Greene County Extension celebrates new home
Nov. 1, 2024
By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- New location offers greater access, visibility to county residents
- 130 people tour and learn about services provided
(566 words)
(Newsrooms: Photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBQ83F )
PARAGOULD, Ark. — The Greene County Cooperative Extension Service has a new home — a stand-alone building that that is more accessible, spacious and visible to the residents that extension serves.
More than 130 city, county, state leaders and supporters celebrated the grand opening and dedication of the new building at 4410 Fairview Road in Paragould on Oct. 29. Attendees toured the building and celebrated extension’s century-long presence in Greene County. They also enjoyed lunch in the spacious community room and learned about resources and services related to 4-H, agriculture, food and nutrition, and community and economic development.
“This building dedication today is due to the direction, purpose and vision of this great community in which we live,” Greene County Judge Rusty McMillon said. “Community-minded people who collaborate, share ideas, work, serve and partner demonstrate that our community is great — because of her great people and because of the many things going on. You can see these partnerships among neighbors, school districts, and city, county, state and federal governments.”
The $4 million project was supported by Greene County, the City of Paragould and the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
The 8,000-square-foot building houses administrative offices for three county agents as well as an administrative assistant, an Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) assistant, soybean and wheat verification coordinator and room for future growth. The facility has a commercial kitchen, laboratory, conference room, lobby, board room and a large community room that can hold up to 300 people.
“The future is bright for Extension programming because of the investment made in this facility, the continued need for the information we provide, and the ongoing support from the county and city,” Greene County Extension Staff Chair Lance Blythe said.
Several groups are already using the facility regularly. 4-H clubs, Master Gardeners, and Extension Homemakers Clubs — all outreach organizations of Extension — use the community room for their meetings. Farm Bureau had its annual banquet on site, and extension has hosted several meetings and conferences since August. The commercial kitchen is also being used for nutritional education classes offered through EFNEP.
Extension has had a presence in Greene County since 1912 — even before the Smith-Lever Act established a system of cooperative extension services associated with land-grant institutions. Since 1979, the extension office had been located in the Federal Building, which houses a U.S. Post Office.
In April 2023, extension broke ground for the new center. During construction, the extension staff worked out of a nearby house until they moved into the new building in August 2024.
“The foot traffic we have picked up just being on a ground floor was a pleasant surprise,”
Blythe said. “The accessibility for the public has significantly improved. We’re on
a main street and have signage which has increased our visibility. Having a conference
area means we don’t have to go all over the county looking for places to conduct programs,
and that’s a game-changer.”
To learn about Greene County Extension programs and services, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/counties/greene/. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension
Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture
research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture,
visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
###
Media Contact: Tracy Courage
Director of Communications-Extension
U of A System Division of Agriculture
501-658-2044