The Way We Worked
Advancing Agriculture in America, 1925 This 1925 photograph shows U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Office Assistant Chief J.H. Evans making his rounds of local farms by horse-drawn buggy. In 1914, Congress created USDA’s Cooperative Extension Service to partner with land-grant universities for agriculture research and education. At that time, 30 percent of the U.S. workforce was engaged in farming. Today, with less than 2 percent of Americans farming for a living, the USDA has expanded its extension services to all communities, with offices in nearly every county in the U.S. These agents not only support farmers and ranchers, but they also assist families with nutrition and home economics, and provide youth educational services. PHOTO from from the records of the Department of Agriculture, National Archives, courtesy of the National Archives History Office, in collaboration with the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), bringing together government professionals, academics, consultants, students and citizens interested in understanding federal history work and the historical development of the federal government. To join, visit www.shfg.org. 52
NARFE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2021
DID YOU KNOW? While the Smith-Lever Act formalized cooperative extension in 1914, its roots go back to the agricultural clubs and societies of the early 1800s. Learn more at https://nifa.usda. gov/extension.
The Way We Worked celebrates the past 100 years of public service through archival images. Eargo and GEHA are proud sponsors of NARFE’s Centennial.
