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| Photo Credit: Mark A. Miller |
| Each Extension office nationwide offers research-based information on plants that can be grown in its particular region. |
As a former horticulture agent, I’m a firm believer in the services provided by Cooperative Extensions. But when I first started working at one, was I really disappointed to find out that so many gardeners are completely unaware of this amazing resource. When I would tell people I worked for an Extension office, they’d tilt their heads to the side and give a long drawn out “oooohhh,” as if to say, “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.” When I’d ask them if they knew what an extension was, nine times out of 10 the answer was “no.” So here’s my “Reader’s Digest version” of the history of Cooperative Extension:
The Morrill Act of 1862 granted federally controlled land to the states to fund organizations we know as “land-grant institutions.” The mission of these institutions was to teach agriculture and other practical subjects to the working classes so they could obtain a college education. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 broadened the land-grant institutions’ mission to include Cooperative Extension services. The purpose of these branches was to get the land-grant colleges’ and universities’ research and practices (mainly in farming) to the rest of the state through their agents. Cooperative Extensions certainly have changed since their inception, but their duties are still as relevant as ever.
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