Mike Pearson takes a look at the 110th anniversary of the Cooperative Extension Service in the USA and how it is still relevant today.

In 1914, research was being conducted in agriculture but the word wasn't getting out to producers.

A connection to farmers was needed and that's why the Cooperative Extension Service was created. It connected land grant universities which had the research to the USDA which had the funding and local agents who could keep connected to producers and spread the word.

For 110 years the system has been celebrating accomplishments.

And with the recent increase in livestock diseases worldwide, it is once again showing how important the system is to producers.

The Avian flu, Hoof and Mouth Disease and the African Swine Fever are concerns for livestock producers.

By bringing the latest research on biosecurity to farms, the Cooperative Extension Service has again shown how important it is to the country.

One example is a project out of Oregon State University that is funded through a $75,000 grant from the USDA. The goal of the program is to train 500 cattle producers in California, Oregon and Idaho on the local, state and national protocols if a livestock disease outbreak occurs.

Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness.