Cooperative extension service

This article is about a division of the US Department of Agriculture. For agriculture extensions in general, see Agricultural extension.

The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant universities. In most states the educational offerings are in the areas of agriculture and food, home and family, the environment, community economic development, and youth and 4-H. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA administers funding for Smith Lever Act services in cooperation with state and county governments and land-grant universities.

Research funding

The four National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) research funding programs for land-grant universities are (1) Hatch, (2) Multistate Research (a subset of Hatch), (3) McIntire-Stennis, and (4) Animal Health.^[1]

Cooperative Extension System

This table summarizes the cooperative extension programs in each state. (Under the 1890 amendment to the Morrill Act, if a state's land-grant university was not open to all races, a separate land-grant university had to be established for each race. Hence, some states have more than one land-grant university.)

Cooperative Extension^[2]

State	University	Extension Website	Counties Extension Websites
Alabama	Alabama A&M University Auburn University Tuskegee University[3]	Alabama Cooperative Extension System	Counties
Alaska	University of Alaska	University of Alaska Cooperative Extension
Arizona	University of Arizona	Arizona Cooperative Extension
Arkansas	University of Arkansas University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
California	University of California	University of California Cooperative Extension
Colorado	Colorado State University	Colorado State Extension
Connecticut	University of Connecticut	University of Connecticut Extension Services
Delaware	University of Delaware Delaware State University	Delaware Cooperative Extension DSU Cooperative Extension
District of Columbia	University of the District of Columbia	University of the District of Columbia Cooperative Extension Service
Florida	University of Florida Florida A&M University	University of Florida IFAS Extension
Georgia	University of Georgia Fort Valley State University	University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
Hawaii	University of Hawaii	University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service
Idaho	University of Idaho	University of Idaho Extension
Illinois	University of Illinois	University of Illinois Extension
Indiana	Purdue University	Purdue University Extension
Iowa	Iowa State University	Iowa State University Extension
Kansas	Kansas State University	Kansas State University Research & Extension
Kentucky	University of Kentucky Kentucky State University	University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension
Louisiana	Louisiana State University Southern University and A&M College	Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
Maine	University of Maine	University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maryland	University of Maryland University of Maryland Eastern Shore	University of Maryland Extension
Massachusetts	University of Massachusetts	University of Massachusetts Extension
Michigan	Michigan State University	Michigan State University Extension
Minnesota	University of Minnesota	Minnesota Extension Service
Mississippi	Mississippi State University Alcorn State University	Mississippi State University Extension
Missouri	University of Missouri Lincoln University	University of Missouri Extension
Montana	Montana State University	Montana State University Extension Service
Nebraska	University of Nebraska	University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Nevada	University of Nevada	University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
New Hampshire	University of New Hampshire	University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
New Jersey	Rutgers University	Rutgers Cooperative Extension
New Mexico	New Mexico State University	New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service
New York	Cornell University	Cornell Cooperative Extension
North Carolina	North Carolina State University North Carolina A&T State University	North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program
North Dakota	North Dakota State University	North Dakota State University Extension Service
Ohio	Ohio State University	The Ohio State University Extension
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State University	Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Oregon	Oregon State University	Oregon State University Extension Service
Pennsylvania	Penn State	Penn State Cooperative Extension
Rhode Island	University of Rhode Island	University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension
South Carolina	Clemson University South Carolina State University	Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service
South Dakota	South Dakota State University	South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service
Tennessee	University of Tennessee Tennessee State University	University of Tennessee Extension Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension Program
Texas	Texas A&M University Prairie View A&M University	Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Utah	Utah State University	Utah State University Extension
Vermont	University of Vermont	University of Vermont Extension System
Virginia	Virginia Tech Virginia State University	Virginia Cooperative Extension
Washington	Washington State University	Washington State University Extension
West Virginia	West Virginia University	West Virginia University Extension Service
Wisconsin	University of Wisconsin-Extension	University of Wisconsin Extension
Wyoming	University of Wyoming	University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service

History

The roots of U.S. agricultural extension go back to the early years of the country. There were agricultural societies and clubs after the American Revolution, and in 1810 came the first Farm Journal. It survived for only 2 years, but in 1819 John Stuart Skinner of Baltimore began publishing the American Farmer. Farmers were encouraged to report on their achievements and their methods of solving problems. Some worthwhile ideas, along with some utterly useless ones, appeared on the pages of the publication.

The Morrill Act of 1862 established land-grant universities to educate citizens in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other practical professions. Extension was formalized in 1914, with the Smith-Lever Act (link to that topic in About Us). It established the partnership between the agricultural colleges and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide for cooperative agricultural extension work. At the heart of agricultural extension work, according to the Act, was:

• Developing practical applications of research knowledge.
• Giving instruction and practical demonstrations of existing or improved practices or technologies in agriculture.

Smith-Lever mandated that the Federal Government (through USDA) provide each state with funds based on a population-related formula. Today, NIFA distributes these so-called formula grants annually.

The extension service's first big test came during World War I, when it helped the nation meet its wartime needs by:

• Increasing wheat acreage significantly, from an average of 47 million acres (190,000 km²) annually in 1913 to 74 million in 1919.

• Helping the USDA implement its new authority to encourage farm production, marketing, and conserving of perishable products by canning, drying, and preserving.

