Cooperative Extension System Celebrates 100th Anniversary

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension System and directed our country's land grant universities, including Michigan State University, to oversee its work.

"Cooperative Extension connects the most current research and resources from our universities to help individuals, families, communities and businesses across our nation," said Stabenow. "There is no greater example of this than in Michigan. For more than 100 years, Michigan State University Extension has helped Michigan residents by giving them information to assist them in their jobs, help their communities prosper and keep their families safe and healthy."

"President Obama recognized MSU's leadership last month in signing the Farm Bill on the University's campus," continued Stabenow.

Cooperative extensions provide a nationwide educational network, bringing together federal, state and local governments with land-grant universities to provide research-based information to people in communities across the United States. Cooperative extension offices are now present in every U.S. state and provide important and practical information to agricultural producers, small business owners, young people, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.

Chairwoman Stabenow's 2014 Farm Bill establishes the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research - a non-profit foundation which will raise private funds for agricultural research. The foundation will fund opportunities for enhanced collaboration between agricultural researchers from the federal government, land-grant and other universities and non-profit organizations.

The text of the resolution introduced by Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) can be found here. For more information on the 2014 Farm Bill, please visit www.stabenow.senate.gov.