A century of science and service

Abstract

Smith-Lever Act of 1914: An Act to pr colleges in the several States receiving and sixty-two, and of acts suppleme Outlook UC Cooperative Extension history A century of science and service Rose Hayden-Smith, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth, Family and Community Development Advisor, Ventura County Rachel Surls, UC Cooperative Extension Sustainable Food Systems Advisor, Los Angeles County O n a warm Friday, May 8, 1914, in Washington D.C., two pieces of new legislation awaited President Woodrow Wilson’s signature: a proclamation establishing the second Sunday each May as Mother’s Day, and the Smith-Lever Act. The honoring of mothers dominated the news that day, but Wilson recognized the importance of the Smith- Lever Act, calling it “one of the most significant and far-reaching measures for the education of adults ever adopted by government.” Sponsored by Sen. Hoke K. Smith and Rep. Asbury F. Lever, the bill was the result of national efforts to create a new educational model for U.S. agriculture. At that time, land-grant universities ran farmers in- stitutes and short courses taught by lecturers, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offered its own form of Extension work that focused on pest control field demonstrations in the South and farm management in the North. Yet there was no consis- tent or efficient way to deliver important knowledge from the university campuses to the communities that needed it. Passage of Smith-Lever launched a century of innovation in U.S. education that continues to this day. In California, the educational model born out of the legislation is UC Cooperative Extension. For 100 years this statewide network of UC researchers and educators has developed and provided science-based information to solve locally relevant challenges in the areas of economics, agriculture, natural resources, youth development and nutrition. Progressive roots Agriculture has always been vital to America. In 1860, at the outset of the Civil War, farmers made up 58% of the U.S. labor force. It was that demographic that created the impetus behind the 1862 Morrill Act, which gave each state a grant of land to establish a college that would teach practi- cal subjects such as agriculture and engineering (see California Agriculture, April–June 2012, pg. 42). A key role of those Continued on page 10 California milestones Library of Congress Hatch Act establishes federal funding for agricultural research in state land-grant colleges President Lincoln signs Morrill Act, authorizing development of agricultural “land-grant” colleges in each state Andrew Hansen Christiansen named California’s first Extension farm advisor, placed in Humboldt County UC agricultural clubs formed in Ferndale and Fortuna; these early clubs evolved into today’s 4-H program B.H. Crocheron recruited to direct state’s Agricultural Extension Service, which he does for next 35 years First UC Extension specialist , a poultryman, hired with goal to double egg production from 80 eggs per hen per year average 8 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE • VOLUME 68 , NUMBERS 1–2 The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley University of California founded to teach “agriculture, mining and the mechanical arts” Congress passes the Smith-Lever Act, making federal funds available for extension work UC Agricultural Extension Service (later renamed “Cooperative Extension”) appoints farm advisors in Glenn, Solano, Stanislaus and Placer counties Library of Congress Emergency war appropriations provide growth for UC Agricultural Extension as “food for victory” becomes national priority