The Cooperative Extension Service is a nationwide network of land-grant universities charged with bringing research based information into local communities. In the century since its creation, this nationwide educational and outreach network has made significant contributions to American life — particularly in rural areas — and improved lives across the country. Extension's engagement with rural A
merica helped make possible the American agricultural revolution, which dramatically increased farm productivity, allowing fewer farmers to produce more food. TODAY
Over the last century, extension has adapted to changing times and landscapes. Fewer than 2 percent of Americans farm for a living today, and only 17 percent of Americans now live in rural areas (versus 30% farming and 50% living in rural areas then). Yet, the extension service still plays a significant role in American life — rural, urban, and suburban. With its unprecedented reach — an office in or near most of the nation's approximately 3,000 counties — extension helps farmers and ranchers achieve greater success, assist families with nutrition and home economics, and prepare today’s youth to become leaders tomorrow. UMaine Extension strives to create an online environment that is welcoming, mutually respectful and inclusive, and consistent with our organizational philosophy. We encourage the public to share their thoughts and opinions on our social media channels. Our policy is to accept the majority of comments made to our channels; however, administrators of official UMaine Extension pages do reserve the right to delete posts or to block users who do not follow our Social Media Commenting Policy at https://extension.umaine.edu/resources/social-network-directory/commenting-policy/.
