Sources of funds allotted for cooperative extension work in the States and Puerto Rico for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1964

Grand total. 177, 932, 013 67, 120,000 110, 812, 013 65,550,000 1,570,000 63, 907, 273 37,803, 549 3, 101, 191

189.928

75,000

1 Preliminary distribution.

TABLE III.-Statement of direct payments to and contracts with States and Puerto Rico, indicating those requiring offset, those not requiring such offset, and basis of distribution as estimated for 1965

TABLE IV.-Cooperative extension agents, by organization classes

Mr. NATCHER. Mr. Cox, we are pleased to have you before the committee at this time. The usual procedure is for you to file, at this point in the record, a short biographical sketch.

Mr. Cox. Yes, sir.

I was born in Texas, reared in Louisiana, and finished college at Louisiana State University with a master's degree in 1940. I spent about four and a half years in the Army, preceded by about 18 months' service with the Frisco Railroad as agricultural agent.

I began at Louisiana State University in the Extension Service, Horticulture. I am a horticulturist by profession. Preceding this I was director of the Agricultural Extension Service for about two and a half years.

As Dr. Davis indicated, today begins my service as Deputy Administrator.

Mr. NATCHER. Thank you, Mr. Cox.

(Biographical sketch follows:)

BACKGROUND OF JOHN A. Cox

Born: Peach (Wood County), Tex., R.F.D., Winnsboro, Tex., January 28, 1912. Married: Frances L. Cazedessus, December 14, 1940.

B.S., Louisiana State University, 1938. Honors: Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Scabbard and Blade, Horticulture Club.

M.S., Louisiana State University, 1940.

Agricultural agent, St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co., 1940-41.

Officer, U.S. Army, September 1941-March 1946. Rifle platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander during 39 months' service in the Pacific. Decorations: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, Philippine Invasion Medal, Combat Infantry Badge.

Specialist in horticulture, Louisiana State Extension Service, Baton Rouge, La., July 1946-July 1958.

State agent (agriculture), Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., August 1958-August 1961.

Director of Extension Service, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., August 1961-March 1964.

Deputy Administrator, Federal Extension Service, March 1964 to present. Member of the following: American Society for Horticultural Science, American Institute of Biological Science, Louisiana Academy of Science, Epsilon Sigma Phi, American Legion, the 40 & 8, the Army and Navy Legion of Valor, Association of Southern Agricultural Workers, Louisiana State Rural Areas Development Committee, Louisiana State University TV Committee, Area Resource Development Conference Committee, faculty adviser, Omicron Delta Kappa, Military Order of World Wars, and Kiwanis Club.

Mr. NATCHER. Dr. Davis, we shall be pleased to hear from you.

GENERAL STATEMENT

Dr. DAVIS. I have a prepared statement which I will submit for the record. I will not read it at this time.

Mr. NATCHER. The statement will be inserted in its entirety, without objection, at this point.

(The statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF LLOYD H. DAVIS, ADMINISTRATOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, this year the Cooperative Extension Service celebrated its 50th year of service to the American people. During this period many changes have taken place in the production, processing, transportation, storage, and distribution system for agricultural products in the use of our natural resources, in the lives of rural people, and in the problems of rural communities. The authors of the Smith-Lever Act wisely provided the flexibility necessary for the Cooperative Extension Service to develop work serving national goals yet meeting special local needs in each county and the flexibility necessary to adjust its educational work to meet the changing needs of changing times.

THE SYSTEM OF COOPERATIVE ADMINISTRATION

The authors of the Smith-Lever Act, in the first section of the act, said: "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, there may be continued or inaugurated in connection with the college or colleges in each State, agricultural extension work which shall be carried on in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Thus they placed on the land-grant colleges the primary responsibility for continuing or inaugurating extension work, and provided for a cooperative relationship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This places responsibility for educational programs designed to help people solve their problems close to the people. Furthermore, cooperative financing and administration has been developed between the land-grant colleges and the county governments, thus placing an important part of the responsibility for planning, financing, and conducting work in each of the counties, even closer to the people.

COOPERATIVE ROLE IS IMPORTANT

I would like to very briefly discuss the role of the Federal Extension Service within this framework.

The Federal Extension Service is responsible for the administration of the Smith-Lever Act and the various Federal laws and regulations applying to Cooperative Extension personnel and the use of Cooperative Extension funds. This responsibility requires a close working relationship between the administration of the Federal Extension Service and the administration of each of the land-grant colleges.

MANAGEMENT SERVICES ARE BEING IMPROVED

In connection with the administration of the State extension services, the Federal Extension Service provides another very important service. A small staff of administrative specialists work with the State extension services in the application of the latest information and techniques in the fields of personnel administration, administrative services, records management, fiscal management, etc. Our objective is to help them do the most efficient and effective job of State extension service administration. With a small Federal staff of specialists in these fields, we are able to perform this function more efficiently than could each of the States with such personnel on their own staffs.

