Even before 1907, the official birth date of Extension at Utah State University, railroad cars laden with displays and prepared exhibits were rolling around Utah and Idaho, disseminating information acquired at the Agricultural College of Utah. People who were blowing pulverized gunpowder through a paper funnel onto tonsils to relieve tonsillitis, or painting turpentine with a feather onto the throat to relieve soreness, wandered in the darkness of folkloric ignorance.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell about reliable information: “Never plant your potatoes in the light of the moon. They’ll be all tops. Wait until the last dark of the moon in the month of May before you plant potatoes. That way no frost will ruin the crops.”

It’s good to have answers based on research, grounded in experiment and disseminated freely by experts. USU’s three-fold mission as a land-grant university is to provide teaching, research (the Experiment Station) and outreach (Extension). It has done so for 100 years.

Because President Abraham Lincoln believed in an educated “rural democracy,” he signed the bill that funded at least one land-grant college in each state. With 50 percent of the population living on farms in 1862, employing almost 60 percent of the labor force, it seemed a wise move. 

Early business of Extension focused on producing a plentiful food supply by giving farmers answers about safeguarding crops from disease and insect infestations, seed-breeding, agronomy, how to market poultry for top dollar or mitigate the risks of cattle ranching. In the home, “It [was] the aim of the Extension Service to help the farm wife develop a wholesome environment in which to raise a happy and healthy family at the lowest cost possible.”

Because of best practices, a farmer can now feed himself and 90 others. Freed from the land, most Utahns live on the highly urbanized Wasatch Front and have problems quite different from those in the early 20th century: growth (St. George is the fastest growing metro area in the nation, and Salt Lake City and Ogden are in the top 100); bankruptcies (Utah ranks 3rd nationally), and life-shortening childhood obesity.

Ever the servant to the people, Extension is responding with answers to new questions: In a program called Teens Reaching Youth, local youth in Salt Lake County mentor younger children to choose healthy foods. 4-H programs, the mainstay of Extension for youth, still depend on volunteer leadership in clubs that want to try robotics, ham radio operation, shooting sports as well as clothing construction and food preparation, but also build self-esteem and respect for others. A program for at-risk youth, which started in Iron County and spread to every county in the state, teaches adolescents with poor social skills or weak family bonds how to cope with constructive behaviors.

Always on the frontier, USU Extension was the first in the state to perfect electronic delivery of education. It offers non-credit classes in broad topics such as agriculture, families and communities, food and nutrition, finance and horticulture. Noelle E. Cockett, vice president of Extension and dean of agriculture, says that “Extension is as relevant as ever.” Extension agents are in every county. Dean Cockett travels the state often herself. She admires the “rural entrepreneurship” of those people who choose to live in remote areas and is “committed to making their lives vibrant.” She notes in her travels that the office of the county agent is a sort of “gathering place” for residents who seek one-stop, reliable information that is customized for the problems of their county.

Now with most Utahns living in cities, Extension adapts, addressing family issues, financial perils, high divorce rates and inadequate meal planning skills. With the Latino population growing faster than any other minority in Utah, the curriculum is being translated into Spanish and delivered in a culturally sensitive manner. USU Extension family life specialists are teaching healthy marriage and child-rearing skills to Utah stepfamilies.
                       
A USU Extension bankruptcy prevention agent is promoting Utah Saves. The U.S. savings rate has reached the lowest level since the Great Depression. There is also help for people filing tax returns or starting a home business. No longer worried about producing an adequate food supply, agents now disseminate information on keeping food safe from bioterrorism, warning of West Nile virus and preparing for a possible avian flu epidemic.

The problems that have come with demographic changes in Utah call for serious answers. They seem more urgent now, springing from social dysfunction and modern stresses. Extension experts, whose knowledge is based on solid research, are also changing to be ready
to help.
—Marilyn Liddle ’73 ’96MA