Smith-Lever Act

How the Smith-Lever Act Created 4-H and Transformed Rural America

Dan Agri-Business, American Agriculture History Minute, Education, This Land of Ours

A Turning Point in Agricultural Education In 1914, the United States Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, establishing the Cooperative Extension Service—a transformative program that reshaped how Americans learned about farming, livestock, and home economics. The law created a system that connected land-grant universities with communities across the nation, ensuring that agricultural innovation and scientific research reached producers and their families …