton Thompson, executive director for the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD), and Dr. Albert Essel, executive director for the Association of Extension Administrators (AEA) expressed appreciation for the work of the 1890-EDEN AG. Each offered their perspective for why it is critically essential for 1890 Land-grant professionals to provide research-based information and services to communities and citizen groups impacted by disasters.

Dr. Noel M. Estwick, assistant professor and research scientist at PVAMU, said his role in the AG started in 2017. Over the years he has used his training as an urban planner to support the land-grant mission by offering disaster-related support to the research, education and outreach initiatives of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

“I got involved in EDEN as the principal investigator for the 1890-EDEN Project. In 2017, the advisory group was created with the support of the 1890 Extension administrators,” Estwick said.

He said the face-to-face meeting in Greensboro marked the seventh year the group has been in existence. The Prairie View researcher said the meeting was helpful for several reasons.

“It provided opportunities for the advisory group to review current collaborations, projects and progress, while providing training to boost our capacity to deliver disaster programming,” Estwick said. Carrie McKillip, past EDEN chair and community and economic development educator at U of I Extension, conducted a training on Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) Development and Maintenance.

He also said the annual face-to-face meeting helps him and attendees become better at serving limited-resource audiences. Likewise, the meeting creates an environment to develop consistent institutional partnerships with land-grant universities and federal and nonfederal partners.

One of those opportunities occurred during the Greensboro meeting with the participation of Vanessa Forbes, Extension agent and SARE program assistant for the UVI.

“Her participation enabled us to learn from each other as we discussed challenges and lessons learned from serving similar clientele in unique settings,” Estwick said.

Forbes said the UVI Extension became involved with EDEN because of the gaps in information and awareness within the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“In an attempt to bridge the gaps between the diverse cultures of the Virgin Islands, the groundwork and connections need to be in place in advance of a disaster so that when there is a disaster, the education and the services needed will be set in place to facilitate the duties necessary to bring about recovery,” Forbes said.

Furthermore, Forbes shared how she hopes being connected to the 1890-EDEN AG will be able to work as a bridge.

“This will allow us to overcome the predominant separation and develop a sense of oneness in education and mitigation regarding disasters. Through this education, a greater strength will be recognized,” Forbes said.

In addition to training, the AG group institutions partner to respond to requests for proposals. AG institutions are currently partnering on two funded projects. The first is a SARE professional development program called, “Developing a Training Program on Surviving Disasters through Risk Management Preparation and Best Management Practices for Agricultural Producers.” N.C. A&T is leading the project.

The second project is an EDEN capacity grant led by SU Ag Center. It is called “Cultivating an Efficient and Productive Intersection between Research and Extension: An 1890 Collaborative-Research Based Curriculum Development Initiative.”

For more information about the 1890-EDEN AG, visit https://extensiondisaster.net.   

2023 EDEN Annual Conference Registration Now Open!

Registration for the 2023 EDEN Annual Conference is now open! Once a year, EDEN delegates assemble at the EDEN Annual Conference to share best practices, developing research, showcase projects that have been completed throughout the year, and enhance skill sets through professional development opportunities. The conference will offer guest speakers, breakout sessions, educational excursions, networking opportunities and a professional development training. This year, we are excited to be hosted by the University of Georgia in Savannah, Georgia, from September 26^th-29^th.

To view the agenda, find hotel information, register for the conference or learn more details, visit EDEN’s Annual Conference webpage at https://extensiondisaster.net/news-events/annual-meeting/. For questions, please contact Amanda Mosiman, Purdue FADI/EDEN Support Team, at bailey1@purdue.edu or Michael Martin, Annual Conference Committee Chair, at michael.martin@uga.edu

From the Chair

While Extension Disaster Education Network member-institution resources were busy of late dealing with smoke from Canadian wildfires that blanketed the Midwest and East occupied much of the national news; EDEN points of contact and delegates in the South have been dealing with almost every sort of natural disaster. From bouts of flash flooding caused by hail, tornado activity, thunderstorms, and torrential rains in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas, to the almost unceasing severe weather events in Florida and Georgia; EDEN educators and strike team members have been busy assisting with agricultural damage assessment, livestock loss and emergency care, individual assistance, donations management, sheltering, unusually large numbers of utility disruption, and impacts of flash flooding. We thank all of those involved in helping their constituents, business, industry, governmental partners, and citizens in dealing with the impacts of these most unusual weather patterns.

This type of weather situation helps focus attention to the activities of the new EDEN Natural Resources committee, which is currently searching for a vice chair to assist chair Josh Gunn, of Michigan State University Extension, in establishing programmatic goals and objectives for the group for the coming year. EDEN officers and Executive Committee members want to remind you that our website has multiple opportunities for collecting and sharing vital information to help stakeholders, clients, and citizens during times of emergency. Officers also want you to know that our contact information is available for consultation or resource allocation, if and when needed and requested through established emergency management channels. In other news, Tommy Bass, EDEN Agriculture Committee chair since 2022, has recently been named to a seat on the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Coordinating Council. (See below for more details.)

