1. 2014 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Centennial Celebration
100 years of service
&
Dedicated Volunteers
Wow! Can you believe it? Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, part of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Program is 100 years old. That’s 100 years of helping our clientele with real life issues. That’s 100 years of working side by side with you, our Extension volunteers. This evening is a tribute to you – our Extension volunteers of Fort Bend County.

2. Go West Young Men & Women
Settlers began moving west of the Mississippi River by wagon-train to explore vast new lands and to take advantage of land grants offered by the federal government.

3. 1870
1880
Soon after, rail-lines brought more settlers to all parts of the “west” like never before.
1890

4. The Structure of the Land Grant University System
Morrill Act , 1890
Hatch Act
Land
Grant
University System
TEACHING
RESEARCH
This is just a picture to help drive home the message of the three pieces of the Land-Grant System, so everyone can see the connection. The Land-Grant System consist of 3 parts: Teaching (established by the Morrill Act of 1862, amended in 1890 and again in 1990), Research (established by the Hatch Act of 1887); and Extension (established by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914).
EXTENSION
Smith–Lever Act

5. Beginning of the Land Grant University System
The Morrill Act of 1862, 1890, 1990
Sen. Justin S. Morrill (R-Vt)
Beginning of the Land Grant University System
Senator Justin Smith Morrill's 1862 Land-Grant Act, followed by the second Act in 1890, allocated the funds from the sale of federal lands to support new Land-Grant colleges and universities that taught agriculture, business, engineering, mechanics and home economics. Today the 105 Land-Grant colleges and universities have over 25 million graduates worldwide.
With the influx of easterners, farming and ranching became a necessity within the new frontier. Survival depended on begin able to produce enough food for a family and livestock each and every year. With that necessity in mind, President Lincoln signed into law on July 2, 1862 the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 which establishes land-grant universities to teach to teach “branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts.”

6. Our Legacy Begins
President Abraham Lincoln said, at the signing of the Morrill Act, which established the Land Grant University System - “The Land grant university system is being built on behalf of the people, who have invested in these public universities their hopes, their support and their confidence.”

7. Hatch Act of 1887
Established by US Congressmen William H. Hatch (D-Mo.), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee
$15,000 to each Land Grant University to create experiment stations to test various Ag-related concepts.
Signed by President Grover Cleveland, nd President of the United States
The Hatch Act of 1887 essentially formed the Research Stations as part of the Land Grant System which eventually gave rise to CREES (Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service)

8. then came…. Seaman A. Knapp
“The Father of
Cooperative Extension”
Teacher, Professor
Farmer
College president
Director of La. Farm Colonization efforts
First demonstration in Kauffman Co. TX.
Instrumental in forming the Smith-Lever Act
Chronology:
Born in Schroon, Essex County, NY
1856 Graduated from Union College, Schenectady, NY
Taught School in New York and Vermont
1866 Moved to Iowa to Farm Corn and Raise Pigs
Superintendent for the Iowa College for the Blind
Editor of Western Stock Holders and Farmer’s Journal
Professor of Agriculture, Iowa State College
College President, Iowa State College
Director of Colonization Effort in Louisiana
1904 Established first Demonstration in Kaufman County, TX
National Demonstration Leader
April 1911 Died
Major Accomplishments:
Developed a school for girls (Ripley Female School), around 1860
Established agriculture demonstration through federal funding, early 1880's
Helped author the Experiment Station Act, 1882
Heavily involved directly and indirectly in the Hatch Act of 1887
Provided crop demonstration work with rice while in Louisiana,
Founded the Southwestern Rice Industry,
Assisted in the developed the first county demonstration work, 1903
Organized the “U.S.D.A. Demonstration System”, 1904
Instrumental in the Smith-Lever Act, 1914 (after his death)
Instrumental in the Extension Service Administrators Farm Adjustment Act in counties, 1933 (after his death)
“What a man hears, he may doubt. What he sees, he may possibly doubt. What he does himself, he cannot doubt.”

9. Smith-Lever Act of 1914 (aka: Agriculture Extension Act)
But we needed more, having a Land Grant University System and people across the nation in need, was not enough. The people needed more.
In order to inform people about current developments in agriculture, home economics, public policy & government, and youth development & leadership - the universities needed a “department” so to speak, with “boots on the ground” to extend new knowledge gained by each land grant system across the nation to “connect” or reach out to each and every American. A cooperative extension of the Land Grant University System was the answer and the vision of both Senator Michael “Hoke” Smith of Georgia and Senator Asbury Lever of South Carolina.
Sen. Michael Hoke Smith (D-GA)
Sen. Asbury Lever
(D-SC)

10. Signing of the Smith-Lever Act (aka Agriculture Extension Act)
On May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Smith-Lever Act that established the Cooperative Extension program and called it “one of the most significant and far-reaching measures for the education of adults ever adopted by any government.”
And, 100 years later we are still as relevant as in the beginning.

11. Centennial Proclamation signed May 27, 2014
In honor of our 100 years in Fort Bend County and across the State of Texas, a Centennial Proclamation that recognized the relationship between Cooperative Extension (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service) and County Commissioners’ courts across Texas was signed on May 27, 2014 by Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert and presented to the Fort Bend County staff.

12. Today: June 20, 2014…… We are here to honor:
100 years of Cooperative Extension work
You, our very valuable volunteers
So, here we are today to celebrate 100 years of Cooperative Extension Work. And, to honor you, our dedicated volunteers who help us strive to achieve our Extension Mission and Vision by extending our efforts to all parts of this county and the state of Texas as a whole.

13. Who You Are – the Volunteers of FBC
Farm Bureau: Supported the salary of the first “county agent” in Fort Bend County & many counties.
Texas Extension Education Association (Extension Home Makers, Home Demonstration Agents): supported/promoted family life.
Program Area Committees:
Ag/Hort Advisory Group
Bee PAC
Beef/Forage PAC
Crops PAC
Family & Consumer Science PAC
Pecan/Citrus PAC
Our volunteers include Farm Bureau, TEEA, numerous program area committees, task forces, master volunteers and the Leadership Advisory Board of Fort Bend County.

14. Managers: Task Forces: Master Volunteers:
BLT Task Force
Horse Task Force
Partners for Parenting TF
Pesticide TF
Rice Task Force
Managers:
4-H Club Managers
4-H Project Managers & Project Leaders
Master Volunteers:
Coastal Prairie Master Naturalist
Fort Bend Master Gardeners
Master Wellness
Leadership Advisory Board: At-large focuses on the issues important to the citizens of Fort Bend County.
And, the episodic volunteers (collaborators)
Our volunteers include Farm Bureau, TEEA, numerous program area committees, task forces, master volunteers and the Leadership Advisory Board of Fort Bend County.

15. Thank You! …For Being a Part!
A Part of the 100 Year-old relationship with AgriLife Extension Service
Extend services to clientele
Effective spokespersons to the community
Effective spokespersons to stakeholders
Bring organization perspective to program
Concentrate their time and effort on specific subject matter / program / job
For guiding us
And, a part of helping to make Fort Bend a truly wonderful place to live for all!
Thank You for all you do with us for the past 100 years.

16. Value of Volunteers
Old Chinese Proverb - “Behind every able man there are always other able men”
That’s YOU!
THANK YOU!
Yes, our Extension Volunteers are valuable – very valuable