On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act establishing the nation’s Cooperative Extension Service, a unique educational partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and land-grant universities. The act created the Extension network, including Ohio State University Extension, to bring university-based research and learning opportunities to the public, thanks to the cooperative support of county governments paired with university and federal funding.
Clermont County Extension is located in Owensville, housed at the Clermont County Fairgrounds. The office offers programming in four areas: agriculture and natural resources, community development; youth development through the 4-H program; and family and consumer sciences. Extension programming is based around the needs of the public.
“Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) has always been rooted in what has been needed in society,” said Karen Bruns, OSU Extension’s state FCS assistant director. “For example, early in Extension’s years, we were doing programming around canning and food preservation as a result of World War I and the fact that we needed to make sure no food was going to waste as a way to support our troops in Europe.”
“Today, we also do nutrition, food preservation and food safety programs, but now they’re tied to helping people maintain a healthy weight, gain more control over the food they eat, and participate more fully in the local foods movement,” said Bruns.
In addition, the methods Extension uses to reach Ohio’s families continue to evolve. In earlier days, Extension relied almost exclusively upon face-to-face contact and paper-based publications. Clermont Extension still offers many in-person programs, but it also makes use of social media (OSU Extension – Clermont County on Facebook and @OSUEC on Twitter) in addition to its website.
In the age of the Internet, Extension’s role in providing research-based information is especially important.
“We provide a reliable source while helping people filter through the misinformation that’s out there. Extension is a source of information you can trust,” said Bruns.
In addition, OSU Extension’s network of state specialists, field specialists and county educators allows research and outreach efforts to gain direction from the communities Extension serves.
“Although it’s nice to celebrate Extension’s 100th anniversary, looking to the challenges families will face in the next 100 years is important,” Bruns explained. For FCS programs, this may mean targeting childhood obesity, creating finance programs understand retirement options or assisting the public with health insurance options.
“Our programs are continually changing to meet the needs of Ohioans,” Bruns said. “And that really hasn’t changed for our entire history.”
To learn more about Clermont County Extension, contact (513) 732-7070 or visit http://clermont.osu.edu.