The Extension Service was established in order to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture and home economics, and to encourage the application of the same. It has met a wide variety of situations in the 22 years of its history. While it has fostered continuously a program of agricultural and rural life improvement, it has met emergencies of agriculture in the World War [World War I], of pestilences, floods, drought, infestations of destructive insects, livestock and plant diseases, and the problems of agriculture in the great depression of the past few years. More changes have come about in the agriculture of our country during the last 20 years than in many scores of years prior to the last. The Extension Service has had a very potent part in the constructive changes that have come about.

From the farmers’ viewpoint no more important act [than the Smith-Lever Act] had ever been passed by Congress. It recognized the need of giving more direct attention and assistance to the solving of rural problems.