Communities, businesses, and individuals alike benefit from the
programs, services, and projects provided by the Cooperative
Extension Service. Its four programs—agriculture and natural
resources, 4-H and youth development, home economics and human nutrition,
and community resource development—disseminate various types
of information and tools that the general public can apply in daily
life. The agriculture and natural resources program, for example,
advises farmers on agricultural production techniques, contracting,
and a host of other topics through classes, web sites, or one-on-one
consultation.
With a third of the U.S. population employed in farming at the
inception of the Service in 1914, its largest program—in terms
of funding and staffing resources—was agriculture and natural
resources. Even now, agriculture and natural resources remains the
Service's largest program area, though farming currently accounts
for only 1 percent of U.S. employment.
A cooperative effort of Federal, State, and local governments,
the Extension Service receives funds from all three sources. Over
time, the proportion of funding from each source has shifted to
rely more on State and local funding. States accounted for about
half of total funding in 2000. The Federal share declined from 42
percent in 1972 to 24 percent in 2000.
Changes in staffing resources have
been more subtle than changes in funding sources. ERS researchers
recently examined administrative records on full-time equivalent
(FTE) staff at the State level to gain a more precise understanding
of these changes over the past quarter-century. Extension personnel
declined by 2,100 positions, about 12 percent, overall between 1977
and 1997, with the greatest changes occurring between 1982 and 1987.
In 1992, the most recent year for which program area data are available,
nearly half of the Extension staff were allocated to the agriculture
and natural resources program. From 1977 to 1992, as total staff
declined, the staff dedicated to agriculture and natural resources
increased slightly—less than 1 percent (30 FTEs)—while
the staff dedicated to home economics and nutrition increased by
7 percent (253 FTEs).
Much of the information disseminated through the agriculture and
natural resources program benefits farmers individually and is available
in alternative forms in the private marketplace. Proponents of the
Extension Service argue, however, that public investment in private,
individual decisions benefits society as a whole because the resulting
decisions translate into a more efficient agricultural system with
lower food costs and more benign environmental impacts.
