Greene County Cooperative Extension Service building opens

The Greene County Cooperative Extension Service has a new stand-alone building. The $4 million project was recently completed and a grand opening was held in late October.

“This building dedication today is due to the direction, purpose and vision of this great community in which we live,” said Greene County Judge Rusty McMillon. “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 project was funded 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,” said Greene County Extension Staff Chair Lance Blythe.

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, the Extension Service broke ground for the new center. During construction, the extension staff worked out of a nearby house until they moved into the new building.

“The foot traffic we have picked up just being on a ground floor was a pleasant surprise,” said Blythe. “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.”