Extension Faculty Orientation Modules:
History & Philosophy of Cooperative Extension
Federal Legislation Affecting Cooperative Extension since 1972
1972 -- Rural Development Act of 1972 -- Title V
Authorized rural development and small-farm extension programs, required that administration of program be associated with program under Smith -- Lever Act (Memorandum of Understanding required), and established State Rural Development Advisory Council.
1972 -- Smith-Lever -- Amendment
Virgin Islands and Guam designated as States under Section 10.
1977 -- Food and Agriculture Act
A very comprehensive act that affected Cooperative Extension in the following ways:
- Established a joint council on Food and Agricultural Sciences to foster coordination of the research, extension and teaching activities in the Federal Government, the states, and among private and public colleges and universities.
- Established a National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board.
- Authorized fixed amounts for extension activities through FY 1978 ($260,000,000) to FY 1982 ($350,000,000).
- Established a National Food and Human Nutrition Research and Education Program.
- Authorized agricultural and forestry extension funds for the 1890 institutions and Tuskegee Institute. Specifies that 4 percent of funds under Smith-Lever Act must go for extension work at these institutions and instructs extension heads at 1862 and 1890 institutions to develop a statewide comprehensive plan.
- Amended the Rural Development Act of 1972 to provide additional assistance to small farmers (any farmer with gross sales of less than $20,000) and provides for use of paraprofessionals in this effort.
- Added the uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture; defined solar energy and allowed for establishment of solar energy project demonstrations.
Required the Secretary to submit an evaluation of the Extension Service and the several Cooperative Extension Services by March 1979.
- Directed the Secretary to assist Agency for International Development with agricultural research and extension programs in developing countries.
1978 -- Renewable Resources Extension Act
A very comprehensive act that affected Cooperative Extension in the following ways:
- Provided for educational programs concentrating on renewable resources, which includes fish and wildlife management, range management, timber management, and watershed management as well as forest and range-based outdoor recreation opportunities, trees and forests in urban areas and trees and shrubs in shelter belts.
- Required a five year plan for implementing the Act to be submitted to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board.
1980 -- Smith-Lever Amendment
Inserted reference to rural energy in Section 2.
1981 -- Agriculture and Food Act of 1981
Amended the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 as follows:
- Defined the terms "food and agricultural science", "state", "teaching" and "state cooperative agents," and cooperating forestry school.
- Added authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate all agricultural research, extension and teaching activities conducted or financed by the Department of Agriculture, provided by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and by the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977; and to develop long-range planning with all states, state institutions, Joint Council, Advisory Board and other appropriate institutions.
- Defined the primary responsibility of the Joint Council; specified the terms of membership; and changed the dates for submitting the priority recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture.
- Outlined the membership of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board and changed the dates for submitting priority recommendations to the Secretary.
- Supported the Federal-State partnership.
- Provided for the employment and training of professionals and paraprofessional aides to engage in nutrition education of low-income families. Also set the appropriations and poverty guidelines for the expanded food and nutrition education program.
- Specified the appropriation for extension work of 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee Institute; changed title to "extension administrator" and required the submission of a plan of work.
- Authorized appropriations for solar energy model farms and demonstration projects.
- Gives the Secretary of Agriculture authority to coordinate research and extension efforts in international agriculture, which may include technical services, funds enhancement or linkages among institutions.
- Authorized appropriations for extension programs.
- Authorized aquaculture extension work and rangeland research.
- Authorized rural development programs and small farm extension programs and small farm extension programs.
- Amended the Rural Development Act of 1972.
- Authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a regular evaluation of agricultural, research, extension, and teaching programs.
- Established Cooperative Research and Extension programs in aquatic food species.
- Established and Aquaculture Advisory Board.
1985 -- Food Security Act of 1985
Amended the National Agricultural Research Extension and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to give authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate the efforts of states, extension services, the Joint Council, the Advisory Board, and others in developing a plan for the effective transfer of technology to the farming community, addressing the unique problems of small and medium-sized farmers; established controls in the development and use of application of biotechnology to agriculture.
Charged the National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board with developing a plan for the effective transfer of new technologies to the farming community.
Repealed Sections 1424 and 1427 of the 1977 Act regarding food and human nutrition research and extension program materials.
Provided grants to upgrade 1890 land grant college extension facilities, including Tuskegee Institute.
1985 -- Smith-Lever Amendment
Revised Section 2 to read:
"Shall consist of the development of practical applications of research knowledge and giving of instruction and practical demonstrations of existing or improved practices or technologies.
Amended by adding:
The Secretary of Agriculture may conduct educational, instructional, demonstration and publication distribution programs through the Federal Extension Service and enter into cooperative agreements with private nonprofit and profit organizations and individuals to share the cost of such programs through contributions from private sources as provided in this subsection.
Authorized grants to 1890 Universities to improve Extension facilities and equipment.
Authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to receive contributions from private sources and to provide matching funds not to exceed 50 percent of the contribution.
1988 -- Smith-Lever Amendment
Expanded the definition of "state" to include "States of the Union, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the trust territory of the Pacific Islands."
1990 -- Conservation Program Improvement Act and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990
Directed the Extension Service to operate a program in each state to catalogue the federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern the handling of unused or unwanted agricultural chemicals and agricultural chemical containers in the state. It also provided for the development of educational materials to be distributed to agricultural producers and the general public.
Charged the Extension Service to have educational efforts that would inform the public of the safest way to compost and teach composing techniques and procedures for using compost.
Expanded natural resource educational programs in the Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978.
Established a water quality coordination program that increased educational efforts regarding water contamination.
Provided for assistance for the control of weeds and pests.
Allowed for the expansion of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.
Provided for the collaborative programs of food, nutrition and consumer education for low income individuals with other public agencies.
Repealed Sections 3241-3271 regarding solar energy information system, farm and demonstration projects, and research and development centers.
Established five regional aquaculture research and demonstration centers for research and Extension work and demonstration projects.
1990 -- The National Forest Dependent Rural Communities Economic Diversification Act of 1990
Expanded educational programs to rural communities that are economically dependent upon forest resources to assist in diversifying the community economic base. Specified training and education programs to be conducted by the Extension Service.
1994 -- National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching Act of 1994
Established extension education programs on Native American reservations and tribal jurisdictions in states where located.
Provided for technical assistance and training to Native American tribes and Alaskan Natives for subsistence farming programs.
Provided grants for a pilot project to coordinate food and nutrition education programs of states.
Provided for demonstration grants for extension and nonprofit disability agencies to provide on the farm agricultural education and assistance directed at accommodating disability in farm operations.
1994 -- The Department of Agricultural Reorganization Act of 1994
Established the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) to coordinate USDA and state cooperative agricultural research, extension and education programs.
Established the Cooperative State Research and Education Service (CSREES) to consolidate cooperative research and agricultural extension and education programs with state agricultural experiment stations and extension services within land-grant and related universities.
Source: Seevers, Brenda, D. Graham, J. Gamon, N. Conklin. 1997. Education through Cooperative Extension. Delmar Pub. Albany, NY.
