The Cooperative Extension Service

The Cooperative Extension Service, consisting of federal, state, and local agricultural offices, was established primarily to provide farmers with information and to encourage them to improve their farming methods. The range of programs offered by the Extension Service and the audiences served have broadened considerably. The Extension Service's enabling legislation is general enough so that interpretations differ as to what the Service should be doing and for whom. As more programs compete for resources, disagreements have arisen over what the Extension Service's mission should be. Although it is desirable that state and local program management be flexible, the Federal Extension Service should assume a more active leadership role to better satisfy federal, state, and local needs. Improved program evaluation at all levels is needed; the major obstacle is lack of a central office responsible for clearly defining evaluation standards. The appropriate congressional committees should examine the Service's mission, including program, clientele, funding, and organization issues. The Secretary of Agriculture should: (1) interact more with the states in the extension program development process; and (2) assume leadership, in cooperation with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, to develop and implement an accounting and evaluation system for the Cooperative Extension Service. The Department of Agriculture has agreed that clarification of the Extension Service's mission would be beneficial.