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About Virginia Cooperative Extension

Father, mother, and child looking at bell pepper plants in a home garden.
A young family participates in the Gardens Growing Families program through Henrico County's Cooperative Extension office.

Virginia Cooperative Extension was established in 1914 and is a partnership between Virginia’s two land grant universities: Virginia Tech and Virginia State University.

Today, Extension operates out of 107 offices, 11 Agricultural Research and Extension centers, and six 4-H centers across the commonwealth. Our agents, specialists, and volunteers work to assist farmers, empower youth, guide responsible resource management, and advance the wellbeing of all Virginians.

We work in communities across the commonwealth to share knowledge, support businesses, and implement research that advances the wellbeing of all Virginians.

We know our constituents and understand the unique challenges and opportunities that exist within their communities. From this frame of reference, we put Virginia Tech and Virginia State University knowledge into action and find real solutions.

We advocate for the social, economic, and environmental needs of all Virginians. Through community organizations, businesses, and families, we work to improve everyone’s wellbeing – starting in Virginia and extending across the world.

We work on the big issues, partnering with governments and organizations to solve systemic challenges in a way that benefits everyone. Virginians also count on us for their immediate land, health, and community needs to fix problems as they arise or seize opportunities that seem out of reach.

Our system incorporates the expertise of faculty in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station; as well as the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University.