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>> Narrator: University of Georgia Extension was
officially founded in 1914 through the Smith-Lever Act,
a federal law that established and funded a state-by-state
national network of educators who bring university-based
research and practical knowledge to the public.
The Cooperative Extension Service - as it was called -
was based in agricultural and home demonstration work,
helping farmers, homemakers, and young people with their daily lives.
Through the years, Extension projects may have changed,
but the core goals haven't.
Today, U G A Extension remains committed to providing unbiased,
research-based information in the areas of agriculture,
the environment, families, food,
health, lawn and garden, and youth.
Through a well-organized network of specialists,
agents and staff covering each county across the state,
information is delivered both online and in person,
in the form of classes, workshops, programs,
events, publications and more.
These educational resources are tailored to meet the needs
of individual counties and communities.
U G A Extension helps drive Georgia's agricultural sector,
a main economic engine and source of employment,
by assisting producers in farm and business management,
field crops, integrated pest management,
urban agriculture and more.
>> Bill Brim: Each scientist has different research projects
and it really helps us to learn what they’'re learning.
We have the best Extension Service that I know of anywhere.
And our research arm is also really great.
>> Phillip Roberts: A typical day for me,
we're standing in some applied research trials,
examining some of our most common pests,
trying to come up with better methods of management.
Our objective though is just to provide information,
research-based information, that's going to allow
our producers to make good decisions.
>> Narrator: U G A Extension also works with schools on
programs like farm-to-school workshops, school gardens
and career days.
>> Monte Stephens: Today we're having 3rd grade Ag Day and
this is an opportunity for all of the 3rd graders in our county
to come out and to see the agricultural commodities
that we have here in Oconee County.
These young people can ask questions.
"Where do we get this from?" "What are we doing with this?"
"How do we get that?" It's important. It matters.
And one day they could possibly have a career in agriculture.
>> Narrator: Georgia's rapid growth and the
diverse ecosystems present both challenges and
opportunities concerning the environment.
U G A Extension helps increase awareness and appreciation of
the state's environmental assets and ongoing efforts to protect
these resources by offering expertise in topics like
alternative energy, invasive species,
pollution prevention and soil and water conservation.
>> Gary Hawkins: This demonstration of research
that we're looking at is using solar power
for cattle watering systems.
We also do some irrigation systems.
We actually disseminate a lot of information through field days,
through demonstrations like this.
We've got 4 or 5 of these sites around the state so we will hold
a field day at those demonstration sites.
>> Narrator: U G A Extension provides resources for parents
and families to help with decision making
and creating healthy environments.
Family and Consumer Science agents give direction in areas
such as childcare, financial literacy and planning,
nutrition, healthcare, home businesses, sustainable living,
home and vehicle safety and more.
U G A Extension coordinates Walk Georgia,
a statewide physical activity program that
encourages participants to log exercise hours
while learning facts about the state.
More than 40,000 people have participated in Walk Georgia,
logging more than four million miles worth of physical activity.
U G A Extension also helps consumers and businesses
when it comes to food-related topics.
Family and Consumer Science agents help consumers make
confident and informed food selection decisions
by considering information such as nutrition and food costs.
They also administer safe food handling, preparation, serving,
and preserving guidelines to help prevent food-borne illness.
>> Judy Harrison: I work with consumers and with farmers and
market managers and other people throughout the State of Georgia
teaching them how to handle foods safely.
U G A Cooperative Extension helps farmers to grow local markets.
We help farmers know how to handle food safely
and get it into the market place.
It's not about selling a product; it's about actually
making sure that people are healthy and safe.
>> Elizabeth Andress: Extension food preservation programs
today which are popular and being conducted actually
all over the country consist of teaching people safe and
high quality ways to mainly can, dehydrate, freeze,
make jams and jellies and pickled foods.
Our agents in Georgia, for the past few years,
have been offering more and more hands-on workshops for people
that are wanting to learn to preserve food at home.
We deliver ServSafe training usually through
2-day workshops for manager training in Georgia.
I know of several instances where people have said
"Because I already had ServSafe certification,
they hired me over somebody else."
>> Narrator: Georgia's agreeable climate means that residents
of the state have ample opportunities to exercise
their green thumbs.
Whether it's lush lawns or riots of flowers, fruit trees,
and shrubs, home gardeners in the state have many options
for beautifying their landscapes.
As the number of urban gardeners increases,
so do the number of phone calls and emails to
U G A Extension offices asking for advice on everything from
controlling pests to selecting plant varieties.
To help agents answer these questions,
volunteers are trained in "backyard gardening" through
the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program.
>> Michael Wheeler: We have a lot of people who use our
services with getting their soil tested, weed samples
or insects for identification.
We'll have farmers call in with different questions that range
from weed control in pastures, horse management; so it's always
something interesting to work with.
>> Narrator: In the early years, Extension agents led
tomato clubs for girls and corn clubs for boys.
Today, U G A Extension coordinates the state's
largest youth development program - Georgia 4-H.
The program assists youth in acquiring knowledge,
developing life skills, and forming attitudes
that will enable them to become self-directing,
productive and contributing members of society.
Each year, more than 184,000 students participate
at the local level in school and county club meetings
led by county 4-H agents, and on the state level through
summer camps and conferences held at 4-H centers such
as Rock Eagle - the world's largest 4-H center.
>> Judy Ashley: In the past few years,
there's been a study that's come out "The Tough Study."
Those student that participate in the 4-H program, it showed
that they are more likely to participate in their community
and make an improvement within their community;
they're more likely to make healthy decisions and
they are more likely to do better in school.
>> Oakley Perry: We have healthy life style projects,
we have science projects, we have work force projects
and then we even have the agriculture projects.
>> Judy Ashley: Mastery, belonging, generosity and
independence - those elements are what are being instilled
in the young people that participate in those programs.
>> Nekeisha Randall: I enjoyed being state 4-H president and
being on Junior and Senior Board and leading up
to that moment of being on State Board.
Just getting to experience so many wonderful things
that I would not have been able to experience
if I had not been in 4-H.
I think that's probably the biggest thing that 4-H gave me
was just me seeing the power that somebody
can have over someone's life.
>> Narrator: Georgia 4-H has served over 1 million participants
through the Georgia 4-H Environmental Education program,
a variety of field study experiences for K-12 students,
which has brought learning to the outdoors since 1979.
>> Carol Payne: I could teach about this in the classroom
all day long, but when the kids actually get to get out and
get their hands on the activities and participate
in stream ecology they’'re just experiences that they will
always remember and these are the highlights of our whole
school year; they will always remember.
We take children to Jekyll Island and
they've never seen the ocean before.
I wish all the kids in the State of Georgia got to
participate in it because it's a fabulous experience.
>> Travis Williams: Kids can learn all about the environment,
can learn about things that maybe they don't get involved in
or get to see in just their day- to-day lives or in a classroom.
Learning to be away from home and they have to show some
responsibility, be a little more independent.
They get an opportunity to learn things that we’re making
available to them through curriculum that is based on
the research that is done in other parts of the college.
>> Narrator: The men and women of U G A Extension improve lives,
build economies and protect the state's precious
natural resources by providing practical solutions
to an ever-changing, modern society.
U G A Extension celebrates its rich 100-year history of
changing lives and looks forward to what lies ahead.
For more information, contact your local
U G A Extension office at 1-800-ASK-U G A 1
or visit extension dot u g a dot e d u.
(c) 2014 University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences UGA Extension Office of Communications and Creative Services