The USDA RD

1
The USDA RD Cooperative Extension Service
Partnership

• Assessing Current and Potential Linkages

National Association of Community Development
Extension Professionals April 16-18, 2007
Philadelphia, PA
2
What Was Done . . .

• Three-page survey sent to all State USDA RD
  Directors
• Similar survey distributed to Extension CD
  Leaders in the U.S.
• Survey sent in mid-April, 2006

3
What States Responded

• State RD
• Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine,
  Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New
  Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,
  Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Wyoming

• CD Leaders
• Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa,
  Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota,
  Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York,
  North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South
  Carolina, Tennessee

4
Current Level of Collaboration
RD Respondents 23 CES Respondents 26
5
Level of Success With USDA RD / CES Partnership
6
Frequency of USDA RD/CES Activities in Past 12
Months
7
How Each Agency Benefits From the Partnership
RD CES
8
Other Benefits Suggested

• Benefits (from the view of RD respondents)
• Coordinating the development of cooperative
  agricultural businesses
• Utilizing programs collaborating to help
  communities build capacity
• Provide technical/logistical support to RD staff
  and programs
• Partner to better assist communities
• Connect program grants to agricultural community
• Money management and home buyer seminars
• Better understanding of each others programs

9
Other Benefits Suggested

• Benefits (from the view of CES respondents)
• Rural housing programs
• Provide more services to our clientele
• Networking
• Help communities find resources to do what we
  help them plan
• Serve on Extension CD Advisory Boards
• Finding financial and human capital to initiate
  projects
• Obtaining USDA RD Resources for projects/programs

10
Key Barriers to Working Together
11
Key Comments (paraphrasing). . .

• In my state, CES is not positioned to do CD with
  RD . . . Not sure CES is staffed for CD or are
  unsure about their role in this area of work.
• Insufficient effort by RD and CES to build
  strong relationships.
• Agencies have different roles, programs, goals.
• Time required to understand differences in
  policy issues between the two agencies

12
Benefits Your Agency Receives from this
Partnership
13
Other Comments . . .

• RD
• Would like to see CES present info on their CD
  program, but have never been asked by them to do
  so. . . Would love to hear from them
• A stronger relationship would help CES deliver
  more capacity building services along with those
  offered by RD
• Leveraging other funding sources and TA
• Limited benefits due to lack of joint efforts
• Opportunity to build a sustainable partnership

• CES
• Networking
• Opportunity to provide planning assistance to
  communities so they better use RD programs and
  resources
• Use of CES resources and cooperation on
  programming efforts, making these programs
  stronger
• A resource to implement educational planning
  activities for communities and organizations

14
Ways You Want to Work With the Other Agency in
the Future
15
Comments by RD. . .

• BUILD AWARENESS OF EACH OTHERS PROGRAMS
• An annual meeting to provide information to the
  CES concerning the programs administered by RD in
  rural areas of the state and vice versa
• Need to tell us what programs they have and the
  skill level of their employees, then RD could
  figure out ways to collaborate
• HELD RD PROMOTE ITS PROGRAMS
• Activities to promote Section 9006 Renewable
  Energy and Energy Efficient Program to the
  agricultural community
• Need assistance from CES on value-added
  development
• Help with our outreach efforts for low income
  housing applicants
• Assist with promoting programs, both grant and
  loan
• HELP TRAIN Training as rural business mentors
• KEEP US IN THE LOOP
• Better communication if CES is providing
  intensive CD assistance to a particular community
• If there is a CES strategic plan let us know
  what it is.
• WORK TOGETHER MORE EFFECTIVELY
• More interaction/brainstorming of CES and RD
  staff
• Cross marketing of programs

16
Comments by CES . . .

• PLAN AND WORK TOGETHER
• Joint planning of development events do
  strategic planning activities to set
  priorities/goals
• Cross promote on our literature and program
  websites
• Conduct more joint training and provide more
  joint training/information to community/businesses
  
• Collaborate on community visioning program
• Develop a collaborative entrepreneurship
  education program
• BETTER LINKING OF PROGRAMS
• Link our educational programs with their funding
  sources to provide better opportunities for rural
  development
• TAP CES TO HELP WITH RD PROGRAMS
• Value-added producer grant workshops
• Use Extension during community pre-application
  phase of project development

