St. Louis County Extension Service reports

St. Louis County Extension Service is an educational agency of State land-grant colleges and the U. S. Department of Agriculture. It is a unique educational system operating in every State and county formed to provide information on agricultural and home economics subjects and to teach people how to use this information. Extension Agents serve as the teachers and have three general areas of work within the Extension Service: agriculture, home economics, and 4-H.

The Extension Service was established in 1914 by the Federal Smith-Lever Act. For the most part, it is financed cooperatively by the federal (40%), state (35%), and county (25%) governments, thus the name Cooperative Extension Service. The St. Louis County Extension Service is an educational agency of State land-grant colleges and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a unique educational system operating in every State and county whose purpose is to provide information on agricultural and home economics subjects and to teach people how to make use of this information. More than twelve and a half million families learn better farming and homemaking methods each year without going to school.

The Administrator of the Federal Extension Service is in charge of the extension program in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. State Extension directors are in charge of the State programs. The State Extension director is appointed by the State land-grand college or university supervisory board with the approval of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The State director then coordinates with local officials the employment and supervision of the county extension agents. Cooperative Extension Service has a nation-wide professional staff of more than 14,000 workers to carry on its educational work. Approximately 11,000 of these are county agricultural, home demonstration, and 4-H Club agents. Minnesota's State director is located in the Institute of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

Extension Agents serve as the teachers and have three general areas of work within the Extension Service including agriculture, home economics, and 4-H. County agricultural agents generally work with farmers and farm boys; home demonstration agents work with farm women and girls; and (in some states) special 4-H Club agents work with boys and girls who are member of 4-H Clubs. Urban agents are located in some cities. County extension agents are usually located in the courthouse or Federal building at the county seat.

The agents are joint employees of their State agricultural colleges and the Department of Agriculture. The Extension service traditionally worked with rural Americans or more specifically farm people, but over time started to assist non-farm people who lived in small towns or cities. One of the key principles of extension educational work is teaching by demonstration. Extension workers felt that most people preferred to learn the value of a new way of doing something by actually trying it. Hence, agents relied heavily on demonstrations carried out by farm men and women and boys and girls for teaching new agricultural and home economics techniques to their neighbors. Likewise, 4-H boys and girls learn new skills by actually enrolling in a project of their choice and doing things required for the completion of the project.

Agricultural Extension educational programs deal with all aspects of producing, marketing, processing, utilizing, and consuming agricultural products. Agents and specialists have information on general farm subjects such as crops and soils, dairy, poultry and animal husbandry, forestry, farm machinery and buildings, marketing, and soil conservation. They can also provide information on lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants.

The homemaking phase of extension work brings families the latest research and information to help them achieve better living. Agents encourage women to use the time, energy, money, and abilities of the family to achieve the goals the family considers important. The County Extension Home Council served as an advisory body to the County Extension Service in the program development process for organized Extension Homemaker Study Groups. Its specific functions included counseling with agents to assist with organization, planning and carrying out educational activities, and communications. Extension workers offer advice on how to: Prepare good, nutritious meals at low costs; create a good home environment, select and buy clothes for the family; make the home more convenient, attractive, and comfortable; and make housekeeping easier.

The goal of Extension’s 4-H program is to develop the County’s most priceless resource – youth. Extension helps boys and girls prepare for successful living in a changing world. Club activities stress development of leadership, responsibility, cooperation, self-confidence, and quality workmanship. In addition to projects that teach better ways of homemaking and farming, 4-H provides young people the opportunity to explore careers in work closely related to agriculture and home economics. To meet the needs of young people not interested in farming, many new projects have been added or enlarged including: automotive care, operation, and safety; landscaping and horticulture; buymanship and consumer education; and care of light horses and pets.