In 1913 the first California farm advisor was hired to conduct an extension program. Thus in 2003 California Cooperative Extension will observe its ninetieth anniversary. Since its inception, the UCCE program has grown and changed greatly.

In the early years, extension advisors and specialists not only pursued their daily work, they set the foundations that would serve as a model to the rest of the world. Not only did they transfer new technologies to farmers, they also performed the equally important and demanding task of building institutions - providing a framework for problem-solving through research and education.

The first Director of Extension, B.H. Crocheron, was notable for his foresight in establishing the principles and policies that have served the organization well. Others have followed in his footsteps, but they have built primarily on the foundations that he laid. As the Cooperative Extension looks ahead to its one-hundredth anniversary, it faces many significant challenges, yet its tradition and record provide a firm basis for the future.

1862 — President Lincoln signed three acts: the act authorizing a U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Homestead Act encouraging settlement of public domain lands; and the Morrill Act establishing "land grant" colleges in each state.

1891 — the UC Board of Regents instituted short courses and demonstration trains to extend the University's teaching over the entire state.

1897 — A UC Department of Extension in Agriculture was set up in 1897, which became the Division of Agricultural Extension in 1913.

1914 — Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, providing federal funds for cooperative administration of extension education by USDA and the state land grant colleges.

1915 — California state legislature authorized the UC Regents to conduct the Agricultural Extension program. It empowered county boards of supervisors to appropriate and use county funds to support Extension work in cooperation with USDA.

1918 — A cooperative relationship was formed between the University of California and the Orange County Board of Supervisors. In 1990 a Memorandum of Understanding formalized this relationship.