| Alabama Cooperative Extension System |
Article Index for Alabama |
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Information AboutAlabama Cooperative Extension System |
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The system employs more than 800 faculty, professional educators and staff operating in offices in all of Alabama’s 67 counties and in nine urban centers located in major regions of the state. "2003 Annual Report," Alabama Cooperative Extension System Henderson, Chinella "Urban Centers," Metro News, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. In conjunction with the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station , the system also staffs six Extension and Research Centers located in all of the state’s principal geographic regions. Since 2004, Alabama Extension has functioned primarily as a regionally-based system through which the bulk of educational programming is delivered by agents operating across a multi-county area and specializing in a particular field. Even so, county Extension coordinators and, in cases where funding is available, county agents, continue to play integral roles within the Extension mission, working with regional agents and other Extension personnel to deliver services to clients in their areas. Alabama Extension, which will mark its centennial in 2014, possesses a diverse history deeply rooted in the impoverished post- technology to improve the working conditions of the state’s farmers and homemakers. "Taking the University to the People: 2000 Annual Report," Alabama Cooperative Extension System Today, Alabama Extension faces many of the challenges also common among Extension programs in other states, namely rethinking and expanding its mission to address the needs of a state that is increasingly more affluent, Urbanized and racially and ethnically diverse. Many of Alabama Extension’s priority program areas are targeted to traditional audiences in rural parts of the state, but an increasing focus is on reaching nontraditional clients in urban areas of Alabama. "How Extension Works for You," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Moreover, capitalizing on rapid advances in Communications Technologies , Alabama Extension, like many of its counterparts in other states, increasingly is expanding its mission to reach regional, national and even worldwide audiences. DISTINCTIVE PROGRAMS The Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s six outreach emphases are agriculture, forestry and natural resources, urban and new nontraditional programs, family and individual well-being, community and economic development, and 4-H and youth development. These five areas of emphasis encompass 14 priority programs. While many of these priorities areas are reflected in Extension efforts in other states, Alabama’s unique history often has channeled Alabama Extension programming efforts into directions that have distinguished it from other states. "How Extension Works for You," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Agriculture =Alabama Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Development Program The oldest program of its kind in the Southeast, the Extension-sponsored Alabama Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Development program, known as LEADERS, graduated its eighth class in 2007. The two-year course of study seeks to prepare its graduates to become effective spokespersons on behalf of the Alabama food and fiber sector. More than 200 Alabamians, selected from the state’s agriculture and forestry industries, have graduated from the program. "Extension Program Training Young Producers to Become Public Leaders," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. =Beef Quality Assurance Alabama Extension was a pioneer in the Beef Quality Assurance program, a voluntary quality control program through which beef producers learn and implement management practices designed to ensure beef product quality. The Extension-sponsored BQA program is a cooperative effort among beef producers, veterinarians, the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association and the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. "Alabama Beef Quality Assurance: Getting Started," ANR-1277, Alabama Cooperative Extension System =Master Gardeners Program more than 25 years ago, is one of thousands of Alabamians who have committed part of their free time to volunteer work each year.]]The Alabama Master Gardener Program, which marked its 25th anniversary in 2006, is one of Cooperative Extension’s longest running volunteer efforts. The program recruits people with an interest in gardening to commit to 40 hours of intensive coursework in horticulture and, upon completion of this training, to devote at least 40 hours of volunteer service to the community. "Alabama Master Gardeners Program," Alabama Cooperative Extension System =Precision farming With financial support of farmers and farm commodity organizations, Alabama Extension also has emerged as a regional leader in the adoption of Precision Farming practices. Using a network of orbiting satellites, the technology enables producers using specially designed receivers to compile detailed soil maps and yield histories, which, in turn, have allowed them to post substantial savings in farm chemical applications and labor costs. "Your Experts for Life," 2002 Annual Report, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Extension has worked with farmers and counterparts in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station to establish demonstration farms and research fields to test this new technology. "Auburn Researchers and Extension Specialist Build Field of Dreams," News and Public Affairs, Extension Communications, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Aug. 