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Thursday, November 22, 2012

NC Extension History Briefs, 1915-1950

From various issues of Extension Farm-News
Feb. 1915—The Farmers’ Co-operative Demonstration Work is now in operation in 69 counties of the state with a County Agent in charge of this work in each county.
March 1915—The County Agent (T.J.W. Broom, one of the first agents appointed in 1907 by State Agent C.R. Hudson) reports as follows: Monday, office work, wrote eight letters, had interviews with several farmers. Tuesday, terraced 15 acres of land for Mr. A.M. Blank. Wednesday, organized a County Live Stock Association with 24 members. Thursday, visited the Demonstration plots of 6 farmers, visited Spruce Pine School. Friday, too cold and rainy to travel, saw only one farmer. Saturday, met and talked with several farmers. Several called for bulletins. Traveled by team during week 61 miles, wrote 8 official letters.
May 1915—Caswell County Agent Blankenship reports that farmers in his county are talking about corn and grass instead of tobacco. This is gratifying news. Wherever there is a good County Agent, he helps to get farmers on the right track.
November 1915—Mrs. Jane S. McKimmon, State Agent in Home Demonstration Work, reports a 12-weeks’ course in Home Economics arranged by the State Normal College at Greensboro for HD agents and some of their advancing club girls.
January 1916—North Carolina in 1915 gave, through her counties and State apportionment, more funds for home demonstration work for women and girls on the farm than any other state in the work.
June 1918—Fifteen cotton mills have made application for trained women to aid employees in canning and general food conservation.
October 1919—The cotton boll weevil has been finally traced to North Carolina, having been found in Columbus County.
June 1920—In Rockingham County Mrs. Kirkpatrick reports on her rat-killing contest with the children in one school killing 433 rats. They received one penny for four rats. One child, 8 years old, brought 159 rat tales to school.
January 1923—W. Kerr Scott, Alamance County Agent, reports that dairy schools held over Alamance last week were attended by 268 farmers. Scott said this was an unusual showing considering the condition of the roads.
April 1931—Dean I.O. Schaub cited the danger of large tobacco acreage, urging drastic reduction if growers want better prices.
June 1934—Forty-five emergency home demonstration agents have been employed to assist with the relief work and emergency canning program this summer. This will make a total of 102 agents, white and Negro, at work in 89 counties.
October 1936—R.E. Jones, Craven County agent, has been named as the first 4-H specialist to work with the state’s Negro boys and girls.
February 1937—For the first time every North Carolina county has the services of a farm demonstration agent. This record coverage of all 100 counties was made a few days ago when C.W. Overman went into Dare County as farm agent.
May 1939—Twenty-five years of Extension work among rural farms and homes in North Carolina and throughout the nation were observed on Monday, May 8, the date of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act of Congress in 1914 by President Wilson. Dr. I.O. Schaub, dean of the School of Agriculture, is director of Extension, a post he has held for the past 15 years. He succeeded Dr. B.W. Kilgore who was the first and only other Extension director in North Carolina. Last year the Extension Service reached 256,139 of the 300,967 farm families in the state.
June 1941—Seven Extension workers have already been called to Army duty. Several others who hold commissions are expecting to be called momentarily.
May 1945—It’s over over there and just as soon as our 80-some Extension workers go to work on Hirohito as they did on Hitler, we shall be able to plan some welcomes back here.
October 1950—David S. Weaver succeeded Dr. I.O. Schaub who is retiring, as Extension director, and Robert W. Shoffner takes the position of assistant director.

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