23^ STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



REPORT OF HOME ECONOMIC EXTENkSION WORK. 



BY DEAN LOUISE H. CAMPBELL. 



Organization of Ewtension Work in Conniies. 



Very little change lias been made this year in the type of oroanizatiou 

 in counties having home demonstration agents. Each agent is work- 

 ing constantly to strengthen her organization to make it more permanent 

 and more useful. 



The general plan is this — to have one or more chairmen in each town- 

 ship chosen by the women of the township. These women are to act as 

 local leaders in the township as well as to represent the women at the 

 county annual meetings. At the county meeting a county committee is 

 chosen consisting of from three to five members. The chairman of this 

 committee usually represents the women on the county Farm Bureau 

 Board. 



Local leaders are taking more and more responsibility in all counties 

 with home demonstration agents, both in putting across programs and 

 in arousing interest in the work. In most all counties money was 

 unanimously appropriated this fall. In one county it was turned down 

 by the Board of Supervisors; however, because of the strong appeal 

 made by the women it was reconsidered and money ajtpropriated. Al- 

 though the majority of the women are interested in having the work 

 continued, this action would not have been possible had it not been for 

 the local leaders. 



Much stronger and better community programs for extension work 

 are constantly being developed with the assistance of the local leaders. 

 They are working out programs on a year's basis in many cases and 

 at least part of a year in most communities. 



Approximately every county which is carrying on home denmnstration 

 agent work has from five to twenty-four communities in which an ex- 

 tension program is being carried on. In Kalamazoo county each town- 

 ship is represented by one or more organized groups. This is ])ractically 

 true of Allegan, also of Marquette. In the rest of the counties it is not 

 quite as general although there are .several communities in different 

 sections which have adopted their definite programs, usually according 

 to immediate needs. 



There are seven counties with some communities having definite 

 program, and approximately 135 communities with definite program. 



Undoubtedly the best example we have of a good county program 

 development is in Allegan county. At the annual meeting of the Women 

 representing the home demonstration work, quite definite projects were 

 chosen for the county, on the basis of what seemed to be the greatest 

 need for the year, according to the judgment of the representatives of 

 the different townships present. In most cases this had been discovered 



