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News and Notes: May 10, 2024

OUR VISION: Ohioans have the knowledge and resources they need to actively engage in creating conditions in which they thrive.  

OUR MISSION: We create opportunities for people to explore how science-based knowledge can improve social, economic, and environmental conditions.  

Helpful hint: You can view each News and Notes issue in its entirety by clicking on the Printer-Friendly Version red button on the right side of that issue's landing page.  

Leadership Notes

  1. When the Smith-Lever Act passed on May 8, 1914, the groundwork was laid for a Cooperative Extension Service in every state. Because of this act, Ohioans have had access to unbiased research-backed information that is generated at Ohio State and other land-grant universities by way of Extension

  2. The OSU Extension Management Structure Task Force continues to meet and examine the current management structure of Extension.

College Connections

  1. The CFAES Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) recently summarized the 2022 Census of Agriculture data that captured numbers related to agricultural land lost in Ohio due to development.

  2. The Office of Sponsored Programs and the CFAES Office for Research and Graduate Education provide scheduled office hours tailored to Extension professionals every week.

Community Connections

  1. The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) will host trainings for veterinarians who will serve as fair vets during the 2024 Ohio fair season. Extension professionals and fair board members are welcome to attend the sessions.

Operations/Business of Extension

  1. Extension finds itself in a unique position right now. We have a tremendous number of new and newer employees; we are recruiting to fill multiple leadership roles; we are taking a careful look at our structure. We are also conscientious about doing impactful work on behalf of Extension and

  2. As shared previously, we have been building a stronger relationship with our college and university marketing and communications colleagues on behalf of all of our Extension professionals.

  3. The Ohio State Office of University Compliance and Integrity offers a monthly training on the Outside Activities and Conflicts Policy, which incorporates the Ohio Ethics Law and federal research regulations regarding conflicts of interest.

Celebrating Colleagues

  1. The Ohio State Office of Outreach and Engagement recently recognized WestFest as a Program of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship. Cynthia Canan, Ohio 4-H STEM specialist, is one of the event’s primary facilitators.

  2. Logan Minter, field specialist for specialty crops production systems, was recently awarded a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant to support the project, "Expanding Opportunities of Season-Long Row Covers in Cucurbit Production using Native Pollinators."

  3. Exploring Polar Science, an Ohio 4-H curriculum book, recently passed national 4-H peer review. This means it was blind peer reviewed by an independent team of 4-H educators across the country.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

  1. CFAES is committed to ensuring that all of its research and related educational programming are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. The next diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-focused workshops in CFAES include:

Health and Wellness

  1. Daytime work demands, evening meetings, extracurricular and social activities, and routine errands can all make making plans for healthy meals a struggle.

  2. The Your Plan for Health events calendar features classes (virtual and face-to-face) for nearly every aspect of health – Buckeye baby, group health coaching, physical activity, and more.