Join Virginia Tech as it marks Virginia Cooperative Extension's centennial
Virginia Tech will mark the 100-year anniversary of Virginia Cooperative Extension with a showcase and ice cream social on May 8, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Ag Quad on the Blacksburg campus. In recognition of Extension’s centennial, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has declared May 8 Virginia Cooperative Extension Day in Virginia.
Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act on May 8, 1914, creating the Cooperative Extension Service, a state-by-state national network of educators who extend university-based knowledge to the people. Virginia Cooperative Extension shares the resources of Virginia's two land-grant universities – Virginia Tech and Virginia State University – with the people of the commonwealth.
Faculty members located on two campuses, 107 county and city offices, 11 agricultural research and extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers provide educational programs in everything from family financial management and nutrition, to agricultural best practices and food safety, to small business development and leadership. In 2013, Extension programs reached more than 2.6 million participants statewide.
“The showcase will be a great opportunity for the Virginia Tech community to learn about the work that is being done here in Blacksburg as well as across the state,” said Edwin Jones, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the director of Virginia Cooperative Extension. “Extension is about taking research-based knowledge to the people to help them improve their lives.”
Faculty and staff members from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine will be showcasing their programs and services at the May 8 event.
Exhibits will highlight
- 4-H Youth Development and camping;
- Food safety;
- Nutrition and healthy living;
- Pest management;
- Sustainable agriculture;
- Virginia Household Water Quality Program and Master Well-Owner Network;
- Soil Testing Laboratory;
- Plant diagnostic clinics;
- Land Owner Education Program;
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program;
- Master Gardener Program;
- Virginia Sharp Logger Program;
- Virginia Master Naturalist Program;
- Veterinary Medicine;
- Family financial management;
- Sustainable biomaterials; and the
- Kohl Agricultural Center.
The showcase and ice cream social are free and open to the public. The Ag Quad is located between Price and Seitz halls behind the Price Hall parking lot.
This event is just one of many special activities taking place over the next several months to celebrate the centennial. To see the events being held in communities across the commonwealth, visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension Centennial Web page.
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