Iowa State University Extension was founded in 1906 as the Department of Extension at Iowa State College (University). Area Extension included the administration by University Extension of county Extension offices, supervisory districts, and area offices that oversaw the work of specialists across counties. County Extension work in Iowa grew out of the county demonstration farms created during the early years of Extension. Clinton County was the first county in Iowa to hire a full-time county agent in 1912, and by the end of World War I there were Extension agents in every county. County Extension work was initially divided into six supervisory districts throughout Iowa. In 1961, Extension began a pilot project known as TENCO (refers to ten southern Iowa counties) that took a regional approach to rural development. Following the model of TENCO, twelve area offices were created between 1965 and 1969, in order to better utilize specialists in responding to the needs of the public across counties. This collection contains annual reports for county, supervisory district, and area Extension offices throughout Iowa.

In 1906, the Iowa General Assembly appropriated funds to establish a Department of Extension at Iowa State College (University). Extension work in Iowa began earlier through the pioneering efforts of several people, including Mary B. Welch, James Wilson, and Perry Holden. Holden was appointed the first superintendent of Extension at Iowa State from 1906 to 1912. He focused on three branches of Extension work: demonstration farms, short courses, and education trains. In 1914, the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, creating a nationwide system of cooperative extension services that provide outreach activities through land-grant universities. The Act brought together funding at the national, state, and county levels to support the work of these cooperative extension services, and the program was administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1966, University Extension was established by merging the short courses service group, farm demonstrations service group, engineering extension service group, and Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS, established in 1962). In 2006, University Extension became Extension and Outreach.

Area Extension included the administration of county Extension offices, supervisory districts, and area offices organizing Extension work throughout the state of Iowa.

County Extension work in Iowa grew out of the county demonstration farms created during the early years of Extension. There became a need to have full-time Extension workers living in the counties they served, instead of dividing their time between the Iowa State College campus and the county.  Clinton County, under the auspices of the Clinton Commercial Club, was the first county in Iowa to hire a full-time county agent, Martin L. Mosher, in 1912. Scott County quickly followed suit, hiring G.R. Bliss as full-time county agent later that same year. Other counties also hired Extension agents over the next several years so that, by 1917 when the United States entered World War I, there were a total of 24 county agents. World War I greatly increased the need for higher agricultural output around the country, so the federal government funded the hiring of agents in every county; Pottawattamie County hired two.

County Extension work was initially divided into six supervisory districts throughout Iowa. In 1961, a pilot project known as TENCO led the country in taking a regional approach to rural development. Extension workers collaborated with business and community leaders in ten southern Iowa counties around the hub city of Ottumwa to work together to solve economic problems affecting the area. In 1965, this area approach to Extension organization was expanded. With the growth in agricultural technologies, county Extension directors began to find that they did not have the resources to field the growing volume of questions. Beginning in Ottumwa, twelve area offices were created, with the final one opening in Des Moines in 1969. This area approach to organization allowed directors to better utilize the knowledge of specialists, engaging them more directly with the public. As of 2014, County Extension is organized into twenty regional offices.

Sources

Bliss, Ralph K. History of Cooperative Agriculture and Home Economics Extension in Iowa--The First Fifty Years. Ames, IA: Iowa State University of Science and Technology, 1960.

Schwieder, Dorothy. 75 Years of Service: Cooperative Extension in Iowa. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1993.

This collection (1912-1982) contains annual reports for county, supervisory district, and area Extension offices throughout Iowa.

Related collections in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library include:

• University Extension Annual Reports (RS 16/1/0/1)
• Area Extension Administrative Records (RS 16/6/1)

Additional Extension records can be found under records series (RS) 16

The files are arranged alphabetically.