Virginia Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension Education Servicesext.vt.edu

Virginia Cooperative Extension delivers university research-based education in agriculture, food safety, youth development, family sciences, and natural resources to Virginia residents through local offices, expert-reviewed publications, training programs, and volunteer networks funded by federal, state, and local public appropriations.

Company typePrivate
Founded1872
HeadquartersBlacksburg, United States
Headcount5,001–10,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Virginia Cooperative Extension does

Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) is a publicly funded cooperative extension service established in 1872, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, and operated as a partnership between Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local Virginia governments. VCE delivers research-based educational programming in agriculture, horticulture, food safety, nutrition, family sciences, youth development, and natural resources to Virginia residents through a statewide network of county and city offices, with 5,001–10,000 employees supporting the operation.

Core products and services include the VCE Publications digital repository (pubs.ext.vt.edu) of thousands of expert-reviewed fact sheets and guides, 4-H Youth Development programs, Agriculture Programs covering agritourism, livestock, soil health, and specialty crops, the Master Gardener, Master Food Volunteer, and Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer training programs, ServSafe food safety certification, the Geospatial Extension Program (GIS mapping and spatial analysis), the Virginia Household Water Quality Program, and the Virginia Family Nutrition Program (SNAP-Ed). Specialized research and extension infrastructure includes Agricultural Research and Extension Centers such as the Virginia Seafood AREC, which supports Virginia's seafood industry contributing more than $800 million in income impacts (NMFS-NOAA, 2023).

VCE's business model is public funding through federal (USDA/Smith-Lever Act), state (Virginia Tech, Virginia State University), and local government appropriations, with most educational resources, publications, training programs, and consultation services provided at no direct cost or minimal fee to Virginia residents. The go-to-market is community-led, executed through Extension agents in local offices, trained volunteers, subject matter specialists from the two partner universities, and a multi-channel digital presence spanning web, social media, email newsletters, podcasts, and in-person events.

Virginia Cooperative Extension firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Virginia Cooperative Extension
Legal name: Virginia Cooperative Extension
Website: https://ext.vt.edu
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1872
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 5,001–10,000 employees
Short description: Virginia Cooperative Extension delivers university research-based education in agriculture, food safety, youth development, family sciences, and natural resources to Virginia residents through local offices, expert-reviewed publications, training programs, and volunteer networks funded by federal, state, and local public appropriations.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Virginia Cooperative Extension industry classification

Industry

Product category: Cooperative Extension Education Services
NAICS: Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

Keywords

Agricultural extension services
4-H youth development programs
Community nutrition education
Master Gardener volunteer training
Family and consumer sciences

Where Virginia Cooperative Extension is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Blacksburg
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

Virginia Cooperative Extension business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Public Funding: As a cooperative extension service, VCE is funded through appropriations from Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Virginia local governments. This public funding model supports the organization's mission to deliver research-based education to Virginia residents at no direct cost.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Multi-year contract	Free educational resources and extension services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Virginia Cooperative Extension product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Virginia Cooperative Extension delivers research-based educational programs and resources to Virginia residents across agriculture, family sciences, youth development, food safety, horticulture, and natural resources. Core offerings include expert-reviewed publications (accessible via pubs.ext.vt.edu), training and certification programs (ServSafe, Master Gardener, Master Food Volunteer, Virginia Master Naturalist), 4-H youth development programs, and direct consultation through a statewide network of local Extension offices. The organization is a cooperative partnership between Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, USDA, and Virginia local governments.

Product overview

Virginia Cooperative Extension operates as a multi-faceted educational service delivering university research and expertise to Virginia residents through a network of programs and publications. The core offering is VCE Publications, a digital repository of peer-reviewed fact sheets, guides, and eBooks spanning agriculture, youth development (4-H), family sciences, food safety, lawn and garden, and natural resources. These publications are complemented by training programs including the Master Gardener, Master Food Volunteer, and Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer initiatives, as well as certified programs like ServSafe Food Safety training. The organization maintains local offices throughout Virginia to provide direct community support alongside its digital resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

VCE Publications
4-H Youth Development Program
Agriculture Programs
Master Gardener Program
Master Food Volunteer Program
ServSafe Food Safety Training
Virginia Master Naturalist Program
Family and Consumer Sciences Programs
Virginia Family Nutrition Program
Geospatial Extension Program
Virginia Household Water Quality Program
Turf and Garden Tips Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

