# Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was an Extension agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), part of the executive branch of the federal government. The 1994 Department Reorganization Act, passed by Congress, created CSREES by combining the former Cooperative State Research Service and the Extension Service into a single agency.
In 2009, CSREES was reorganized into the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

## Mission

CSREES' mission is to "advance agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities" by supporting research, education, and Extension programs at land-grant universities and other organizations it partners with. CSREES does not conduct its own research; it provides funding and leadership to land-grant universities and competitively granted awards to researchers in partner organizations. CSREES' areas of involvement span 60 programs in the biological, physical, and social sciences related to agricultural research, economic analysis, statistics, Extension, and higher education.

## Funding

CSREES administers federal appropriations through three funding tools: competitive grants, formula grants, and congressionally directed funding.

### Competitive Grants

Competitive grants are awarded to applicants upon the recommendation of a peer-review panel. CSREES' competitive programs include the National Research Initiative, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Program, and Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers.

### Formula Grants

CSREES supports research and Extension activities at land-grant institutions through federal funds that are appropriated to states on the basis of statutory, population-based formulas. CSREES' formula grants are directed to state experiment stations, the Cooperative Extension System, and Cooperative Forestry Programs. In most cases, the states are required to match the federal formula dollars with nonfederal contributions. The four CSREES research funding programs for land-grant universities are (1) Hatch, (2) Multistate Research (a subset of Hatch), (3) McIntire-Stennis, and (4) Animal Health.

### Congressional Directed Funding

Congress directs CSREES to fund and administer certain programs each year through special appropriations accounts. In general, the Executive Branch does not support the inclusion of these programs in the president's annual budget submission to Congress. Examples of projects include: the Expert Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Decision Support System; Global Change, UV-B Monitoring; IPM and Biological Control; Minor Crop Pest Management, IR-4; and Minor Use Animal Drugs.

## Research

CSREES is the USDA's extramural research agency, funding individuals; institutions; and public, private, and non-profit organizations. Its research programs address issues affecting 13 national emphasis areas:
* Agriculture and Food Biosecurity
* Agricultural Systems
* Animals & Animal Products
* Biotechnology & Genomics
* Economics & Commerce
* Education
* Families, Youth & Communities
* Food, Nutrition & Health
* International
* Natural Resources & Environment
* Pest Management
* Plants & Plant Products
* Technology & Engineering
Supported research falls into three categories:
* Basic research: discovers the underlying processes and systems that make a plant, animal, ecosystem, community, or marketplace work.
* Applied research: expands on basic research to uncover practical ways this knowledge can benefit individuals and society.
* Integrated research: research is expected to generate new knowledge and/or apply existing knowledge quickly through dissemination of information on specific issues.

## Education

Education programs support all CSREES emphasis areas and promote teaching excellence, enhance academic quality, and help develop a scientific and professional workforce. CSREES continues a federal-state teaching partnership started in 1977 by strengthening agricultural and science literacy in K-12 education, improving higher education curricula, and increasing the diversity and quality of future graduates to enter the workforce.
In 1981, Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) was established to promote agricultural literacy in classrooms across the country. Today, AITC provides lesson plans, professional development opportunities, and teacher recognition programs for teachers, as well as maintaining a national resource directory and other sources of public information on K-12 agricultural education issues.

