Collection Guide
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Fresno County, UC Cooperative Extension Records
UCCE.FRE
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Merced Library
Title: University of California Cooperative Extension Records, Fresno County
Identifier/Call Number: UCCE.FRE
Physical Description:
51 Linear Feet
Date (bulk): 1914-2000
Language of Material:
English
This collection is open for research. A portion of the records have been digitized and are freely available online. The material
is located at the Fresno County Cooperative Extension Office. For help locating material please contact library@ucmerced.edu.
The annual reports are located California State University, Fresno. For help locating material please contact specialc@listserv.csufresno.edu.
This collection is intended to support teaching, research, and private study. Copyright belongs to the Regents of the University
of California. Use of the materials beyond that allowed by fair use or by any Creative Commons licenses assigned requires
the written permission of the copyright owner(s). For further information, please contact the University of California, Merced
Library at library@ucmerced.edu.
University of California Cooperative Extension Records, Fresno County, UCCE FRE, UC Cooperative Extension Archive, University
of California, Merced Library, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343
At the turn of the previous century, growing concern over the quality of life for rural Americans prompted President Theodore
Roosevelt to appoint a Commission on Country Life in 1908. One of the direct outcomes of the Commission's recommendations
was the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, which established a national extension service to place the knowledge generated
at land-grant universities into the hands of farmers and rural citizens. The Agricultural Extension Service formalized and
built upon existing efforts of land-grant universities to enhance the knowledge of farmers and apply scientific discoveries
for improved agricultural practices. Beginning in 1913, the Agriculture Extension Service, later known as UC Cooperative Extension,
placed farm advisors employed by the University of California in every county that formed a farm bureau and agreed to sponsor
Extension Service work. While arrangements have evolved, advisors continue to work in all California counties today and address
problems ranging from soil conditions and land reclamation to irrigation; from livestock breeding to improved varietals; and
from mechanization to disease and pest management, to enable farms to increase efficiency and productivity.
The University of California Cooperative Extension, Fresno County Records span the years 1914-2000 (bulk). Records in the
collection include annual and historical reports that describe the history of UCCE work in the county. Series 2-6 reflect
the name of the farm advisor who was the last custodian of the records in that series. The records in these series reflect
the custodian's research focus and tenure and can also include records inherited from previous farm advisors. Topics found
in these records include the growing and harvesting of almonds, pistachios, and other nuts as well as their irrigation, fumigation,
and other activities. Other documents portray soil surveys, soil formation, and fertilizers and there is significant material
related to alfalfa and cotton. Themed newsletters about seeds, soil, water, hay and foraging are located in the series named
for farm advisor Shannon Mueller. The collection contains a variety of formats including typed reports, data sets, local newsletters,
and other crop trial records and documentation. Photographs and audiovisual materials are currently being processed and will
be made available upon completion.
This collection is organized into 8 series and 18 subseries:
Series 1. Reports
Subseries 1. Annual Reports
Subseries 2. Historical Reports
Series 2. Mae Culumber Records
Subseries 1. Crop Records
Subseries 2. Slides
Series 3. George Zhuang Records
Subseries 1. Grapes
Subseries 2. Fungicides
Subseries 3. Growth Regulators
Subseries 4. Nutrients
Subseries 5. Soil and Irrigation
Subseries 6. Biocontrol
Series 4. Daniel S. Munk Records
Series 5. Shannon Mueller Records
Subseries 1. Alfalfa
Subseries 2. Bees
Subseries 3. Newsletters
Subseries 4. Oilseed Crops
Subseries 5. Vegetable and Grain Crops
Subseries 6. Agricultural Extension Service
Series 6. Ruth Dahlquist-Willard Slides
Series 7. 4-H and CalFresh
Subseries 1. Historical Reports
Subseries 2. Photographs
Series 8. Photographs and Audiovisual Material
The annual reports are found in a collection at California State University, Fresno. See: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf0580009f/
for the collection guide.