Measuring Northeast Extension Community Development Capacity
October 27, 2025
In the winter of 2024-2025, NERCRD Associate Director Stephen Alessi conducted an inventory of the capacity for research and Extension programming in the Northeast U.S. region that corresponds with the priority areas of the NERCRD, which include:
Food Systems, Nutrition Security, and Agriculture
Economic Development, Resilience, and Innovation
Tourism and Outdoor Recreation
He presented his findings in a poster at the 2025 meeting of the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, available here.
Land Grant Community and Economic Development Capacity in the Northeast
October 27, 2025
Overview
This study seeks to inventory the capacity for research and Extension programming in the Northeast U.S. region that corresponds with the priority areas of the NERCRD, which include:
Economic Development, Resilience, and Innovation
Tourism and Outdoor Recreation
Food Systems, Nutrition Security, and Agriculture
This information was collected from each University’s Extension website by focusing on personnel in these program areas with either Faculty, Educator, or Extension Specialist appointments. These results are preliminary, and we will work with each University to verify the accuracy. Currently we have received updates and verification from seven universities in the region and we are working to verify the accuracy with the other one as well. One key purpose of this study is to identify potential partners for collaborative work within the Northeast Region.
Key findings
Most of the Northeast’s capacity related to NERCRD priorities lies in the program areas of Community Health and Well Being, Natural Resources and Climate Studies, and Agricultural Economics and Business Management.
A total of 386 people in the roles of Faculty, specialists and educators were identified working in program areas that currently align with NERCRD’s priorities
Tourism and Agritourism currently have the smallest capacity in the region.
The Northeast is working on many different program areas that have potential cross cutting impacts on Rural Development including Housing and Community Planning, Broadband Access, Digital Skills and Food System Resilience.
Program Area Totals
The table below shows total FTEs in six program areas for the region as a whole. For detailed data by state, see this Excel spreadsheet.
Webinar Recording: Healthy Grandfamilies and Kinship Care
October 23, 2025
November 18th at 2:00 p.m. ET — Join us to hear how the WVSU Healthy Grandfamilies program educates, supports, and empowers grandparents raising their grandchildren, particularly in rural West Virginia communities. This one-hour webinar will highlight the Healthy Grandfamilies program, the Caring for Our Kin curriculum designed by Penn State and WVU Extension, and real-world insights from a county coordinator who is making a lasting impact on families.
NDEET Strategic Planning Update: National Leaders Convene to Shape the Future of Digital Extension Efforts
August 21, 2025
In the final week of July, 27 participants from 17 states of the National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET) gathered in Denver, Colorado, for an energizing and forward-focused convening to identify the emerging digital and broadband needs shaping the future of Cooperative Extension. Hosted by the Extension Foundation, the event served as a catalyst for strategic planning and collaboration across key issue areas. NERCRD Associate Director Stephen Alessi attended the event and is excited about the opportunities to collaborate on the program priority areas that emerged from the meeting.
State-Level Cooperative Extension Spending and Farmer Exits
April 19, 2016
Abstract: Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of Extension on farm productivity and related outcomes. Here we use annual data from 1983 to 2010 covering the 50 U.S. states to examine the impact of Extension on net changes in the number of farmers. The historical transition of farmers out of U.S. agriculture raises the question of whether Cooperative Extension and underlying Hatch-funded research spending keeps farmers in agriculture or accelerates their exit. On balance, nearly 500,000 more farmers left than entered agriculture over the period studied. We estimate that without Extension, as many as 137,700 (or 28%) additional farmers would have disappeared on net. Overall, Extension programs are a remarkably cost effective way of keeping farmers in agriculture. Alternatively, shifting just 1.5% of federal farm program payments to Extension would have reduced net exits over this period by an estimated 11%, or 55,000 farmers.
A related infographic (below) was developed to help share the findings of this research.
