2021 marks the 100-year anniversary of Pima County Cooperative Extension (PCCE). With the passage of the landmark Smith-Lever Act in 1914, the University of Arizona began providing cooperative extension services in Arizona. By 1921, the Pima County office had opened in the downtown Tucsonia Hotel with the help of two outstanding Extension agents, C.B. Brown and Evelyn Bentley. C.B Brown, a renowned conservationist and the namesake for Brown Mountain, also helped found Tucson Mountain Park and was instrumental in forming the Arizona Farm Bureau. You may be less familiar with Ms. Bentley, who tirelessly helped people to build cooking skills, make mattresses, hats, clothing and other necessities, and helped develop the school lunch program during her 20+ years as an Extension agent. Both were key figures around the community and at the early County Fairs, held near Roskruge School in central Tucson.

Julie Adamcin, an Extension agent at PCCE from 1970 until 2007, is a great admirer of Ms. Bentley and followed in her footsteps. She recalls her first couple of years with Extension when she was teaching people how to cook with provisions supplied through the Commodity Supplemental Food program. Created by Congress in 1969, this program sought to alleviate hunger using food commodities acquired with a double purpose of providing government farm support. Families were often at a loss when they received their 2lb can of mystery meat, peanut butter, flour, oats, and other unwieldy ingredients. Ms. Adamcin describes creating “candy” out of corn syrup, dried milk, and peanut butter and a make-do dinner consisting of tuna mixed with tomato soup and served on bread. She remembers the resilience of families who often depended on 4-H activities and scholarships to help educate and build the life skills necessary to pull them out of poverty and toward a successful future.

Today’s modern context may be different, but the fundamental issues of need, at-risk youth, health, and sustainability are still here. Pima County Cooperative Extension continues to bring university knowledge and science to people, working every day to help our Pima County citizens.

While ringing in the New Year and with all eyes are set on the future, we continue to give serious thought to how to empower young people to achieve success. The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) has determined that many college graduates lack life skills critical to success such as team working, communication, problem-solving, and time management. The Experiential Learning Model that is the cornerstone of all 4-H projects builds these skills by allowing a safe space for youth to learn by doing, reflecting on their efforts, and applying this new knowledge as they seek mastery.

It is often quoted that “the outside of an animal, is good for the inside of a child.” Pima County 4-H livestock projects task youth with raising animals to enter the local food chain. Many youths start as young as eight years old and build their projects over time until they attain mastery through the livestock show programs at the annual Pima County Fair. According to a 2020 survey of Pima 4-H members who raised livestock, the most common skills they learned included goal-setting, teamwork, cooperation, and self-discipline. Pima 4-H programs continue the long tradition of creating opportunities for youth to learn these skills and to have a blast doing it!

Find out about 4-H Project opportunities

The Pima Master Gardener program has undertaken a creative new photography project. With the generous support of a local 360^o photographer, Ron Quarles, we are pleased to offer virtual tours of our public demonstration gardens. All the gardens are located at the Pima County Cooperative Extension on North Campbell Avenue and are maintained by committees of volunteer Pima County Master Gardeners. From the comfort and safety of home, you can now wander through our flower and vegetable gardens in self-paced digital tours, with a new tour released every other month.

Our first virtual tour features the Small Spaces Garden, which consists of fifteen separate beds, each demonstrating a different concept for growing in a limited space. The handful of gardens mentioned in this virtual walk-through are the Trichocereus, Wildflower, Balcony, Rock, Herbs & Edibles, Caterpillar & Butterfly, Fruit Trees, and Salsa Gardens. Using your own device, you can learn about gardening in the desert and the wide array of plants that add beauty and function to our landscapes and enhance our quality of life.

Take the Small Spaces Garden Tour

Story excerpted from Master Gardener Newsletter article by Stephanie Van Latum and Elise Gohlke

Focus is an extreme challenge today as many kids are using electronic devices to attend school at home on platforms such as Zoom. These times bring stress to families, and in turn, to their children. Practicing skills that promote focus is important for the mental health of students and for fostering good habits for life. Ellen Galinsky, author of the book “Mind in the Making”, highlights the concept of making passion a keystone of better performance in school. In essence, the more passionate a child is about an activity, the better they can focus on their task at hand.

Here are some tips:

Find more tips on our Parenting Resources Webpage

Sign up for Pima Family Engagement Classes