17
Have enough knowledge about the other
organization?
18
RD-CES Relationships Current and Potential
(Views of RD)

• WORKED TOGETHER ON STATE/REGIONAL FORUMS
• Both groups have hosted an excellent annual rural
  institute as well as regional
  educational forums
• Partnered on an Agri-tourism program
• CES PROVIDES RESEARCH EDUCATION
• Niche agricultural products
• CES has excellent staff that can provide
  educational/technical assistance needed to build
  leadership and community capacity needed to use
  RD financial programs
• HELPS RD REACH KEY AUDIENCES
• Reaching the agricultural sector
• CES has made referrals to RD

19
RD-CES Relationships Current and Potential
(Views of RD)

• AREAS CES NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN
• Train their personnel before they send them out
  to become economic developers
• CES needs to zero in on its mission and try not
  to duplicate efforts already being carried out
  other agencies
• RD needs more CES staff willing to work in the
  value-added work of RD
• CES doesnt seem as visible in developing rural
  areas as they used to be.
• CES has to be more involved in TA regarding
  economic development and more visible at
  community and economic development events in the
  state.
• NEW OPPORTUNITIES
• New effort needed by CES, RD and others to launch
  new round of community planning
• Identify common ground, determine what we want to
  do together, launch action plan

20
One RD Directors Point of View . . .

• We in RD need to make a concerted effort to
  reach out to CES on a continuing basis to ensure
  they are fully knowledgeable of the significant
  financial resources we have that will have a
  positive impact on CES mission and the rural
  areas we serve.

21
RD-CES Relationships Views of CES
Representatives

• CURRENT PARTNERSHIP SUCCESSES
• RD CES worked with others on affordable housing
  (developed materials, did workshops). Each
  organization provided insights on their programs
  and their strengths (such as housing market,
  zoning issues, loan programs, etc.)
• CES organized producers across the state to
  attend distance education workshops on the Value
  Added Producer Grants.
• Have worked with RD on training workshops on a
  variety of community topics we have provided
  training to one another.
• RD funded our work on rural entrepreneurship
  inventory, and have shared information and
  resources addressing emergency response issues
  for use by RD
• Conducted community visioning sessions and helped
  build the capacity of these communities. RD then
  worked many of the action teams that emerged from
  this process.
• RD-CES worked jointly on state strategic
  planning, and reached over 100 communities.

22
RD-CES Relationships Views of CES Representatives

• BARRIERS/OPPORTUNITIES
• Barriers to RD/CES collaboration are more at the
  administrative level than the field level.
• Need more platforms for meaningful dialogue about
  rural conditions and issues, and more
  opportunities to work together to address these
  issues.
• Create a pool of funding targeted to certain
  priority topics that involve joint activities by
  RD and CES.

23
True Partnership . . .

• The collaboration works well because over time,
  RD and CES personnel have built relationships
  with each other based on mutual respect of each
  organizations responsibilities, capacities and
  challenges. . .

24
Examples of Collaboration
25
Working Together Works for New Jerseys Rural
Communities

• NJAES CES, RD, State Dept. of Ag., Farm Bureau
• Food Innovation Center
• 200 jobs projected in 5 years
• Regional Distance Learning Center
• Greater access to college and continuing
  education courses
• Value Added Producer Grant workshops and
  application support
• Over 1 million in grant funding

26
Working Together Works for Oklahomas Rural
Communities

• CES and RD
• Sharing information, data, and analyses of states
  and the southern region
• Increased knowledge of state and region
• Cross-marketing
• Greater awareness of programs and services
• Coordinated services and resources
• Support for Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc.
• 450 million over ten years

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Working Together Works to Build Rural Development
Skills in the South

• Fanning Institute at the University of Georgia,
  the Southern Rural Development Center, USDA
  Forest Service and RD, the University of Florida
  IFAS Extension, and LSU AgCenter
• Southern Institute for Rural Development
• 200 professionals trained
• Multiple agencies working together across the
  region to meet professional development needs
• Increased understanding of issues and priorities
  throughout the south

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Survey Prepared and Conducted by

• Bo Beaulieu
• Southern Rural Development Center
• Mississippi State University
• ljb_at_srdc.msstate.edu
• David Sears
• USDA Rural Development
• Washington, DC
• David.Sears_at_wdc.usda.gov
• Sally Maggard
• CSREES, USDA
• Smaggard_at_csrees.usda.gov