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

OSU Honey Bee Lab helps keep pollinators healthy and thriving

Honeybees are crucial pollinators for many crops, including apples, blueberries, cherries, carrots, clover, melons, almonds and broccoli. Nationwide, they pollinate an estimated $20 billion in food crops each year. But the total number...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

OSU research keeps Oregon Christmas tree industry No. 1 in the nation

Oregon is the No. 1 producer of Christmas trees in the United States, selling about 4.5 million trees a year. With a market value of $110 million, Oregon's Christmas tree industry ranked as the 14th most valuable Oregon ...

Apr 2021 | Impact Story

OSU research results in glysophate alternatives for wheat farmers

Eastern Oregon wheat farmers face a daunting situation – persistent weeds becoming resistant to the commonly used herbicide called glyphosate. In the Pacific Northwest, Russian thistle infests nearly 5 million acres and costs ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Sagebrush Habitat Team responds to threats to vast ecosystem

The invasion of annual grasses, an unprecedented rise in wildfire, and encroachment by conifers have substantially contributed to a 50% reduction in Oregon’s sagebrush ecosystem over the past 150 years. Such extensive habitat ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

OSU's Croptime helps farmers plant veggies at the right time

Well-timed harvests enable growers to meet demand for consistent supplies of produce. Good timing also helps farmers schedule labor when they need it, and can help minimize pest damage at stages during the growing season when ...

Feb 2021 | Impact Story

OSU-invented wristband reveals pollution risks

People are exposed to a range of pollutants every day but do not often know which ones—or to what degree. Measuring a person's contact with toxins can also be difficult, requiring expensive and bulky devices that people are...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

School IPM Program protects health and safety of Oregon children

Asthma is the top cause of absenteeism in U.S. public K-12 schools. Mice urine is an asthma trigger, and mice are one of the top pests in Oregon schools. Mice and other pests can carry numerous life-threatening diseases. ...

Jan 2024 | Impact Story

Sea Grant Extension helps boaters agree on best practices for watching whales

About 20,000 gray whales migrate past the Oregon Coast each year, of which about 200 stick around for the summer to feed. They share the water with whale-watching charters, recreational boaters and commercial fishermen. Data had...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Sea Grant Extension helps create, update a plan to prevent marine debris

Marine debris is solid, persistent material that has been manufactured or processed and then intentionally or unintentionally abandoned or discarded into the marine environment. The complex, global problem of marine debris causes ...

Feb 2021 | Impact Story

Sea Grant Extension teaches coastal employees to educate customers about tsunami preparedness

Scientists predict there is about a 37% chance that an earthquake of at least 8.0 magnitude will strike off the Pacific Northwest coast in the next 50 years. The Oregon State University Extension Service is playing a critical...

Feb 2021 | Impact Story