All counties in North Carolina are expected to maintain a viable County Extension Advisory Council. These councils primarily focus on advocacy and programming at the county level.
County Advisory Council members are selected to represent all program areas, geographic areas, emerging issues, and populations in the county. These volunteers are typically influential in the county and may or may not have been involved with Extension programming before service.
Advisory council size varies from county to county, depending on the population, geographic size of the county, and scope of programs.
These councils are often involved in conducting environmental scans or needs assessments. They may also assist with marketing, resource development, advocacy, and other locally specific tasks. Often, county advisory councils assist in preparing for and presenting at Farm-City Week events and reports to the people. They may be asked to assist with educational tours for elected officials, helping host town hall meetings with Extension staff members, sharing success stories in appropriate venues, and many other similar assignments.
Baseline Expectations for County Councils
County Extension Advisory Council Handbook
