Be Local means recognizing the value of cooperative extension
Disseminating information on agriculture, gardening, food and nutrition as well as offering the 4-H youth program, the cooperative extension has been serving people across the nation for more than 100 years.
Be Local means recognizing the cooperative extension for its impact on the community and taking advantage of what it has to offer.
“Almost every county in the country has a cooperative extension office, including Hawaii,” said Walt Bumgarner, extension livestock educator for Fayette County.
“If you have a question on land use, anything agricultural, food safety – We’ll identify that bug for you,” remarked Bumgarner. “We get questions on everything. We may not have the exact information in our office but we know where to get it.”
The public may be more aware of the extension now as fair season is underway with agriculture taking the spotlight.
Most people probably recognize extension for its work with the 4-H program, which is America’s largest youth development organization.
“A big part of the fair is 4-H and the extension oversees 4-H,” noted Bill Jackson, board president for the recent Fayette County Fair. “They have the Youth Building and its activities. They’re a very integral part of the fair.”
Debbie Stephenson, fair board secretary/treasurer for Greene County, said, “They are in charge of our 4-H department that shows at our fair. They help us out in getting the kids involved. We have open class but 4-H makes up a big part as well.”
People also turn to the extension for its Master Gardener program, which is made up of community members who have an interest in gardening and want to help others.
“Everybody knows Master Gardeners but they don’t always realize they’re part of Penn State Cooperative Extension,” said Bumgarner.
In fact, the cooperative extension offers a lot to a community.
The United States Department of Agriculture best explains what Cooperative Extension is about on its website: “Extension’s roots go back to agricultural clubs and societies, which sprang up after the American Revolution in the early 1800s. In 1819, a pioneer agriculture journal entitled American Farmer encouraged farmers to report on their achievements and their methods of solving problems.”
The website reports the 1914 Smith Lever Act formalized extension, establishing a partnership with land-grand universities to apply research and provide education in agriculture. At the time, more than 50 percent of the population lived in rural areas and 30 percent of the workforce was engaged in farming.
“Over the last century, extension has adapted to changing times and landscapes. Fewer than 2 percent of Americans farm for a living today, and only 17 percent of Americans now live in rural areas. Yet, the extension service still plays a significant role in American life — rural, urban, and suburban,” the website noted. “With its unprecedented reach — an office in or near most of the nation’s approximately 3,000 counties — extension agents help farmers and ranchers achieve greater success, assist families with nutrition and home economics, and prepare today’s youth to become leaders tomorrow.”
Bumgarner explained, “Your local extension educators are considered outreach educators from your land-grant university. Most are tied to the college of agriculture but also some different departments. It’s a huge educational network.”
In Pennsylvania, Cooperative Extension is operated through Penn State University.
The Penn State Extension website reports it is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses and communities. The extension partners with and is funded by federal, state and county governments.
Bumgarner makes a point to note: “The cooperative extension is the place to get unbiased, scientific-based information.”
Jennifer Deichert, extension educator in Fayette County, said the extension “provides support, especially in the agricultural area because of our ties to Penn State University, which is a land-grant research university. As they learn things, we share them with the public.”
People who work at the extension offices are dedicated to their mission.
Bumgarner said the staff wants to make sure people receive good, relevant information they can use.
“The people in extension are not only educators,” noted Bumgarner, “we’re also members of the community we work in.”
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Ted Flowers at 724-425-7231 or by email at tflowers@heraldstandard.com. Discount cards are available at the Herald-Standard, 8 E. Church St., Uniontown, and at the Greene County Messenger, 82 W. High St., Waynesburg.