Everything Auburn Podcast: Extension Week

As Extension director, Dr. Eve Brantley guides more than 700 faculty and staff across both Auburn and Alabama A&M campuses and in all 67 Alabama counties.

As Extension director, Dr. Eve Brantley guides more than 700 faculty and staff across both Auburn and Alabama A&M campuses and in all 67 Alabama counties.

If you have questions about eating healthier or making your budget dollars stretch further, chances are Extension has solutions that work.

“We cover a really broad spectrum,” Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) director Eve Brantley said. “It's because we serve all of Alabama.”

Service is at the heart of what Brantley does every day. 

Named the 1862 Extension director for ACES this past January, she steps into the role with deep, field-tested experience as both a multi‑county Extension agent and an associate director.

In her current role, Brantley guides more than 700 faculty and staff across both Auburn and Alabama A&M campuses and in all 67 Alabama counties.

“We have an army of people,” Brantley said.  “We're embedded in communities. We shop at the same grocery stores and go to the same churches. Our Extension agents work hard to learn everything about their communities so they can serve as local subject matter experts.”

ACES was formed following the passage of the federal Smith-Lever Act in 1914, which provided funding for land-grant universities to establish agricultural extension programs.  It was designed to provide research-based education to rural populations, particularly to combat threats like the boll weevil and to teach home economics.

ACES advances Auburn’s land-grant mission, connecting the university with local communities by sharing practical, researched-based knowledge and information.

ACES advances Auburn’s land-grant mission, connecting the university with local communities by sharing practical, researched-based knowledge and information.

Today, ACES continues to advance Auburn’s land-grant mission, connecting the university with local communities by sharing practical, researched-based knowledge and information.

“It's not just a one-way street,” Brantley explained. “What makes Extension special is we ask people, ‘what do you need?’  Then, we do research to solve those problems.”

From school classrooms and college campuses to the career field, family life and retirement, ACES provides educational outreach opportunities for every stage of life, helping Alabamians make science-based decisions to improve their lives.

“We're well known for agriculture, forestry and natural resources, but we also have a very large human sciences component, federal nutrition programs and community resource development initiatives,” Brantley said.

Every year, Extension staff coordinate more than 6,000 educational events in cities and towns across Alabama.  Extension’s Online Directory provides an interactive opportunity for every Alabamian to access a trusted, reliable source of information.

“We're unique because we have a unified extension system that helps us serve both our urban and rural clientele,” Brantley explained.  “We’re really able to expand our reach.”

Alabama Extension Week offers ACES county offices the chance to remind communities across the state that help and expertise are close to home.

Alabama Extension Week offers ACES county offices the chance to remind communities across the state that help and expertise are close to home.

Alabama Extension Week runs April 12 – 18.  It’s been held for the past four years to draw awareness and visibility to ACES’s programming, people and mission. 

This year, the focus is on the Auburn and Alabama A&M campuses, aiming to make students more aware of resources offered to them by ACES.  Several events and 14 free webinars are planned, with agents sharing practical tips and research-based solutions for gardening, mental health, nutrition, financial planning and more.

“Extension professionals are going to be sharing different examples of what we do,” Brantley said.  “Everything from beekeeping to turfgrass to selecting healthy foods on a budget.”

At Auburn, a Career Exploration opportunity is planned for Tues., April 14 at 2 p.m. in 203 Upchurch Hall with Home Horticulture Agent Megan Jones. On Wed., April 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., ACES will host Extension on the Green featuring 15 engaging exhibits, free food, trivia and door prizes on the campus green space. Agents will also be featured daily on WSFA Live at 11 a.m.

The entire week offers ACES county offices across the state a chance to remind communities that help and expertise are close to home.

“This is a real opportunity to say, ‘yes, Extension does that,’” Brantley said.

Brantley says working for ACES is more than just a career – it’s a calling.

“The work that everyone in Extension does reflects the Auburn Family and the Auburn Creed manifested in human action,” Brantley said.  “It's about being a part of something that’s improving lives around Alabama.  What's a better mission than that?”