The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is a unique education agency with a statewide network of professional educators, trained volunteers, and county offices. It reaches into every Texas county to address local priority needs. Some of our major efforts are in mitigating drought impacts; conserving water use in homes, landscapes, and production agriculture; improving emergency management; enhancing food security; and protecting human health through education about diet, exercise, and disease prevention and management.
AgriLife Extension demonstrates the latest technology and best practices to improve the state’s food and fiber system, which serves all Texas consumers and contributes nine percent of the gross domestic product. Texas 4-H, our primary youth program, engages some 600,000 youth every year in learning projects, leadership development, and community service.
Collaborative programs enable extension educators and their partners to extend resources and prevent duplication of services. In total, extension personnel and extension-trained volunteers achieved nearly 23 million direct teaching contacts, including distance education via the Web.
Vision:
- Help Texans better their lives
Mission:
- Through the application of science-based knowledge, we create high-quality, relevant continuing education that encourages lasting and effective change
Capabilities:
- We provide programs, tools, and resources —local and statewide — that teach people how to improve agriculture and food production, advance health practices, protect the environment, strengthen our communities, and enrich youth.
Quick Facts:
- Established: 1915
- Number of direct teaching contacts: almost 23 million in FY 2015
- Number of volunteers supporting extension programs: 96,794
- Number of counties with an Extension office: 250
- FY 2020 operating budget: 164 million including county funds
