CURRENT COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES BETWEEN APHIS-ANIMAL DAMAGE CONTROL AND THE EXTENSION SERVICE

The basis of our cooperation is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was signed between the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Extension Service (ES), both agencies of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), on May 14, 1987. The purpose of the MOU is to establish policies and administrative arrangements for a working relationship between the two agencies and to provide procedures for planning, coordinating, and developing cooperative vertebrate...programs. The MOU points out that APHIS-Animal Damage Control (ADC) has responsibilities in research, operational, and technical assistance programs, which are authorized by the Animal Damage Control Act of March 2, 1931 (7 USC 426-426b). The ES is the educational arm of USDA, and provides leadership and technical assistance to State Cooperative Extension Services for educational programs, which are authorized by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 (7 USC 341-349). The MOU is very general and allows for a wide variety of working relationships between the ES and ADC. In addition to this national MOU, several MOUs have been developed between ADC and State Cooperative Extension Services. These documents involve different levels of detail, but generally outline responsibilities and duties. The objective of this exercise is to identify current and specific cooperative activities between ADC and ES