Initially, Extension Services were established more than 100 years ago to facilitate connecting farmers with new knowledge and technologies to increase agricultural production. Extension services were first introduced in the United States through city libraries and by staff at the Farmer Institute Experiment Station in Massachusetts (Seevers, Graham, & Conklin, 2007). Extension work gradually expanded to rural populations in other parts of the United States, which helped create a national system, as 50% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas nearly a century ago (U.S. Department of Agriculture United, 2010). The Smith-Lever Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1914, and the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) was established (Seevers et al., 2007). The term cooperative refers to its three sources of funding: federal, state, and local governments (Graham, 1994). After its creation, CES became deeply rooted in American society. It serves as the educational outreach network of land-grant colleges and the USDA, which is “a vast network of interdependent but relatively independent institutions throughout the states and territories” (Boone, 1988, p. 11). It is dedicated to the development of the agricultural system and this requires continuous adaptation due to technological and demographic changes. Programs vary within states and local regions as CES responds to local needs and problems (Graham, 1994). CES program areas are agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H and youth development, and community development (Seevers et al., 2007). The mission of the CES was to distribute useful and practical information on agriculture, home economics and related topics t...... middle of paper ...... people's needs. Their ability to perform extension tasks is a function of their job skills. According to Swanson (1996), high value should be placed on key skills in business and industry, referring mainly to their knowledge and experience in these fields. In 2002, ECOP challenged Extension leadership to prepare its administrators, faculty and staff to value diversity and accept that change is necessary for the vitality of the organization. The committee recommended that the Extension system should allocate resources to ensure that all employees spend at least 10% of their time on training and professional development that improve skills related to engagement and critical issues. Because of the need for staff training and development identified by ECOP, many states have established their own proficiency standards, including North Carolina.