University of Illinois

Illinois Board of Trustees, Extension Abstract for FY23 Funding Application for USDANIFA10511SLBCDXXX230001 the Aces Office of Extension Enables and Encourages Educator Creativity and Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Advance the Mission of the College in an Environment That Is Inclusive, Respectful of Diversity, and Open and Equitable for All. the Extension Accomplishes This Through Capacity Fund Investments in Seed Funding, Training Opportunities, and Strategic Initiatives. University of Illinois Extension Serves as the Universitys Statewide Network for Translational Outreach and Public Engagement. Although It Is Centrally Budgeted, Extension Resides in the College of Aces. Capacity Funds Are Directed Toward Personnel and Infrastructure to Address Critical Issues at the State and Local Level. Community Involvement, Inclusion, and Leadership: Public Engagement Under This Critical Issue Will Focus on Investigating the Views, Knowledge, and Recommendations of Extension With Regard to Aging in Specific Locales, Establishing an Inclusive Conservation Approach to Engage Stakeholders Around Resource Management Problems Involving Wildlife Through Studying Human Values, Knowledge, and Public Involvement in Decisionmaking, and Learning How to Best Prepare and Measure Success of Educators Teaching From Culturally Responsive Perspectives and Studying How Rural Youth Make Agricultural/foodrelated Decisions. Extension Activities Include Statewide Webinars and Consultation With Local Government Officials and Communitylevel Decision Makers, Training and Support of 4H Adult Club Volunteers to Maximize Access and Availability of Highquality Club Experiences Across Rural and Urban Youth Populations, 4H Teen Leaders/volunteers Training and Support to Develop and Refine Advocacy, Planning, Mentoring, Advising and Leadership Skills, and Programs Targeting Community Agency and Institutional Gatekeepers to Create and Enhance Policies That Promote Inclusion and Reduce Marginalization Ofindividuals and Families. Economic and Workforce Development: Public Engagement Under This Critical Issue Will Focus on an Examination of the Specific Impacts of Financial and Digital Inclusion on Households Economic Wellbeing, Combining Policy Expertise and Basic Research With Modeling and Technological Capabilities for Interactive, Effective, and Informative Public Engagement on Various Legal and Policy Concepts, the Development of an Algorithm That Can Map Out Areas With High Risk for Grain Entrapment Incidents, the Identification of Causal Effects of Commodity Supplyanddemand Shocks on Prices, the Relationship Between Price and Trading Dynamics, the Implications of Commodity Market Price Discovery for the Agricultural and Rural Economy, and Identification of Sources of Stress, Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression, Coping Strategies, and Opportunities for Interventions to Improve Mental Health. Extension Planned Outreach Objectives Focus on Key Contributors to a Strong Economy Including Increased Economic Vitality Within Illinois Communities, Increased Workforce Preparedness and Advancement, and Improved Financial Wellbeing Among Illinois Residents. Extension Outreach Activities Will Include Direct Education (via in Person and Online Platforms), Indirect Education via Mass Media, Social Media, and Digitally Delivered Channels, Expert Consultation and Community Planning Support, Partnerships and Coalition Support, Training of Volunteer Mentors to Provide Onetoone Assistance With Financially Vulnerable Residents, and Decision Support Tools and Analysis to Promote Data Drive N Economic Decision Making at All Levels. Primary Audiences Include Agricultural Producers and Their Families, Small Business Owners/managers, Citizens Seeking Personal Financial Management Resources, Youth Learning Soft and Technical Skills for Workforce Entry (especially Among Underrepresented Demographic Groups) and Professionals Needing Continuing Education Credits. Safe, Healthy Environments and Behaviors: Public Engagement Under This Critical Issue Will Focus on the Development of Natural Therapeutic Interventions With Translational Potential for Both Humans and Agricultural Animals to Improve Health and Quality of Life, the Development of Accessible Programming for Parents and Childcare Providers to Promote Positive Nutrition and Physical Activity Habits, the Articulation of Critical Insight Into the Impact of the Pandemic on Children, Building an Understanding of the Relationship Between Control of Invasive Plants and Efforts to Restore Native Species, Building Our Knowledge of the Factors That Govern the Formation of Methylmercury in Agricultural Watersheds, and the Development and Launch of the Illinois United Translational Research on Substance Use and Family Health for Illinois Residents. Objectives