Extension Service

The Oregon State University Extension Service provides practical, research-based information and engages learners, partners, and volunteers in communities across Oregon to meet local challenges and help every Oregonian thrive.

Our programs, partnerships and volunteer opportunities are focused on:

  • Healthy communities and economies
  • Resilient and productive forestry and natural ecosystems
  • Sustainable agriculture, food systems, and gardening
  • Thriving youth, individuals and families

Youth Environmental Educators overcome pandemic year

Many youths in underserved communities must work to support their families. Yet, most internship opportunities for middle- and high-school age youth are unpaid, which is a disadvantage to those youth who must choose a paying job....

Virtual Walk With Ease class increases accessibility to disabled adults

Walk With Ease is an evidence-based exercise program developed by the Arthritis Foundation that can help adults build confidence in being physical active while reducing pain and improving their overall health. The Oregon State ...

Extension educates Oregonians to prepare for Cascadia Earthquake

Scientists predict there is about a 37 percent chance that an earthquake of at least 8.0 magnitude will strike off the Pacific Northwest coast in the next 50 years. When it occurs, the historic temblor will cause widespread ...

OSU Train the Trainers workshops keep agricultural workers on track with food safety

Food safety education is the key to preventing the risk of food contamination in the supply chain, especially when crops are harvested directly by workers. In those cases, farms must remain especially vigilant to ensure their ...

Food pantries receive fresh blueberry donations during pandemic

In July 2020, the North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) in Aurora found itself with 1,800 pounds of mechanically harvested blueberries ready for distribution. Normally the berries are harvested and purchased by ...

Cooking classes serve Micronesian and Pacific Islander communities

Historically the Micronesian and Pacific Islander community in the United States has faced inequitable health outcomes, exacerbated by a lack of access to health care services and social safety nets due to their special residency ...

Clackamas Extension collaborates to create virtual Kids in the Kitchen class

In the fall of 2020, Oregon SNAP-Ed, a nutrition education program of the Oregon State University Extension Service, started partnering with Todos Juntos, a nonprofit after-school provider in Clackamas County, to deliver Kids in ...

Science videos help young Spanish speakers learn during COVID-19

With peppy music and creative animation – Rodrigo Corona, 4-H faculty outreach coordinator in Clackamas County, made hands-on learning fun through two science videos he created in Spanish. The science videos came with activity ...

COVID-19 relief funds support Tillamook County child care providers

Research from the Oregon State University Extension Service identified Tillamook County as a child care desert – a county where there is not enough child care for demand. In 2019, only 4% of babies and toddlers up to 2 ...

Livestock producers embrace progressive tactics for dealing with wolves

Wolves pose a threat to livestock in the Pacific Northwest through depredation, and some studies have shown that their presence causes stress in cattle that leads to decreased reproductive rates and weight gain. Under the Oregon...