Happy National 4-H Week

Happy National 4-H Week Friday, October 6, 2017 Happy National 4-H Week Opportunity to Share Your Thoughts on Positive Youth Development and other NIFA Supported Programs USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Needs Stakeholder Input on Food, Agriculture Priorities The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is accepting input from stakeholders regarding research, extension, and education priorities in food and agriculture. A series of four in-person listening sessions hosted in different regions across the country and submission of written comments will offer two ways to share your thoughts and ideas. Stakeholder input received from both methods will be treated equally. NIFA Listens: Investing in Science to Transform Lives” focuses on answering to two questions from stakeholders: • What is your top priority in food and agricultural research, extension, or education that NIFA should address? • What are the most promising science opportunities for advancement of food and agricultural sciences? NIFA wants to hear from you about priorities and opportunities in agricultural sciences. This will help NIFA prioritize science emphasis areas, identify gaps in programming, and determine which programs are redundant or underperforming. To contribute your ideas online and to register for in-person listening sessions, fill out our input form. You have the option to give a five minute oral presentation and submit written content; however, it is not required to do both. • Individuals wishing to attend in-person listening sessions must complete the RSVP in the input form no later than Thursday, October 12, 2017. If you are making a five minute oral presentation, you must submit a short 250 word abstract describing your topic. • Submissions of written comments will be accepted through Friday, December 1, 2017. The input form is one opportunity to share written comments. Please take time to consider and clearly form your answers to the questions above before filling out the form. You will be allowed 600 words for each question. You may also submit written comments via NIFAlistens@nifa.usda.gov. Four regional in-person listening sessions will be held: • Thursday, Oct. 19, Kansas City, Missouri • Thursday, Oct. 26, Atlanta, Georgia • Thursday, Nov. 2, Sacramento, California • Wednesday, Nov. 8, Hyattsville, Maryland Each session is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and end no later than 5 p.m. The sessions will be webcast live, transcribed, and made available for playback. All submissions, regardless of the mode, are processed in the same manner. Additional details, including livestream information, will be added as they become available. To stay informed on “NIFA Listens: Investing in Science to Transform Lives,” sign up for the NIFA Update, a weekly compendium of news and information that may be of interest to land-grant and non-land-grant universities, NIFA stakeholders, and other subscribers.