Polk

Hybrid Master Food Preservation certification diversifies volunteer program

Interest in home food preservation has surged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and Google search trends indicate that Oregonians’ interest in home canning ranks ninth nationally. As an increasing number of Oregonians ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Education efforts result in residential awareness to defend structures against wildfires

Wildfires are natural occurrences of ecological value, but when wildfires threaten the built environment, significant negative impacts may occur. Research on structure damage in wildfire events demonstrates that building materials and ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

OSU Extension responds to avian flu with coordinated outreach

When the deadly highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in Oregon in May 2022, poultry businesses were forced to cull infected birds, people with backyard chickens were worried about the fate of their birds and ...

Jun 2023 | Impact Story

Healthy food and beverage choices on the menu in OSU Extension workshops

In fall of 2021, regional leadership at the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) contacted the Oregon State University Extension Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed) unit in Marion, Polk and Yamhill ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension newsletter helps mint growers save money on pest control

Oregon ranks second in the United States in mint production, with a value estimated worth $28.7 million in 2022. Losses from pests like mint root borer and variegated cutworm can eat into farmers’ profits. These two most ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension microgreens gardening course reaches thousands of Oregonians

According to the latest National Gardening Association survey, about 55% of U.S. households had a garden in 2021. That number continues to grow with more than 18 million Americans starting the popular activity during the COVID-19...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension Fire Program shares benefits of prescribed burning

For thousands of years, fire supported environmental health in many parts of Oregon through both natural occurrences and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples. But after more than a century of fires being suppressed, Oregon’s ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

Networks foster support and learning as women in agriculture surge

Throughout the country, the number of women in agriculture is surging and that includes Oregon where 44% of the state’s farm producers are women. Still, working in an industry that is largely dominated by men causes some ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension Master Gardener Program increases diversity, equity and inclusivity

With nearly 2,800 volunteers in 27 counties across the state, the 46-year-old Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener program made contact with 78,700 Oregonians in 2022 – a significant increase from 2021's ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

As climate changes, interest grows in OSU Extension Dry Farming Project

With climate change causing ongoing drought and warmer temperatures in the West, there’s a critical need to develop alternative methods of producing the many and diverse vegetable crops grown in Oregon. Droughts translate into ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story