26, 2003. Forestry and Natural Resources =Professional Logging Certification Alabama Extension-sponsored logger training helps logging professionals maintain certification to remain employed in the state’s multi-billion-dollar forestry industry. Extension contributes to about 15 percent of the 12,000 hours of continuing education accumulated annually by Alabama loggers. Urban and New Nontraditional programs An increasing emphasis of Extension programming within the last decade has been on urban and new nontraditional programs, focusing on the two-thirds of Alabamians who now live in urban areas. The Urban and New Nontraditional programs are administered through eight urban centers and two satellite offices throughout the state. Major emphases include the urban family network, workforce preparation, domestic violence prevention, teen leadership, health, and nontraditional agriculture. "Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Programs," MetroNews, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, October-December, 2001. =Urban-Rural Interface Conference The Urban-Rural Interface Conference, now a mainstay of the Urban and Nontraditional programming effort, seeks to building strong working relationships among communities, organizations and agencies to enhance the level of balanced programming efforts available to communities. "Cooperative Extension Hosts Urban-Rural Interface Conference," News and Public Affairs, Extension Communications, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, March 8, 2002. =Hispanic outreach Outreach efforts targeted to Alabama’s rapidly emerging Hispanic population are another major focus of Urban and New Nontraditional Programs. "Extension's Outreach to Alabama's Growing Hispanic Communities," 2003 Impact Statements, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Family and Individual Well-being =Begin Education Early The Begin Education Early program (abbreviated BEE), offered in five West Alabama counties, is designed to provide geographically isolated, limited income families with critical parenting skills to ensure that their pre-school children are prepared for the challenges of school. Paraprofessional educators work with participant families with at least one child under age 5. "Alabama's BEE Program - Enhancing School Readiness in Underserved Programs," 2003 Impact Statements, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. =Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program In the early 1960s, five rural Alabama counties served as pilot sites for what later became known as the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, a program developed to provide directed education to limited resource families to improve their eating habits and homemaking skills. From Alabama and other pilot states, the program eventually was expanded in the late 1960s to include all 50 states. While food and nutrition education always has comprised an important part of Extension education, this program, which in many states was expanded to include urban families, marked a historic milestone in Extension’s evolving mission. "Alabama Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program: Celebrating 40 Years of Success," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. =Nutrition Education The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, both at Auburn University and Alabama A&M University , received $2 million in federal funds to provide nutrition education to food stamp recipients, who comprise approximately 11 percent of the state’s population, and to those eligible to receive food stamps. The Auburn University-headquartered Nutrition Education Program has worked exclusively with the state’s food stamp offices in 46 rural counties, while the Alabama A&M University-based Urban Nutrition Education Program has expanded outreach to new, inner-city audiences who live in public housing facilities. Another major target group includes senior sites located in metropolitan areas. "Nutrition Education Program," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "Urban Nutrition Education Program," Alabama Cooperative Extension System. = The Marriage and Family Handbook Beginning in 2006, Alabama Extension, in conjunction with other public and private partners, began providing copies of its Marriage and Family Handbook to probate courts in all of Alabama’s 67 counties in 2006. In a state that ranks sixth in divorce nationally, the handbook is designed to provide newlyweds with skills considered essential for healthy marriages. "Alabama Marriage Handbook: Keys to a Healthy Marriage," HE-0829, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Community and Economic Development = Intensive Economic Development Training Course The two-week Intensive Economic Development Training Course, originated by Alabama Extension and now operated through the Auburn University-based Economic and Community Development Institute, has graduated more than 700 economic and community development professionals throughout the state, representing a majority of those in employed in this profession in Alabama. "Community and Economic Development," Extension Update, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Fall, 2005. = Rural Initiative Grant Program The Rural Alabama Initiative Grant Program, provided by Extension in partnership with the Economic and Community Development Program, provides some $500,000 worth of mini-grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, to develop leadership and development programs throughout the state. "Rural Initiative Grant Program," Action: Public Information for Alabama Citizens, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Spring, 2007. Alabama 4-H Youth Development |
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