It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governments that includes an Extension office in each of Florida's 67 counties, 12 off-campus research and education centers, five demonstration units, the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (including the School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences and the School of Natural Resources and Environment), three 4-H camps, portions of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant program, the Emerging Pathogens Institute, the UF Water Institute and the UF Genetics Institute.

UF/IFAS has been heavily involved in dealing with emerging food safety issues such the recent surge of E. coli and Salmonella infections due to bacteria on fresh produce served at restaurants and grocery stores.

[citation needed] The 1914 Smith-Lever Act provided federal support for land-grant institutions to offer educational programs to enhance the application of useful and practical information beyond their campuses through cooperative extension efforts with states and local communities.

UF/IFAS Extension provides Floridians with lifelong learning programs in cooperation with county governments, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Florida A&M.

The wide breadth of educational programming offered in each county responds to the local needs of residents, schools, regulatory agencies, community organizations, and industry.

In addition to the Gainesville campus programs, the college offers baccalaureate degrees online and at four UF/IFAS research and education centers.

Recognizing the specialized needs of nontraditional students, CALS offers Bachelor of Science degree programs at Fort Lauderdale, Milton, Ft. Pierce, Apopka, and Plant City.

Degree programs include agricultural education and communication, geomatics, natural resource conservation, and agribusiness management.

The 2006 fall academic semester marked the official launch of a science-based organic agriculture undergraduate degree program at UF, making it one of the first three U.S. institutions to offer this major.