Farm News, IA
11-30-07
A look back at 150 years of ISU Extension Services
By Renae Vander Schaaf, Farm News staff writer
Cory Peterson, Dickinson County extension director, displays the winning photo
entry in the county’s photo competition. The competition was held in celebration
of the extension’s 150th anniversary. The theme was “barns of distinction.”
Farmers and farm life had been of great concern and interest to many of our
founding fathers. In fact George Washington in his last annual address to
Congress urged the appropriation of funds to develop a National Board of
Agriculture to collect and distribute agricultural information. This goal was not
realized until Abraham Lincoln’s administration in 1862 with the Land Grant
College Act that provided for teaching of agriculture and mechanical arts. Four
years earlier on March 22, 1858, Iowa had passed legislation to establish an
agricultural college, now known as Iowa State University.
Iowa’s Agricultural College Act was given three distinct responsibilities, the
primary one of course, was to teach, another was to develop a model farm where
experiments and new farming techniques could be practiced and the third was
gather and dispense information throughout the state.
Without computers, faxes, radios and rural delivery which wasn’t introduced until
the early 1900s, information was distributed through exhibits, talks, publications
of essays and speeches according to information made available by Iowa State
University. The college soon organized Farmers’ Institutes. The institutes were
held throughout the state with both day and evening lectures on stock breeding
and management, fruit culture, farm accounts and a kindred topics that did not
neglect home economics.
It was at such an institute in the Sioux County town of Hull, on February 16-18,
1903 that a spirited discussion arose as to whether crop experiments conducted
at the state college would also apply in Sioux County - about 200 miles away.
According to records, Professor Holden of the corn gospel train fame entered the
meeting while this discussion was in progress. When asked by B. F. Hawkins,
chairman of the institute program, Holden contended that local crop experiments
would be of great value. He expressed the belief that the county should put on
demonstrations and have someone direct the demonstrations, consult with
farmers on their problems and also work with farm boys and girls.
According to records, the superintendent of the county farm, Harry McKee
agreed to work without extra compensation and research would be done on
growing cereals, grains and vegetables.
This local experimental farm caught on quickly and soon more counties were
doing the same. Farmers would bring their own seed and plants in different
conditions. Field days were held in the fall with the results of the experiments
studied.
A few years later in 1914 the Smith-Lever Act was passed which cemented the
relationship between agricultural extension work and land grant colleges. Six
features were emphasized: cooperative work with the USDA, demonstrational
work, county agent work, marketing, boys and girl’s club work in agriculture and
home economics, and home economics with farm women.
Eradicating tuberculosis in dairy herds and reducing losses of pigs to cholera
were some of the first crusades the extension led. Showing men and women
better techniques in butchering, designing farm buildings and better seed
selection led to a better life on the farm.
According to records, World War I and II saw the extension active in emergency
food programs. The need for food caused land prices to rise sharply only to
plummet after World War I. The cooperative extension worked with farmers to
see how costs could be cut by developing “A Balanced Agricultural Program.”
The depression came on the heels of the 1920’s farm crisis.
According to records, newly elected president Franklin D. Roosevelt could see
that America’s farmers were suffering and something needed to be done. Henry
A. Wallace was the president’s Secretary of Agriculture and editor of the
Wallaces Farmer. It was during these days that the farm program had its
beginnings. In May 1933, congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act
(AAA).
The intent of the AAA was to restore the purchasing power of American farmers
to pre-WWI levels.
In 1936 the Supreme Court declared the AAA unconstitutional. The majority of
the judges ruled that it was illegal to levy a tax on one group, the processors in
order to pay it to another, the farmers.
The combination of farmers producing less and the drought years of the mid 30s
took care of any overabundance of food. It was at this time the extension county
agents worked with Civilian Conservation Corps on soil conservation projects,
distributing surplus forages and grain to areas where drought conditions were
most severe.
Depending on the need, the extension service continues to change. David
Hessman of Spencer began his career with the extension in 1959 after
graduating from Iowa State University. He first worked in Muscatine County, then
in Ida County and finally Clay County where he retired in 1991.
“My degree was in agronomy and I was offered a job in my home state of Illinois,”
said Hessman. “Through acquaintances I was encouraged to look into a career
with the extension service. I was invited to talk with several extension employees
at Curtis Hall, I left with a job in Muscatine County. I thought it would be a good
training job for two to three years and then I would move on. But I stayed with the
extension service for 32 years. I know its true that the Cooperative Extension
Service as an arm of the land grant college system has made farmers and the
agribusiness community more money than any other item. Other countries envy
our system and attempt to duplicate it.”
He went on to say, “Agriculture is still the core of the U.S.A. Farmers are found in
every state. It is more important in states like Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. These
three states grow almost 70 percent of the country’s corn. We like to see industry
in Iowa but when Iowa possesses one-fourth of the grade-A land production,
agriculture remains number one.”