What can Extension do for my Horse Farm?

An unscientific majority of horse owners that I talk to, personally and professionally, have never heard of the Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) despite their tax dollars most certainly paying for the broad, unbiased services provided by extension offices and agents! Learn more about this federal, yet shockingly local, program and how it can benefit you.

Some of my very favorite people in the world are extension agents. They are endlessly curious, driven by tradition, but also enthusiastic about the possibilities of modern science. In short, the job of any extension agent is to transfer knowledge from the university researchers creating it to the private and public stewards applying it. They are "extensions" of information. For example, there has been a surprising amount of interest in the US to understand how to safely and effectively compost our fallen farm animals. Well, the university asked the right questions, found the answers through scientific investigation, and then the extension agent brings that why, how, what, and when directly to the farm owner.

Cornell University webpages very nicely summarized the job description of an extension agent below...

An extension agent"collaborate(s) with members of the equine community to create, plan, and implement informative and educational equine programs, such as clinics, seminars, symposiums, and Farm Days. [They also] write educational material for the public from science-based research."

Here is a list of ways that an extension agent might be able to help you directly.

Ways that an extension office can help large and small horse farms

1. Soil testing so you know how best to fertilize

2. Water quality testing and problem solving

3. Weed identification and control strategies

4. Help you develop pasture management strategies for the health of your ecosystem and the horses

5. Information about insecticides and pesticides

6. Learn how to compost manure effectively to control weeds and parasites

7. Hay production techniques especially in droughts

8. Forage testing and interpretation

9. Knowledge about fencing materials and design

10. They translate research results into more "digestible forms" such as presentations, webinars, and publications.

Open a new search window and type in the name of your state+county +“extension office”.

Got it? What town is your local cooperative extension office in?

Now, find the tab that gives you a list of agents/staff.

Is there an agriculture, forage production or equine agent listed?

If so, you need to write down their contact info. They are invaluable to your farm!

I did this exercise with my in-laws who live in an Atlanta suburb, and they were shocked to find that their urban county had an office just a few miles away from their home!

If I have not convinced you of the Cooperative Extension Office's value to your farm, consider the following...

Why contact your county or state extension office?

1. Your tax dollars are already paying for it, so many services are free.

2. The advice is based on scientific evidence and free from selling bias.

3. If your local agent doesn’t know, they are connected to a huge network of specialists who do know.

4. That might be able to connect you to grants!

5. They come to your farm, thereby getting a more complete understanding of your problem.

HISTORY

The Cooperative Extension Service program is surprisingly old. The historical narrative begins as early 1862 with the The Morrill Act also known as the Land-Grant Agricultural and Mechanical College Act of 1862. Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, this act of congress transferred over 17 million acres of US land to "land-grant" universities in every single state. The land-grate universities were allowed to do what they wanted with the land; selling to start endowments, farming or ranching for agricultural research (you can see many of these experiment stations as you drive throughout your state), or for building infrastructure for academic achievements. It wasn't until 1914 that the Smith-Lever Act funded the cooperative extension service and entrusted each state's land-grant university system to oversee offices in every county. Today, state's land-grant university along with their local extension offices are connected to the USDA and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. My own county is unique in that the local extension office is paired with the county's conservation district. All-in-all the system conveys federal and state level policies and principles to the individual county resident most likely to benefit. It's a beautiful system!

An excellent description of the Cooperative Exension Service can be found on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture website [CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE].

One of my favorite equine extension programs at Rutger's University puts on a series of equine horse management webinars each year. The 2025 events start in February. You can find more information and register with the link below.

Sign up for Rutger's University Equine Extension Horse Management Webinars- LINK HERE

Universities with Large Equine Extension Departments

• Rutgers University

• Penn State University

• University of Minnesota

• Texas A&M

• University of Florida

• Cornell University