Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also
known as the Extension Service of the
USDA, is a non-formal educational program
implemented in the United States designed
to help people use research-based knowledge
to improve their lives. The service is provided
by the state’s designated land-grant uni-
versities. In most states the educational of-
ferings are in the areas of agriculture and
food, home and family, the environment,
community economic development, and youth
and 4-H. The Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service of the
USDA administers funding for Smith Lever
Act services in cooperation with state and
county
governments
and
land-grant
universities.
Research Funding
The four CSREES research funding programs
for land-grant universities are (1) Hatch, (2)
Multistate Research (a subset of Hatch), (3)
McIntire-Stennis, and (4) Animal Health.[1]
Hatch Funds
The purpose of the Hatch program is to sup-
port "research basic to problems of agricul-
ture in its broadest aspects" by
• establishing and maintaining a permanent
and effective national agriculture industry
(which includes concern for environmental
quality),
• promoting sound and prosperous rural
life, and,
• improving the welfare of the consumer
(e.g., food safety and nutrition).
Multistate Research Projects
Twenty-five percent of the funds allocated
under the Hatch Act are designated by
CSREES for support of Multistate Research
Fund (MRF) Projects. These are projects that
focus on problems common to two or more
states. Suggestions for MRF Projects often
originate with
the
interested scientists;
however, directors of the various state agri-
cultural experiment station frequently estab-
lish technical committees that are charged
with preparing a research project to address
broadly recognized problems. Each experi-
ment station director designates the re-
searcher who will represent the station on
the technical committee. Individual directors
make the decision as to the amount of MRF
funds to allocate to a given