NORWICH – Recognizing a year full of accomplishments, including a milestone 100th anniversary, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County held its annual meeting at its 99 N. Broad St. location this week.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) annual meeting held Wednesday provided the chance to honor achievements of both the organization and its staff, as well as elect new members for its volunteer Board of Directors.

The event spotlighted accomplishments of CCE’s programs and services which include agriculture economic development, horticulture, forestry, the 4-H youth program, gardening and food preservation programs, and Eat Smart New York.

“It was a different world when the Extension started 100 years ago. A big part of the role of the Extension over the last 100 years has been taking people who were once adjusted to things like kerosene and firewood, and bringing those people into a world where they’re used to things like the world wide web, hybrid and regular cars, tractors, and computers,” said CCE Chenango Executive Director Ken Smith.

Started as the Chenango Farm Bureau in 1915, CCE had a mission to advocate for the needs of the local ag industry while simultaneously offering the latest educational resources. Not long after it was created, the institution split into two separate entities in order to accommodate a two-fold purpose. Education continued to be the main focus of the Cooperative Extension while legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels was handled by the Farm Bureau.