The past, present, and future of the Cooperative Extension Service in America is presented respectively in the three sections of this book, which is a collection of 23 separately authored papers. In the first section, A Proud Heritage, the papers assess some of the reasons agriculture has contributed greatly to the development of America. They deal with the fundamental philosophy and objective established by legislators and early founders of the Cooperative Extension Service. Titles are "The Cooperative Extension Heritage,""What a Document...That Land-Grant Act!""The 1890 Institutions--Joining the Land-Grant Family," and "In Service to Agriculture." Papers in the second section, Extension's Role In a Changing World, deal with how Extension is helping families and communities achieve a better life. They also deal with the results of a productive agriculture and how this has affected the living patterns of rural America. Some of the titles are "The Miracle of Volunteer Leaders,""Philosophy of Leadership Development,""Updating Staff for Specialized Agriculture," and "New Dimensions in Programming: EFNEP" (Expanded Food and Nutrition Educational Program). Papers in the final section, A Future to Shape, describe the world in which Extension will operate in the future and looks at Extension and its role in that world. Some of the titles are "Agriculture 200 Years from Now,""New Directions in Family Life Patterns," and "Extenion's Challenge: Micropolitan Communities." (SH)