for Extension Outreach Include to Prevent and Manage Chronic Diseases, Support Social and Emotional Health, and Promote Safe and Healthy Environme Under This Critical Issue Will Focus on the Development of Functional Food Packaging Materials and Technologies That Can Proactively Reduce Quality Loss, Improve Safety, and Reduce Waste, the Development of Rapid, Sensitive, and Accurate Diagnostic Technologies That Can Be Used for On-site Screening or Point-of-care Monitoring of Food Quality and Safety, Work to Reduce the Yield Loss Caused by Plant-parasitic Nematodes on Economically Important Crops, Coordinated Agricultural Plant Sciences Research That Balances Sustained Productivity With Environmental Stewardship, Studying the Causes and Consequences of Declining Fresh Fruit Production, Ongoing Work to Identify Genotypes With Promising Potential for Crop Improvement for Commercial Release, the Continuing Promotion of Quantitative Breeding Methods Across the Wheat Community, the Utilization of Portable Near-infrared Spectroscopy in Tandem With Machine Learning as a Sustainable Processing and Quality/safety Assessment Tool in Selected Grains Such as Corn, Soybean, Wheat, and Oat, and Programming Addressing Food Safety Needs of Traditionally Resource-limited Communities. Extension Outreach Activities Will Include Direct Education (via in Person and Online Platforms), Indirect Education via Mass Media, Social Media, and Digitally Delivered Channels, Expert Consultation to Promote Best Management Practices for Growers, Food Handlers, Emergency Food Distribution Sites, Partnerships and Coalition Support for Enhancing Production, Safety, and Access, Conference Coordination (including Multi-state), Applied Research and Demonstration, Site Asset Development and Support (i.e. Food Donation Gardens), and Decision Support Tools to Promote Production Practices and Food Access. Thriving Natural Resources: Public Engagement Under This Critical Issue Will Focus on the Development of a Spatio-temporal Model Using Land Use Regression Methods Targeting Agricultural-related Air Pollution, Characterization of the Conditioning Powerof Plants to Understand Which Plants Can Best Contribute to the Restoration of Diverse Pollinator Habitat, Ongoing Research on Soil Health From Long-term Research Sites, the Continued Development of a Theoretical Framework for Optimal Forest Harvesting, an Investigation Into the Impact of Climate Change on Crop Yields and Water Requirements for Rice Production, a Project That Seeks to Educate Stakeholders on How to Best Manage the Great Rivers of North America, Impacts of Climate-related Stressors, Stakeholder Use Patterns, and Invasive Species on Individual Fish and Fish Populations, and an Exploration of the Impact of Precision Surface Drainage Ditching to Moti Vate Larger Efforts on the Topic. Extension Activities Will Seek to Improve Sustainable Engagement With Home and Community Landscapes and to Enhance and Sustain Natural Resources. in Addition to Locally Developed Programming That Will Address This Critical Issue, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist Core Volunteer Training and Continuing Educationwill Enable Expanded Outreach to Communities Throughout the State. Through Expert Assistance and Programming, Woodland Owners/foresters Will Have the Capacity to Make Informed Woodland Management Decisions. Certified Livestock Manager Training Will Continue to Help Owners of Livestock Operations Meet State Regulatory Requirements. Novice and Expert Gardeners Will Be Able to Access Statewide Resources Including the Monthly Four Seasons Gardening Webinar Series and Several Related and Regularly Updated Blog Series. Residents of All Ages Will Benefit From Local and Statewide Programs Focused on Actions to Protect the Environment (such as Pollinator Support, Renewable Energy, and Citizen Science). 4-H Statewide Programs Will Provide Opportunities to Engage in Outdoor Activities Including State 4-H Camp, Fishing, and Shooting Sports.d Continuing Education Will Enable Expanded Outreach to Communities Throughout the State. Through Expert Assistance and Programming, Woodland Owners/foresters Will Have the Capacity to Make Informed Woodland Management Decisions. Certified Livestock Manager Training Will Continue to Help Owners of Livestock Operations Meet State Regulatory Requirements. Novice and Expert Gardeners Will Be Able to Access Statewide Resources Including the Monthly Four Seasons Gardening Webinar Series and Several Related and Regularly Updated Blog Series. Residents of All Ages Will Benefit From Local and Statewide Programs Focused on Actions to Protect the Environment (such as Pollinator Support, Renewable Energy, and Citizen Science). 4-H Statewide Programs Will Provide Opportunities to Engage in Outdoor Activities Including State 4-H Camp, Fishing, and Shooting Sports.