Lane County’s size and geography have long limited access to 4-H hands-on learning. For years, many camps, workshops and school programs clustered around Eugene and Springfield, leaving rural communities with fewer opportunities to ...
Mar 2026 |
Impact Story
Credit: Aaron Becerra-Alvarez (Cropped from original)
Vegetable specialty seed production is a cornerstone of agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. More than 170 seed crops — including brassicas, spinach, radish, carrot, onion and many others — are grown on relatively small ...
Nearly all U.S. households use some form of food preservation to extend the shelf life of perishable foods, stretch food budgets and prevent waste. A 2024 nationwide survey found that 49% of households preserved food through ...
Mar 2026 |
Impact Story
Credit: Katterlea MacGregor (Cropped from original)
The Oregon State University College of Forestry owns and manages the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, an 11,500-acre, heavily visited forest north of Corvallis. After three years of collaboration among scientists, educators, tribes and ...
Elementary teachers want more hands-on, standards-aligned science experiences, but classrooms often lack the specialized equipment and curriculum needed to teach life science in an engaging, practical way. By expanding a proven, ...
Mar 2026 |
Impact Story
Credit: Todd Anderson/Oso Honey Farm (Cropped from original)
Oregon’s tree fruit and nut industries are a cornerstone of rural economies, supporting farm jobs, packing and processing and regional supply chains. Pears, apples and sweet cherries alone totaled $227.9 million in farm gate ...
Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) is an ecologically important West Coast tree that may disappear from much of its range — from British Columbia to California — as emerald ash borer, an invasive insect, spreads in North ...
In early 2022, many small-scale goat and sheep producers in Lane County faced a critical gap when the last veterinarian who regularly served small ruminants retired. With fewer local options for timely care, producers needed ...
Feb 2026 |
Impact Story
Credit: Daria Van De Grift (Cropped from original)
Raw milk naturally contains microorganisms. Most are harmless, but higher microbial levels can shorten shelf life, complicate processing and signal hygiene problems that raise costs for farms and processors. For Oregon’s dairy ...
Wildfire risk is rising across the Pacific Northwest at the same time timber prices remain volatile. For timberland owners, that combination can make long harvest rotations harder to justify and can reduce the value of forestland...