## Cooperative Extension System

The Cooperative Extension System is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant universities. In most states, the educational offerings are in the areas of agriculture and food, home and family, environment, community economic development, and youth and 4-H. The National 4-H Headquarters is located within the Families, 4-H, and Nutrition unit of CSREES.
The Smith-Lever Act, which was passed in 1914, established partnership between agricultural colleges and the USDA to support agricultural Extension work. The act also stated that USDA will provide each state with funds based on a population-related formula.
As of 1929, African Americans made up 24 percent of the South's population, but only 12 percent of the southern Extension staff. Additionally, the New Mexico Extension service hired only one temporary part-time bilingual home demonstrator in its first 15 years, even though half the population only spoke Spanish. Today, CSREES distributes these so-called formula grants annually in cooperation with state and county governments and land-grant universities.
Traditionally, each county of all the 50 states had a local Extension office. This number has declined as some county offices have consolidated into regional extension centers. Today, there are approximately 2,900 Extension offices nationwide.
Since 2005, the Extension system has collaborated in developing eXtension.org (pronounced "e-extension"). eXtension is an Internet-based learning platform where Extension professionals and citizens nationwide and beyond have 24/7 access to unbiased, research-based, peer-reviewed information from land-grant universities on a wide range of topics. Information is organized into articles, professional development resources, news, frequently asked questions, and blog posts that provide a knowledge-to-action service that has become an integral part of the Cooperative Extension System. In 2015, the nonprofit, member-based eXtension Foundation was created to advance innovation and technology-enhanced professional development going forward.
The table below summarizes the cooperative Extension programs in each state. (Under the 1890 amendment to the Morrill Act, if a state's land-grant university was not open to all races, a separate land-grant university had to be established for each race. Hence, some states have more than one land-grant university.)
Cooperative Extensions :
| State | University | Extension website |
| Alabama | Alabama A&M University Auburn University Tuskegee University | Alabama Cooperative Extension System |
| Alaska | University of Alaska | University of Alaska Cooperative Extension |
| Arizona | University of Arizona | Arizona Cooperative Extension |
| Arkansas | University of Arkansas University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service |
| California | University of California | University of California Cooperative Extension |
| Colorado | Colorado State University | Colorado State University Extension |
| Connecticut | University of Connecticut | Cooperative Extension System |
| Delaware | University of Delaware Delaware State University | Delaware Cooperative Extension DSU Cooperative Extension |
| District of Columbia | University of the District of Columbia | University of the District of Columbia Cooperative Extension Service |
| Florida | University of Florida Florida A&M University | University of Florida IFAS Extension |
| Georgia | University of Georgia Fort Valley State University | University of Georgia Cooperative Extension |
| Guam | University of Guam | University of Guam Cooperative Extension |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaii | University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service |
| Idaho | University of Idaho | University of Idaho Extension |
| Illinois | University of Illinois | University of Illinois Extension |
| Indiana | Purdue University | Purdue University Extension |
| Iowa | Iowa State University | Iowa State University Extension |
| Kansas | Kansas State University | Kansas State University Research & Extension |
| Kentucky | University of Kentucky Kentucky State University | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
| Louisiana | Louisiana State University Southern University and A&M College | Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service |
| Maine | University of Maine | University of Maine Extension |
| Maryland | University of Maryland University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Maryland Cooperative Extension |
| Massachusetts | University of Massachusetts Amherst | University of Massachusetts Extension |
| Michigan | Michigan State University | Michigan State University Extension |
| Minnesota | University of Minnesota | University of Minnesota Extension |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State University Alcorn State University | Mississippi State University Extension |
| Missouri | University of Missouri Lincoln University | University of Missouri Extension |
| Montana | Montana State University | Montana State University Extension Service |
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska | University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension |
| Nevada | University of Nevada | University of Nevada Cooperative Extension |
| New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension |
| New Jersey | Rutgers University | Rutgers Cooperative Extension |
| New Mexico | New Mexico State University | New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service |
| New York | Cornell University | Cornell Cooperative Extension |
| North Carolina | North Carolina State University North Carolina A&T State University | North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program |
| North Dakota | North Dakota State University | North Dakota State University Extension Service |
| Ohio | Ohio State University | The Ohio State University Extension |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State University | Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service |
| Oregon | Oregon State University | Oregon State University Extension Service |
| Pennsylvania | Penn State | Penn State Cooperative Extension |
| Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension |
| South Carolina | Clemson University South Carolina State University | Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service |
| South Dakota | South Dakota State University | South Dakota State University Extension |
| Tennessee | University of Tennessee Tennessee State University | University of Tennessee Extension Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension Program |
| Texas | Texas A&M University Prairie View A&M University | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service |
| Utah | Utah State University | Utah State University Extension |
| Vermont | University of Vermont | University of Vermont Extension System |
| Virginia | Virginia Tech Virginia State University | Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Washington | Washington State University | Washington State University Extension |
| West Virginia | West Virginia University West Virginia State University | West Virginia University Extension Service West Virginia State University Extension Service |
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin–Madison | UW–Madison Division of Extension |
| Wyoming | University of Wyoming | University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service |