• Helping to address war-related farm labor shortages at harvest time by organizing the Women's Land Army and the Boys' Working Reserve.

More generally, extension's role in WWI helped it expand its reputation as an educational entity to one that also emphasized service for individuals, organizations, and the Federal Government.

During the Great Depression, state colleges and the USDA emphasized farm management for individual farmers. Extension agents taught farmers about marketing and helped farm groups organize both buying and selling cooperatives. At the same time, extension home economists taught farm women—who traditionally maintained the household—good nutrition, canning surplus foods, house gardening, home poultry production, home nursing, furniture refinishing, and sewing—skills that helped many farm families survive the years of economic depression and drought.

During World War II, the extension service again worked with farmers and their families, along with 4-H club members, to secure the production increases essential to the war effort. Each year for 5 years, total food production increased. In 1944, food production was 38 percent above the 1935–1939 average.

The Victory Garden Program was one of the most popular programs in the war period, and extension agents developed programs to provide seed, fertilizer, and simple gardening tools for victory gardeners. An estimated 15 million families planted victory gardens in 1942, and in 1943 some 20 million victory gardens produced more than 40 percent of the vegetables grown for that year's fresh consumption.

Between 1950 and 1997, the number of farms in the U.S. declined dramatically—from 5.4 million to 1.9 million. Because the amount of farmland did not decrease as much as the number of farms, the remaining farms have a larger average acreage. During the same period, farm production increased from one farmer supporting the food needs of 15.5 persons in 1950 to one farmer supporting 100 persons in 1990. By 1997, one farmer supported the food needs of almost 140 U.S. citizens. That increased productivity, despite the decline in farm numbers, resulted from increased mechanization, commercial fertilizers, new hybrid seeds, and other technologies. Extension played an important role in extending these new technologies to U.S. farmers and ranchers.

Extension today (including eXtension)

Over the last century, extension has adapted to changing times and landscapes, and it continues to address a wide range of human, plant, and animal needs in both urban and rural areas. Today, extension works in six major areas:

• 4-H Youth Development —cultivates important life skills in youth that build character and assist them in making appropriate life and career choices. At-risk youth participate in school retention and enrichment programs. Youth learn science, math, social skills, and much more, through hands-on projects and activities.

• Agriculture —research and educational programs help individuals learn new ways to produce income through alternative enterprises, improved marketing strategies, and management skills and help farmers and ranchers improve productivity through resource management, controlling crop pests, soil testing, livestock production practices, and marketing.

• Leadership Development —trains extension professionals and volunteers to deliver programs in gardening, health and safety, family and consumer issues, and 4-H youth development and serve in leadership roles in the community.

• Natural Resources —teaches landowners and homeowners how to use natural resources wisely and protect the environment with educational programs in water quality, timber management, composting, lawn waste management, and recycling.

• Family and Consumer Sciences —helps families become resilient and healthy by teaching nutrition, food preparation skills, positive child care, family communication, financial management, and health care strategies.

• Community and Economic Development —helps local governments investigate and create viable options for economic and community development, such as improved job creation and retention, small and medium-sized business development, effective and coordinated emergency response, solid waste disposal, tourism development, workforce education, and land use planning.

Regardless of the program, extension expertise meets public needs at the local level. Although the number of local extension offices has declined over the years, and some county offices have consolidated into regional extension centers, there remain approximately 2,900 extension offices nationwide. Increasingly, extension serves a growing, increasingly diverse constituency with fewer and fewer resources.

The extension system also supports the eXtension Web site. One of the goals of eXtension is to develop a coordinated, Internet-based information system where customers will have round-the-clock access to trustworthy, balanced views of specialized information and education on a wide range of topics. For customers, the value will be personalized, validated information addressing their specific questions, issues, and life events in an aggregated, non-duplicative approach.

Information on the eXtension Web site is organized into Communities of Practice (COP). Each COP includes articles, news, events, and frequently asked questions (FAQs). The information comes from Land-Grant University System faculty and staff experts. It is based on unbiased research and undergoes peer review prior to publication. Current COPs are organized around many topics, including but not limited to diversity, entrepreneurship, agrosecurity, cotton, dairy cattle, and more.

The eXtension Web site also includes a collection of news stories from partner institutions, a Frequently Asked Questions section, a calendar of extension events, online-learning opportunities, and content feeds.^[4]

External links

• Gardening, information directory
• eXtension in virtual worlds
• eXtension.org Dairy Cattle CoP
• Extension, citizen questions, all
• American Indian
• Australia
• Australia, West
• Canada
• Caribbean and surrounding areas
• Caribbean, fact sheets
• Danish
• India, all
• India, Hindi and Marathi
• India, Union Territory
• India, other Province links
• Mexico: Contact your local Unidad de capacitacion para el Desarrollo Rural (UNCADER)
• Mexican virtual library
• United Kingdom
• Ireland, all
• Ireland, potatoes
• Ireland, Organic
• Ireland, organic and Farmer's Markets
• Ireland, pesticides
• United States (CREES)
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Cooperative Extension Services

References

1. ^ http://www.cuaes.cornell.edu/CUAESWeb/funding.htm Retrieved 2007-10-22.
2. ^ http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/partners_list.pdf Retrieve 2007-10-22.
3. ^ Although Tuskeegee University has been a private university, it began to receive Cooperative Extension funding in 1972.
4. ^ http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/extension.html#yesterday