The Role of an Extension Agent

The first Extension Agent in Richland County, A.D. Anderson, began in 1917. He held the post of Richland County Extension Agent until 1920. A.D. did get some help, in the form of a home demonstration agent (which is what they were referred to then), in 1919 when Gladys Kyte joined him. Since those first two agents blazed the trail for Extension in Richland County, there have been 42 others who have held the title of Extension Agent as either an agent for 4-H, Agriculture, or Family and Consumer Sciences (as it is referred to now since the title change from home demonstration agent and home economics agent).

Of all 44 people that have held the title of Richland County Extension Agent, there are a few things that stand out. The shortest tenure of an agent in Richland County was less than a year and that distinction was held by both Arne Skedsvold and Sterling Swigart. Fred Barkley, the agent with the longest tenure, still calls Sidney home. He held the position for 28 years. The second-longest tenure was held by Red Lovec, who worked at the same time as Fred and also still calls Sidney home. Red was in the Richland County Extension Office for 25 years before retiring. Right on the heels of both Fred and Red, was Judy Johnson, who recently retired from the office after serving as Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for 21 years. Excluding the agents whose time spent as an Agent in Richland County totaled less than a year, and the three agents who currently hold the position, the average tenure of an agent since the beginning is 4.6 years.

The question that quite frequently gets asked of an extension agent is "What exactly is it that you do?" And the typical answer that one would receive from an extension agent is "It depends on the day." The broad scope of an agent's position description is that as an agent, one is charged with taking the non-biased, research-based information being conducted at the land grant university (which is Montana State University) and sharing it with the citizens of the county.

There are primarily three areas Extension Agents work in; Agriculture, 4-H, and Family and Consumer Sciences. While these three areas seem fairly cut and dry, there are quite a few topics and areas of research that fall under each of these categories.

In agriculture, the Extension Agent is not only charged with sharing information and instructing people in ways to increase production of crops and livestock on a large scale, the agent must also help people with backyard gardens, trees and landscaping, and all of the other issues that come up in regards to being successful in production agriculture.

The 4-H program has gone through numerous changes since its inception. 4-H was initially formed as clubs for kids to participate in so they could learn more about production agriculture at an early age. The program has now expanded and includes projects in robotics, technology, and many more.

As previously mentioned, the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent was initially referred to as the home demonstration agent. Some programs taught by the first agents would not be allowed in today's politically correct society. Now, the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent teaches classes in regards to health and wellness, financial planning and stability, food safety, cooking, canning, and home maintenance.

If you'd like more information on becoming an Extension Agent or on other positions within the Richland County Extension office, contact the office at (406) 433-1206