Penn State Extension
In 1911, Penn State requested money from the state legislature to fund a system of agricultural agents to distribute knowledge from the School of Agriculture to practicing farmers across the state. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 provided $10,000 annually to each state for agricultural and home economics extension allowing for the expansion of the agricultural cooperative extension.
By 1921, Pennsylvania was one of only six states to have a centralized agricultural cooperative extension program. The extension service employed specialists in economics, forestry, pesticides, soils, agronomy, family life, and many other subjects. The agents for Penn State's extension program were essential to:
- providing technical information from the USDA and Penn State's experiment station
- supervised experimental plantings
- judging local fairs
- organizing 4-H youth clubs
- publicizing local activities
- recruiting students for Penn State
Dean Watts addressing farmers in Butler County, June 3, 1916.
Archival Collections
- Pennsylvania Agricultural Cooperative Extension records (01131)The bulk of this collection contains the county extension agents' narrative and statistical annual reports, financial records, publications, correspondence course records, a large collection of glass slides.
- Pennsylvania Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences records (03110)The records of the Pennsylvania Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences include agenda and meeting minutes, annual meetings, constitution and bylaws, certificates, correspondence, handbooks, officer files from national conferences, membership lists, and audiotapes.
- Pennsylvania State University, 4-H Program records (00354)This collection of the 4-H Program documents members' activities. Items include primarily photographs, 2 audio cassettes, handbooks, work books, programs, manuals, and bulletins.
- Milton S. McDowell papers (00613)The papers of professor of agricultural extension Milton S. McDowell include correspondence, articles, notes, 120 glass plate negatives, and reports.
Published Materials
Cooperative extension : how it began in Pennsylvania by Publication Date: 1986- Statistical reporting in the Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service : needs and possibilities utilizing electronic data processing byCall Number: S544.3.P4D46 1965Publication Date: 1965Thesis
- A history of agricultural extension work in the United States, 1785-1923 byCall Number: S533.T838Publication Date: 1928
- Cooperative Extension System national initiatives : focus on issues. byCall Number: S544.C66 1988Publication Date: 1988