Virginia's seafood industry generates more than $800 million in income impacts, nearly 4,000 jobs, and $74.7 million in taxes from fish sales (NMFS-NOAA, 2023)

Companies that use Virginia Cooperative Extension

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Virginia Cooperative Extension technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Virginia Cooperative Extension partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner providing faculty expertise, research capacity, and academic programs that form the foundation of Extension educational content. The College provides subject matter specialists who develop and review Extension publications and training materials.
Virginia State University College of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorically black land-grant university partner contributing research expertise and Extension programming, particularly serving Virginia's small-scale and limited-resource farmers and underserved communities.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner providing mandatory funding through the Smith-Lever Act and other programs. USDA establishes national policy framework and program guidelines that Extension follows.
Virginia Local GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty and city governments provide matching funding and administrative support for local Extension offices. Local governments help identify community needs and support programming delivery.
Virginia Agricultural Experiment StationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch entity conducting agricultural, environmental, and food science research that informs Extension programming and recommendations.
Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of field research stations providing localized research and demonstration capabilities across Virginia's diverse agricultural regions.
Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and EnvironmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing expertise in forestry, natural resources, environmental science, and geospatial technologies for Extension programming.
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterinary college partner contributing animal health expertise for livestock programs and One Health initiatives within Extension.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Virginia Cooperative Extension competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

University of Florida IFAS Extension: Florida's land-grant extension service operated through UF/IFAS. Direct peer with parallel research-extension-teaching mission, county office network, and analogous programmatic focus on agriculture, youth development, and family sciences.
Penn State Extension: Pennsylvania's land-grant extension service offering a comparable portfolio of publications, certifications, and county-based programming. Strong overlap in Master Gardener, 4-H, agricultural, and food safety programming with VCE.
Cornell Cooperative Extension: New York's land-grant extension system tied to Cornell University. Closest structural analog to VCE in operating model, with regional offices, Master Gardener programming, and applied research translation across agriculture and family sciences.
NC State Extension: North Carolina's land-grant extension service operated by NC State and NC A&T State universities. Direct peer to VCE with parallel structure, 4-H programming, agricultural research stations, and county-based delivery model serving a comparable Southeastern state.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas land-grant extension service with the largest statewide reach in the U.S. Comparable scope in agriculture, family sciences, 4-H, and natural resources, with similar digital publications and county agent structure.
Michigan State University Extension: Michigan's land-grant extension service delivering research-based education through county offices. Comparable portfolio of agriculture, Master Gardener, 4-H, and natural resources programs aligned with VCE's structure.
Ohio State University Extension: Ohio's land-grant extension with parallel programming structure including agriculture, 4-H, Master Gardener, and family consumer sciences delivered through county offices across the state.
Clemson Cooperative Extension: South Carolina's land-grant extension service operated by Clemson University. Direct peer with shared Southeastern context, parallel 4-H and agricultural programs, and similar county-based delivery model.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR): California's statewide extension and research division. Comparable mission of translating university research into community impact, with parallel programmatic emphases on agriculture, nutrition, youth development, and natural resources.

Emerging players

National 4-H Council: National nonprofit that supports the 4-H youth development program delivered through all state cooperative extensions including VCE. Comparable in mission around youth STEM, leadership, and civic education programming rather than direct service delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Virginia Cooperative Extension compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

Virginia Cooperative Extension financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Virginia Cooperative Extension leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Virginia Cooperative Extension funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Virginia Cooperative Extension M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virginia Cooperative Extension

What does Virginia Cooperative Extension do?

Is Virginia Cooperative Extension a public or private company?

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Virginia Cooperative Extension founded?

Virginia Cooperative Extension was founded in 1872. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is Virginia Cooperative Extension based?

Virginia Cooperative Extension is headquartered in Blacksburg, United States, in the North America region.

How does Virginia Cooperative Extension make money?

One revenue line is on record: public Funding.

Who are Virginia Cooperative Extension's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are University of Florida IFAS Extension, Penn State Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, NC State Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Michigan State University Extension, Ohio State University Extension, Clemson Cooperative Extension and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). National 4-H Council is listed as an emerging player.

Does Virginia Cooperative Extension have an API?

No public API is recorded for Virginia Cooperative Extension.

What industry is Virginia Cooperative Extension in?

Virginia Cooperative Extension's product category is Cooperative Extension Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHADAG, Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit), with a secondary code of BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.