Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

1
New Staff Orientation

• AgrAbility National Training Workshop
• Sacramento, California
• October 30, 2007
• Karen Hunter, CSREES

2
History of AgrAbility

• Grassroots effort
• Modeled after pioneering efforts in Iowa and
  Vermont
• Grown from 8 awards in 1991 to 21 awards in 2007
  totaling 4.3 M

3
CSREES?

• Cooperative State Research Education and
  Extension Service
• One of agencies comprising the USDA Research,
  Education, and Economics area
• Mission to advance knowledge for agriculture,
  the environment, human health and well-being, and
  communities by supporting research, education,
  and extension programs

4
More on CSREES

• Staff of about 360 USDA employees and 30
  contractors
• Managed 1.1B in appropriations in FY 2007
• Extension appropriations of 430M in FY 2007
• Includes formula, special grants, and competitive
  grant programs

5
What does CSREES DO?

• Program leadership to identify, develop, and
  manage programs to support university-based and
  other institutional research, education, and
  extension

6
Administration of Funds

• Provide fair, effective, and efficient
  administration of Federal assistance
• Satisfy Legislative and Executive branches
• Collect data to justify continuing programs

7
Cooperative Extension Service

• Partnership of
• 3000 counties with over 9000 local educators
• Land-Grant Institutions
• 56 1862 institutions
• 18 historically black 1890 institutions
• 31 Native American 1994 institutions
• USDA-CSREES

8
CSREES and AgrAbility

• Promotes accomplishments across USDA and
  university systems
• Assists during project transitions
• Helps projects make choices based on agency
  administrative requirements and mandates to the
  program by Congress

9
Farm Bills

• Authorized partnership between land-grant
  institutions and disability organizations
• Established funding recommendations
• Provided guidance on eligible programs
• Appropriations for AgrAbility under Smith-Lever
  3(d)

10
AgrAbility Funds DO Support

• Educationlong term investment strategy
• Accommodating disabilities and avoiding secondary
  injuries
• Directed towards health, farm, and government
  service providers
• Networking
• Sharing of information and provision of services
• Customers, peer supporters, volunteers,
  stakeholders, other funding organizations, etc.

11
AgrAbility Funds Also Support

• Assistance
• Focuses on individualized consultative services
  increasing likelihood of clients success in farm
  operation
• Includes client and others working at same place
• Marketing
• Increasing awareness of AgrAbility and its
  initiatives

12
AgrAbility Funds May NOT

• Pay for assistive technology or other farm site
  modifications
• Solicit other federal funds
• Pay tuition or student fees
• Pay overhead or indirect cost
• Conduct research (work must remain within
  accepted bounds of Extension)

13
New Staff Reminders

• Keep your directors, colleagues, and CSREES
  informed of any significant recognition of your
  project
• Inform me if you have a change in or
  reorganization of project staff
• Submit reports on time

14
Contact Information

• Karen Hunter, Program Specialist
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email khunter_at_csrees.usda.gov