135 



Introduction 



Mr. Chainnan and members of the Subcommittee, my name is Zerle Carpenter. 

 I am the Associate Deputy Chancellor for Agriculture and Director of the Cooperative 

 Extension System in the State of Texas. 1 also have the privilege of serving as the current 

 Chairman of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) within the 

 National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). On 

 behalf of ECOP, it is my great pleasure to take part in this hearing to discuss the role and 

 fiinctions of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the possible organizational 

 strategies which might prove helpful to the Subcommittee as it seeks to improve efficiency 

 and reduce costs in the operation of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Chairman, I 

 particularly want to commend you for your leadership and dedication in establishing a 

 thoughtful and challenging examination of the "new vision" we seek for the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Background 



Mr. Chairman, the Cooperative Extension System links USDA to people and 

 communities in almost every county of the U.S. (more than 3,000), through the land-grant 

 universities in the SO states, six territories, and the District of Columbia. Its mission is to 

 help people improve their lives through a dynamic, multi-faceted educational program that 

 focuses scientific knowledge on contemporary problems, issues and needs facing people, 

 businesses, and communities. CES differs from a line agency; rather, it is a three-way 

 partnership between the Extension Service-USDA and state and local units of government 

 through the land-grant universities in each state. The partnership results in a three-way 

 leveraging of the federal investment through state and local funding for research, extension 

 and education. 



Program Development 



The Extension System's program priorities are identified with and for local people, 

 who provide approximately 70 percent of the program's funding through state and county 

 levels of government. The Extension System is the people's link with the total resources of 

 the university and with federal research. At the same time, the federal component of this 

 cooperative structure provides for a coordinated approach to meet national priorities. 



Strategic planning is an ongoing activity in the CES. National leadership for 

 strategic planning in the System is provided by the Strategic Planning Council (SPC). The 

 SPC is the key group in synthesizing information about the future, the societal environment, 

 and the capacities of the CES. The SPC identifies and assesses issues consistent with 

 Extension's mission. It solicits and synthesizes information from fiituring panels, external 

 scanning processes and national advisory councils. At the State and county levels, similar 

 structures and processes are in use to involve citizens, staff and relevant collaborators in 

 strategic planning. • " i 