EFFECTIVENESS CAN BE MEASURED

We believe that a part of our resources should constantly be devoted to measuring the effectiveness of our work, and seeking out more effective ways to do the job. The Federal Extension Service maintains a small staff of professional people, expert in evaluation, who work with the States helping them evaluate programs and helping them develop facilities to measure the effectiveness of their work. In this way, too, we help improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of their programs.

PROGRAM ASSISTANCE IS MAJOR ROLE

We think that one of the greatest contributions of the Federal Extension Service staff is made directly in the several program fields. Federal Extension Service program specialists maintain a close liaison with the various research and action agencies of the USDA, other agencies of Government and research institutions throughout the country. In these relationships they develop a detailed knowledge of available research information and services in the Department of Agriculture and elsewhere in the Federal Government. They also are keenly aware of needs for Extension programs as seen from the national point of view. As they work with the State level program staff they serve to make those workers more consciously aware of national needs and national goals and to facilitate the application of this knowledge in assisting the States to develop effective State and county programs. This is a most important function in carrying out our assigned responsibilities within the Department of Agriculture for coordinating the educational activities of the Department and initiating educational activities serving the Department.

Likewise, it is an important function within the USDA in helping to get rapid application of research results coming from the many USDA laboratories, and in developing an understanding of services provided to the people by the USDA and encouraging their effective use.

The Federal Extension Service program staff also develops and tests new program ideas and techniques in cooperation with the States. They encourage changes and adjustments in programs to serve changing needs and to make more effective use of the resources available to the cooperative effort.

30-087-64—pt. 2- -24

The Federal Extension staff has a leading role in many of the changes taking place currently in State and county extension programs.

These functions of the Federal Extension Service program staff are of increasingly greater significance as the tempo of change in agriculture and rural life increases and as services provided by the U.S. Government are undergoing considerable change.

The speed with which the needs of the people we serve and the services available to them are changing, and places a very challenging responsibility on the Federal Extension Service in the years ahead.

The Federal Extension Service can adequately carry out this responsibility within the Cooperative Extension framework of cooperative programing and administration. We are convinced that to maintain the most effective type of organization requires that each partner to the cooperative undertaking be able to carry its full share of the load and render the type of service for which it is responsible.

These cooperative relationships have proven most effective during the past 50 years. We believe that the Cooperative Extension Service can be even more effective in carrying out its educational responsibilities in the years ahead as we strengthen even further this cooperative relationship.

EXTENSION IS RESPONSIVE TO NATIONAL NEEDS AND LOCAL SITUATIONS

The Cooperative Extension Service has demonstrated an outstanding degree of responsiveness to national needs expressed by the people through their representatives in the Congress, and at the same time a high degree of responsiveness to particular local situations and the problems of individual people.

I would like to mention briefly some of these national and individual needs in connection with which people look to Extension and its educational function for help.

The farmer fighting a constant battle with diseases, insects, and other pests tells us that he expects his county agent to have the latest scientific knowledge from the USDA, land-grant colleges, and industry to help him fight these pests, maintain his production efficiency, and assure the purity of the food and fiber he produces. He expects the agent to have this information at his fingertips and be always available when a problem strikes. Serving his need serves the Nation in providing a safe and dependable supply of food and fiber. Farmers facing saturated markets for some products, expanding markets for others, look to Extension for help to shift their farm enterprises to take advantage of more profitable alternatives. Their decisions serve the Nation in helping bring about needed adjustments in production.

Farmers facing a constant string of new technical developments, new machinery and equipment, look to Extension for objective information and analysis to help them determine what is best for their operations.

Farmers facing changing market structure and market demands look to Extension for educational leadership to develop marketing systems and sell effectively.

Service to them serves the Nation in its goal of a strong system of family farms and efficient producing and marketing of food and fiber.

The Extension Service is the organization uniquely qualified to serve these needs of farmers-as it works through its own county agents, the press, and representatives of commercial firms.

Farmers and rural people have been provided a group of Government aids and services to help them in their business operation, in the adjustment and development of the use of their resources and in the development of community institutions and services for the people of the rural community. They and the Department of Agriculture look to Extension to help them analyze their local situations in relation to the available aids and services, to help them move toward the common objective of a revitalized rural America, using these aids and services as they feel they serve their particular needs.

Farmers and rural people realize that their future is directly and indirectly affected by many public decisions made on a county, State, and National basis. They look to Extension for help to understand these public issues and such understanding is basic to strong democratic institutions.

Rural people and the Nation recognize that our future depends on our youththeir abilities, skills, vision, courage, ambition, understanding. They recognize that rural youth need educational opportunities and look to Extension to help them find and prepare for their place in the adult world.