About Us

Cornell Cooperative Extension St. Lawrence County

Deep Roots in the Community

The organization of the Farm Bureau in 1913, was the beginning of Cooperative Extension in St. Lawrence County. The constitution and by-laws were adapted at a meeting in February 10, 1913 and the following officers were elected. E.A. Horton, President, E.A. Newell, Vice President, and H.E.Sweet, Secretary-Treasurer.

Charles Phelps was hired as the first County Agent and he started work on February 15, 1913. The Board of Supervisors appropriated $1000 that first year. The U.S. Dept of Agriculture paid one-third of the salary and travel expense. The salary wa s $1,800 and the travel expense was $900.

In the early years the Farm Bureau helped organize the Dairyman's league, and the G.L.F. The Diary Herd Improvement Association were organzied, as was rural electrification. The organziation also helped to stamp out tuberculosis in cattle.

The first Home Buruau Committee was set up in 1917, with Mrs. Fred Hosley, Canton as organzier and Mrs. Lottie Sampson, Potsdam as Chairman. The first help from Cornell was received in 1915. In 1917-18 an emergecny food agent from Cornell gave 64 demonstrations and talks in 24 communitiies. This type of help continued until 1924 when there were 732 members. Mrs. Ruth Green Smith went before the Board of Supervisors and asked for the first appropriation which passed with an unanimous vote. Mrs. Mabel Milhan became the first agent in March 1925. In 1926, the County had a total membership of 1221, which was the highest in the State.

By 1915, Junior Extension work, as it was called, was widely promoted through the schools of St. Lawrence County. By 1925 there were 10 4H Clubs in Massena Schools unde the Agriculture teacher, Henry White. Roy Gibbs, Agriculture Teacher in Gouverneur, had 6 community 4H clubs; also there was a county-wide Jersey calf club, and a large calf club at Winthrop. In addition, mabel Milhan had several 4H homemaking clubs. The Baord of Supervisors made the first appropriation in 1929, and the County 4-H club was organized in 1930. Bert J. Rogers was hired as the first county 4-H Club Agent starting work on Freburary 1, 1930.

In 1955, the Farm and Home Bureaus separated from the Extension Service in New York State. Separation was required because the national and state organziations of Farm and Home Bureau Federations had become increasingly involved in partisan polics, forming very active lobbies both on the state and federal levels. The USDA insisted that if Cooperative Extension were to continue to receive public funds for educational programming, it would have to separate itself from private political influence.

As the passing years have changed the wasy people of St. Lawrence County live and work, Cooperative Extension has changed to meet the different needs, but its goal is still the same: To help people put knowledge to work.