AEE 501
Foundations
of Agricultural and Extension Education
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Toward a More
Scientific Agriculture, 1862 - 1917
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Introduction: |
If one wanted to be
historically correct, the Hatch Act would be recognized as the Act that
started agricultural and extension education. While most people think
of the Hatch Act as starting the experiment stations, which it did, it
also called for the dissemination of agricultural knowledge. The USDA
officials took this to mean to start
extension and agricultural education activities. In this lesson we
would
learn about the Hatch Act and how it started agricultural and extension
education. We will also learn of other early work in agricultural and
extension education. . |
Lesson Objectives:
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At the completion
of the
lesson you should be able to:  Describe the major
provisions of the Hatch Act. Describe how the
Hatch Act was instrumental in starting high school agricultural
education programs. Describe
the operation of Farmer's Institutes. Describe
early extension activities conducted by the General Education Board. Describe
the Farm Life Schools found in North Carolina. Discuss
the Rosenwald Fund and Jeanes Supervisors. Identify
the significance of Seaman Knapp and Ellen Swallow Richards. |
Learning Activities:
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Take the Experiment
Stations and Farmers' Institutes pre-test to see how much you need
to learn. Read the Hatch Act Read the Moss and Lass article "A
History
of Farmers Institutes" from Vol 62 No. 2 of Agricultural History. Read Moore's article "The
Involvement of Experiment Stations in Secondary Agricultural Education,
1887-1917" from Vol. 62 No. 2 of Agricultural History. Various states had laws regarding Farmers' Institutes
and Rules for Operation. The Ohio
Farmers
Institute Law and Rules for
Operation are fairly typical. A state wide Farmers Institute was held in many
states. See what was on the program in 1900 in Michigan
and in 1902 in Illinois. How do you identify the speakers for a Farmers
Institute? A speakers
list was published annually in North Carolina in a Department of
Agriculture Bulletin. See who was on the list in 1909. How did the NC
list compare with the 1899-1900
Ohio list? Farmers' Institute work was slow getting started
in North Carolina. Tait Butler,
Director of Farmer's Institutes expresses his views about this in 1904.
If you really want to learn more about Farmers' Institutes in North
Carolina you can go to the library
and peruse
the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Bulletins (S97 A4)
published
between 1893 and 1917. In most years a bulletin reporting on the
institutes
conducted was published. What did the speakers say at a Farmers' Institute? The
Rev. Taggart spoke about the Benefits
of
the Farmers Institute at an Institute in 1900. Take the Who's Who and
What's What in the Early Days of North Carolina Agricultural and
Extension
Education pre-test to see how much you need to learn. Read Moore's article "The Status
of Agricultural Education Prior to the Smith-Hughes Act" from Vol.
59 No.8 of The
Agricultural Education Magazine. Read Helen Eure's paper on Jane
S. McKimmon. Read about North
Carolina Agriculture History. Ellen
Swallow Richards was a pioneer in the field of home economics. Read a biographical
sketch of Seaman Knapp View a PowerPoint presentation on the Hatch Act and the development of agricultural and
extension education. . |
Assignments:
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Complete the worksheet.
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