Its members, who are from both the public sectors, represent producers, industry, and state and federal agencies and institutions. The Council's role is to plan and coordinate research, extension, and high education within both the public and private sectors and relate the federal budgeting process to the overall functioning of the system. These institutions were granted substantial parcels of land, the income from which helped frame the development and operation of these universities. The Cooperative Extension System serves both rural and urban populations throughout the nation, transferring research based information to local citizens, families, businesses and communities. A higher education association whose membership comprises 149 major U.S. public research universities, including all U.S. land-grant institutions.
Members are the administrators of the experiment stations of all states and territories.
Members are the designated administrators of the Cooperative Extension Services of all the states and territories. Members are the designated administrators of international agriculture programs at the colleges of agriculture of all the states and territories. A national grassroots organization of lay persons from the constituencies served by the land-grant colleges of agriculture. The representative governing body is an executive committee composed of the elected officers at the Association plus the 1890 representatives serving on ECOP and the ECOP budget committee. The federal mailing privilege provided for Extension mail.