HISTORY OF EDDY COUNTY EXTENSION Started 1 May 1915 to present

The Eddy County Cooperative Extension Service is a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture, Land Grant Universities (New Mexico State University) and Eddy County Government. New Mexico State University is the administrative authority of the program with local input from advisory committee and county commissions. The mission of the Cooperative Extension Service, as stated by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, is to bring research based knowledge to be used by industrious people to help solve local problems and improve their quality of life, in the fields of application of agriculture, livestock, crops, and horticulture; consumer and family science; youth development, 4-H; and engineering. In just a few short weeks we will be celebrating the 100th year of the Eddy County Extension program. Extension service is an out of the classroom educational system, in which adults and youth learn by doing. It is a partnership between the state, local, and federal governments, and local volunteers who provide service and education designed to meet the needs of the citizens of Eddy County. Its fundamental objective is the development of human resources, and to make people’s lives better. While it has been 101 years since the Smith-Leaver Act, Extension’s roots go back to 1785, when President Jefferson formed Agriculture societies to acquaint its members with practices that would improve their productivity. Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act in 1862, in the middle of the civil war. Sponsored by Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont it was “an act donating public lands to the several states and territories, which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanical arts.” This was the first Federal Aid to higher education. In 1887 the Hatch Act established State Agriculture & Mechanical Arts Experiment stations, such as the one in Artesia, to work with these land grant colleges. In 1902 Professor Knapp started what was to become 4-H in New Mexico. Eddy County was amount those first counties to form corn clubs and sewing societies led by the school superintendents in Hope, Artesia, Carlsbad, Loving and Malaga. These were the forerunner to what is now 4-H. In 1914 the Smith-Lever Act established the Cooperative Extension Service to extend this knowledge, from the colleges and experiment stations to people to use to improve their lives. When Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 and created the Cooperative Extension System at USDA, it included work of various boys' and girls' clubs involved with agriculture, home economics and related subjects, which effectively nationalized the 4-H organization. By 1924, these clubs became organized as 4-H clubs, and the clover emblem was adopted. Cooperative Extension was designed as a partnership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and land grant universities. Legislation in the various States, including New Mexico, has enabled local governments or organized groups in the Nation's counties to become a third legal partner in this education endeavor. The congressional charge to Cooperative Extension through the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 is far ranging. New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts quickly adopted the program under Dr. Fabian Garcia. The first Eddy County Extension Agent, Mr. J.W. Knorr came to work in the old Eddy County Court House in May of 1915 making Eddy County one of the first counties in the nation to have a County Extension Service. For 100 years Eddy County Commission has worked cooperatively with what is now known as New Mexico State University (formally NM A&MA) and the United State Department of Agriculture to serve the citizens and have helped improve the quality of life for the citizens of the county. I am looking for some old photographs of past County Extension Agents and Extension Activities. If you have some please contact me at 575-887-6595