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

Extension spearheads award-winning Tillamook County Wellness coalition

By declaring 2016 the “Year of Wellness” and establishing a wellness task force, Tillamook County leaders inspired organizations to come together to tackle the leading health concerns. These concerns include high rates of ...

May 2019 | Impact Story

4-H Lamprey in the Classroom returns to Portland area after pandemic hiatus

The Pacific lamprey, a threatened fish, is considered sacred by Pacific Northwest tribes and plays an important ecological and cultural role in the Pacific Northwest. Education is key to saving the lamprey, but until a few ...

Jun 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension partnership results in successful farm-to-school model

Agricultural fields surround communities in the Klamath Basin yet many of the region’s youth don’t connect with farming and don’t appreciate or understand how food is grown, how it tastes and how it arrives at their ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

Disease-resistant potatoes boost Pacific Northwest farmers

Potatoes are susceptible to a number of pathogens such as potato virus Y, Columbia root knot nematode, and verticillium wilt. Pacific Northwest scientists including Oregon State University's Sagar Sathuvalli are constantly at work to...

Feb 2019 | Impact Story

Food Hero enables Oregonians to eat healthier

For all the wealth of fruits and vegetables the state’s farmers produce, many low-income Oregonians struggle to include recommended amounts in their diets. An OSU survey of about 1,200 Oregonians eligible for federal food ...

Jul 2020 | Impact Story

OSU cultivates table-grape options for farmers

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a good climate for grape growing but is primarily known for its wine grape production. Table grapes, however, remain a minor crop, grown on a small scale within diversified farming operations. ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps ranchers follow strict new antibiotic rules

Antibiotics are an effective weapon against bacterial disease. But because they’re used widely in both animals and humans, some bacteria have evolved into deadly, drug-resistant super-strains. About two million people in the United ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

OSU helps Rogue Valley residents achieve sustainable vision for their land

Oregon's Rogue Valley is an attractive spot for newcomers looking to enjoy rural life. It's also home to a large retired population, some of whom are passing their land to the next generation. These heirs and new residents, ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story

OSU teaches Oregonians to raise honeybees as hives struggle

As honeybees struggle for survival, people are recognizing their role in pollinating key crops. They're increasingly interested in raising them in their backyards, but many don't know where to begin. To give them a hand, the ...

Aug 2019 | Impact Story

OSU Wheat Breeding Program makes gains in disease resistance

With the leading wheat varieties in Oregon and Washington, Oregon State University's Wheat Breeding Program has a long-standing reputation for success. Each year, OSU tests more than 40,000 genetically distinct lines specifically for ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story