Bird's Eye View of Extension Covering Fifty Years

Extension work in the United States has about a half century of service behind it. What have been the broad general results and what about the future? It is a good thing to occasionally take a bird's eye view of the past in order to better plan for the future.

Extension Accomplishments

Cooperative extension work, serving as the extramural educational arm of the Land Grant College System, the United States Department of agriculture, and in partnership with farmers, has made an excellent record. It has interpreted agricultural and home economics science through demonstrations and in easily understood language. It has gained the confidence of farmers, farmer's wives, and their children. It has encouraged and aided rural people to study scientific facts concerning the farm and home. It is the most successful, informal, out of school educational movement of record. It has done much to democratize higher education and make essential facts available to rural people.

4-H Clubs, the junior phase of cooperative extension work, has made an outstanding contribution to the development of rural youth. It has developed a better way of teaching agriculture through farm and home projects. It has provided a means for community cooperation and recreation among rural youth and has thus taught better citizenship in a practical way. It has grown into one of the great modern youth movements in purpose, character, and accomplishments.

In addition to the rural work, Extension has in many cases given effective and needed help to city homemakers. Extension has also given effective gardening helps to city families that are fortunate enough to have gardens. Work in this field is restricted because of lack of funds, but there is no doubt as to its value and desirability.

Extension has developed an effective type of "on the job" teaching. It is the most practical way yet devised for reaching all farms and farm homes with agricultural and home economics educational helps. The problems of a farm are too diverse and complicated for ordinary teaching methods. Farming, however, lends itself admirably to Extension methods of teaching in which farmers are out in contact with the best and latest that research and experimentation has to offer and are then helped in trying out or demonstrating the improved practices and methods. Extension teaching is also inexpensive. Extension costs may be said to be liquidated each year in increased earnings of farmers.

Extension Now Being Studied by Other Countries

Cooperative Extension as carried on in the United States is increasingly attracting the attention of other countries. Many of these countries have efficient agricultural colleges and do experimental and research work of a higher order. What they apparently are lacking is some effective method of bridging the gap between the college and the farm and thus getting the results of research and experimentation into the hands and thinking of actual farmers who can make use of it. The present point-4 plan of assisting other countries is based on Extension methods of teaching.

Danger in Being Satisfied

Extension has made a good record. There is, however, danger of becoming satisfied with what has been accomplished. If Extension becomes satisfied with what it has accomplished, it will not measure up to its opportunities. In order to correct any misunderstanding as to accomplishments it is well to consider some pertinent facts.

Part of Rural People Not Effectively Reached

The truth is that Extension is not now effectively reaching all farm people. And again, the truth is that the farmers who are not being reached are the ones who generally need educational helps most. It will take more effort and perhaps new techniques and methods to help those that are not now being benefited. To contact them effectively with better farming and homemaking practices would probably do more to improve general farming and farm living than any other one thing.

It is "know how" that counts most in farming. All farm management studies show this to be true. As long as part of the farmers have better training in and access to superior farming methods, there are bound to be sharp differences in ability to operate and acquire farms. There will always be differences on account of natural ability, but the American way is to give all an equal opportunity.

Extension Should Reach All Rural People

Why not further extend this system of teaching that has proven so effective? Why not extend it to all farmers? Since 4-H club work is of such a great help to part of the rural boys and girls, why not give all rural boys and girls at least an opportunity to benefit from it? Effectively reaching all farm families on their farms and in their homes and communities should be the goal of future Extension work. With proven methods of teaching already well developed, Extension could be extended to all rural people at a small per capita cost.

More Vision Needed

The goal of reaching all farm families will require much greater vision and imagination on the part of agricultural leadership. It will require boards of control and college administrators who measure the real worth of an agricultural college including its experiment stations and extension service in terms of better farming, better farm home, and better community living. This desirable result can only be accomplished on farms, in homes and in communities where people live.

The goal of effectively contacting all farm families with agricultural education helps is very important. It is a necessary part of a sound agricultural program. To cite one problem among many that might be given, agricultural leadership needs to work with increased zeal, to unite farm organizations, agricultural agencies, business interests, schools and churches in a combined and continuous program to conserve the soil and other natural rural resources on all farms and thus build for permanency and stability in rural America.

County Extension Responsibility

The task of reaching farmers who have not been effectively contacted with educational helps will be the most difficult problem that extension has undertaken. The ones not effectively reached are the ones who are indifferent or who for some other reason have not taken advantage of extension educational opportunities. They are also the ones who need help most. No neighborhood can be overlooked if the goal of reaching all farmers is to be achieved.

In the long look ahead and in order to reach all farmers it is important that the county workers assume a larger measure of responsibility. This responsibility should be exercised by a county board this is deeply interested in Extension and selected or elected for that specific purpose. Working in full cooperation with the State Extension service in developing plans of work, the county board should be largely responsible for the efficient administration of county extension work and the carrying out of the educational program.

Extension Objectives

The foregoing suggestions are in accord with accepted Extension methods and philosophy. Extension has been the chief exponent of the philosophy of learning to do by doing, of learning to live by living, and of learning to cooperate by cooperating. In order to get widespread leadership and cooperation and genuine local interest on a county and community basis, so necessary in reaching those farmers who are not now being effectively contacted. Extension must further encourage and develop county, community, and neighborhood groups and also individuals to be stronger partners and leaders in planning, managing, and carrying out educational programs.

Conclusion

The Extension method of teaching on farms and in homes is the most effective way yet devised of actually improving farming and farm family living. There is no other method that equals "on the job" training for the millions of farm families in this country. Extension Service has developed a most economical way of accomplishing this task, but the task is far from completed. Cooperative Extension Service, representing as it does the Land Grant Colleges, the educational work of the USDA and in full partnership with farmers provides a practical workable mechanism and an unparalleled opportunity to develop a permanent agriculture based on the intelligence, capability, and resourcefulness of rural people.

Source: transcribed in its entirety from manuscript A-970

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