Also of interest to EDEN points-of-contact and delegates may be that USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture is in the process of determining the new collaborating/host institution for EDEN. Purdue University Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative team will no longer be the logistical base of EDEN. Purdue University officials, with Dr. Jason Henderson’s departure to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and a new dean of the Purdue University College of Agriculture being named, decided not to apply for another four-year term as the foundational/logistical support of EDEN. It is thought that USDA NIFA received about a handful of submissions from institutions and organizations seeking the opportunity to host EDEN and the FADI program in the coming years. We look forward to an announcement from USDA NIFA and Program Leader Ashley Mueller in the near future to inform us of our new home and are excited about the possibilities of becoming a more vibrant, impactful, and recognizable part of nationwide Extension.

Please remember to join and attend your committee meetings, webinars by any EDEN committee, and if you are a point of contact upcoming POC Zoom meetings.

Thank you for what you have done for your member institutions and for EDEN.

Tom Ball

Chair, Extension Disaster Education Network

Wildfire & Air Quality Resources

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there has been 21,305 wildfires that have have burned 644,918 acres across the United States since January 1, 2023 and since May 8, the U.S. has mobilized a total of 823 personnel via the CIFFC/National Interagency Fire Center agreement to Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec.

With all of the recent wildfires and smoke pollution, EDEN has been seeking resources for wildfires and smoke damage. EDEN delegates have submitted over a dozen new resources to support wildfire awareness, prevention and recovery, ranging from websites such as AirNow.gov, which offers educational resources for youth and adults, to home emergency management guides. View these resources here, or submit your own wildfire and smoke resources for EDEN here.

EDEN Committee Chair Named to USDA Food and Agriculture Coordinating Council

Tommy Bass, EDEN Agriculture Committee chair since 2022, has recently been named to a seat on the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Coordinating Council.  The council monitors policy activities of USDA and submits best practices and possible policy to the department. He serves with two dozen others representing livestock and animal health, producer, grower, and farm organizations, business and industry, state government, land-grant institutions, state regulators, and homeland security. Tommy is a EDEN longtime point of contact from Montana State University and has led the Agriculture Committee with distinction. Best wishes and congratulations to Tommy!

Committee Meeting Zoom Updates

Starting the week of June 26th, there will be new Zoom links for all committee meetings. Claire Crum, EDEN’s Communications Coordinator, has accepted a new role as a 4-H Extension Educator in Cass County, IN. Therefore, all current committee meeting links will be removed and replaced with new links, made by the committee chairs. Please keep an eye out for new Zoom links for Committee meetings, and reach out to your committee chair with any issues. All committee links will be posted to the website event calendar as well.

New Agriculture Committee Vice Chair

The EDEN Agriculture Committee is excited to introduce the newly elected Vice Chair, Samantha Gehrett. Samantha is a dairy educator based in Cumberland County Pennsylvania. She joined Extension after working at Pennsylvania Farm Bureau as the Director of Training in the Member Services Division; Samantha developed and implemented trainings for new staff and current staff members. She serviced clients throughout the Agricultural Sector, for whom she was responsible for providing professional services to meet their financial and business needs. Additionally, she worked as a Supervisor for a Grade A milk processing facility in Wisconsin. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Sciences from Penn State in addition to two minors in Environmental Inquiry and Agronomy. She has her Master’s Degree from Penn State in Homeland Security with a focus on Agricultural Biosecurity and Food Safety Defense.

EDEN POC Meeting in July: Learn more about POC Responsibilities

Points of Contact will have a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, July 25^th from 3:00-4:00pm (EST). All POCs should attend to discuss responsibilities, best practices, and future plans for POCs. The Zoom invite will be sent to all POCs via the POC listserv. Please contact Claire Crum with questions, or to be added to the POC listserv, if you are not already.

This manual explores how Extension professionals can use COADs (Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs) and community forums to reduce the impact of disasters and build a more efficient response and recovery process. This manual provides instructions, worksheets, tools, and advice for creating, maintaining, and sustaining COADs in communities. This manual will be of value to Cooperative Extension professionals and other organizations and institutions considering ways to increase community buy-in to address disaster issues together.

The authors of this manual are Extension professionals serving as EDEN delegates, and have dedicated years to developing COADs in their communities, throughout their states, and nationwide. The manual was written by a team from the University of Illinois Extension, Purdue Extension, University of Nebraska Extension, and University of Missouri. This project was supported with funding from the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) using Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative (FADI) funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture under NIFA/USDA Agreement No. 2018-37620-28830.

View the COAD Manual Here