The University of California Cooperative Extension Records for Ventura County span the years of 1916-2000. Records include reports and information on storm districts, irrigation and water management, farm management including information on farm labor and migrant workers, integrated pest management including information on pesticides and fertilizers, floriculture including information on gardens and landscaping, nutrition including information on food preservation, and youth developing including information on 4-H projects Agua Pura, Green Net Project, Youth Experiences in Science, and From Snails to Alpha Males. A large portion of the records are related to agriculture in Ventura County, the Coastal Plain, and the Intermountain Valleys of the Transverse Ranges in California and include trial reports and reference material on crops, domesticated animals, wildlife, water, soil, and climate. The collection includes a wide variety of formats: typed reports, project proposals, data sets, local newsletters and press releases, maps, audiovisual material, photographs, slides, scrapbooks, and a variety of publications from the county, state, and national level.

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.

43.5 Linear Feet Processed records. Located at Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF), University of California.

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.

This collection is open for research. A portion of the records have been digitized and are freely available online. For help locating material please contact library@ucmerced.edu.