The NDSU Extension Service

 

The North Dakota State University Extension Service exists to serve the people of North Dakota. The Cooperative Extension System was established in 1914 to address through education critical needs of the public in the areas of agriculture, family and youth. The work of the extension service continues to be extremely important to producers, families, community leaders and young people. Extension maintains a unique relationship among federal, state and county constituents. Local input and funding into programs, combined with support and funding from state and federal partners, enables the extension service to truly meet the needs of people.

Our Mission

To create learning partnerships that help adults and youth enhance their lives and communities.

Programs

Planned programs. The Extension Service has an ongoing program planning process. This process typically consists of needs assessment in the winter, program planning team meetings in spring and early summer, program development during the summer and early fall, and program implementation during the fall, winter and spring. As part of this process, the NDSU Extension Service forms partnerships with groups and individuals to identify issues and deliver programs. County and multicounty advisory committees often identify needs that must be addressed. Specialists and researchers may identify emerging issues they believe should be discussed with citizens. Other states or our federal partners may identify an issue in one part of the country that has implications for North Dakota. At the county level, an agent may observe a situation that calls for a program.

Eight program planning teams guide the program development process. These teams consist of county, area and state staff and include researchers at NDSU and its research extension centers. Many teams involve producers, agency members and clientele in their discussions. The teams are:

• Community, Economic Development and Leadership
• Competitiveness and Profitability of Animal Systems
• Cropping Systems in the 21st Century
• Farm and Family Economics
• 4-H Youth Development
• Human Development & Family Science
• Natural Resources and Environmental Management
• Nutrition, Food Safety and Health

Planners identify needs, determine objectives or learner outcomes, choose delivery methods and determine the impacts made by the program. Most programs include large and small group meetings, mass media, newsletters, individual consultation with clients, cooperation with other agencies and groups, and various applications of technology.

Responsive programs. Often, programs must address an urgent situation that has occurred. Examples include excessive rain, hail, tornados, floods, serious financial problems, child abductions, and food borne illnesses. The NDSU Extension Service has an excellent track record in quickly and effectively addressing these issues. Urgent situations require that the extension service be ready for action with little preparation time.

Community issues. Extension staff are involved in public issues that have many viewpoints and no simple answers. In these situations, the role of the extension staff is to provide accurate information about all sides of issues and lead communities through a process that can bring about resolution. This work is not easy because communities can be become polarized.

Program Delivery

Finding the most appropriate ways to deliver programs is as important as developing them. People are life-long learners and seek information in many ways in many places. Citizens want educational information at a time and by a means that is right for them. Some like daytime educational meetings while others prefer to access Web-based information from their homes at night.

As a result, each program must be made available to people in multiple ways and requires the staff to be trained to use a variety of approaches. Offices must be equipped to reach the technology-proficient learner. Extension is part of a highly competitive information industry. Citizens expect our programs and materials to be of high quality.

While a strong county-based extension network is the main avenue for program delivery, extension agents also provide programs on a multicounty basis. Each extension agent specializes in a program competency area and delivers programs in that competency area within their multicounty program unit (MPU). With this arrangement, the NDSU Extension Service brings stronger educational expertise to the local level.

Staffing

County staff. County staff members are located in 52 county offices and at Fort Berthold.  In most cases, county staff members have 50 percent of their salary paid by county government. Agents are required to have a bachelor's degree but a master's degree is preferred. Most agents have a strong academic base in one discipline when they begin their employment. Together with district directors, they determine the training needed to prepare for diverse roles at the county level. Also located in county offices and on reservations are para-professionals delivering the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Family Nutrition Program (FNP). These two programs are financed with federal dollars through USDA and matching county support mostly through in-kind contributions.

Area staff. Most area extension staff members have master's or doctorate degrees. They provide a higher level of knowledge and skill to the programs developed by county staff and extend the expertise of specialists at NDSU. Area staff are located at the Dickinson, Williston, North Central (Minot) and Carrington research extension centers. Other area staff are located in county offices and some work out of an area office.

State specialists. Located on the NDSU campus, state specialists are either departmental faculty or extension specialists. Department faculty may have joint appointments with the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station; the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources; or the College of Human Development and Education. Some Extension specialists are not in faculty positions. These positions focus on specific programs such as pesticides, farm safety, EFNEP, FNP and 4-H, and may not require a doctorate degree.

Support Staff. In all of our offices, the support staff is usually the first point of contact to NDSU for office callers and visitors. They maintain coordinated, yet flexible, office environments and help deliver high-quality information to the public. Technical staff help prepare and deliver educational materials through print, audio, video, graphic and computer technology.

County extension agents receive specialized training to bring stronger
educational expertise to their multicounty program units.
Area staff at the locations indicated support the efforts of county extension agents.

 
 

Funding

Traditional funding of the NDSU Extension Service has been a blend of federal, state and county dollars. In the past few years, grant dollars and agency partnerships have increased. Today, 18 percent of the budget is comprised of federal dollars, most of which are appropriated funds. In the future, more of the federal dollars will be awarded on a competitive basis. Over 36 percent of NDSU Extension Service resources are obtained from the state legislature. County commissioners support about 20 percent of the extension budget by contributing 50 percent of extension agents' salaries as well as all operating expenses for county offices. Twenty-six percent of extension funding comes from grants, contracts and partnerships.

To continue to address issues in the future, the NDSU Extension Service will need to maintain current sources of funding, become more efficient, be more aggressive in seeking grant funds and find new partners.

Sources of Funding - NDSU Extension Service
2003-2005 Estimated Biennial Budget (includes county off-budget portion)

Off-Budget county portion projected from 2003 county budget forms.

 
 

 
Into the Future

As issues facing the people of North Dakota become increasingly complex, the role of the NDSU Extension Service is to continue to meet the needs of the people as they adapt to this changing environment. In that role, the extension staff continues to bring research data to people with individual issues and needs. The extension staff also helps producers, business people, families, individuals, youth and communities address problems holistically. To do that, the NDSU Extension Service builds on traditions, plans and works within today's situations, and looks toward the future with positive alternatives.

NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Sharon D. Anderson, Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status, or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer.
This publication will be made available in alternative format upon request to people with disabilities (701) 231-7881.