About NEED

NEED’s Mission 

NEED supports the success of Cooperative Extension in the northeast region by: 

  • providing learning, sharing, and networking opportunities to benefit members, member state programs, and the long-term health of the Extension system; 
  • facilitating a cooperative approach to address priority issues;   
  • creating products, applying collective resources, and undertaking regional initiatives to support the health of northeast extension programs, advance northeast extension priorities, and improve impacts, while avoid unnecessary competition among members;
  • supporting efforts to leverage resources across state lines to promote efficiency and effectiveness; and,
  • representing and advancing the interests of the northeast region on the national stage by advocating on the region’s behalf, elevating member state and regional successes, educating possible partners, and supporting or leading System-wide initiatives that intersect with regional interests. 
Photo courtesy of UNH Cooperative Extension
Photo courtesy of UMass Extension: photog Ben Barnhart
Photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension: photog R.J. Anderson

The NEED Vision

The Northeast Region will be an example for how to leverage multi-state resources to benefit extension programs at the interstate and regional level in a way that is engaged with communities, supports youth development, establishes resilient connections between urban and rural populations, and moves the region toward a sustainable future.  

Photo courtesy of URI Cooperative Extension