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

4-H Egg to Fry projects bring ecology to life in 10 Portland metro area schools

Raising salmon and trout eggs in an elementary school classroom is an effective way to enhance a child’s understanding of how vitally important their environment is for their survival, and how people can greatly influence ...

Jun 2023 | 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

4-H’ers experience success at U.S. and world robotics championships

For several years, students in the Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development Program’s middle school robotics programs in Wasco County have shown a high level of success by winning three state championships ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Innovative teen leadership project serves youths in Columbia River Gorge

After virtual school instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development staff in Wasco County noticed that students coming to after-school programs had difficulty sharing materials, ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps Warm Springs tribal members loop back to food preservation

The summer of 2022 brought high temperatures, high gas prices, and high food prices to Oregon. In the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs community, where food preservation is a means of food security, those higher prices meant...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Oregon students learn about importance of forestry in multilingual after-school program

One of the significant and ongoing challenges affecting STEM education in the United States is changing student demographics with increasing numbers of multilingual students learning in their second language. Language can make a ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps Oregon’s woodland owners manage their land

Oregon's family woodland owners manage close to 4.5 million acres – or 40% of all private forestland in the state. They make substantial contributions to local economic, social, ecological and recreational services. Building ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

4-H teens learn how to prepare healthy meals and teach children how to cook

Clackamas County’s second-largest industry is agriculture, which includes nurseries, field crops, Christmas trees, berries and orchards. Field workers are the heart of Clackamas County’s agriculture industry. Most of them are first- ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Southern Oregon Juntos youths exposed to college life at Academia Latina

Students from underrepresented communities don’t have enough access to information about their post-secondary options and/or can feel confused about the college application process. Without guidance, these students can have a hard time...

May 2023 | Impact Story

More than 1,200 Benton County students take part in 4-H outdoor learning series

Studies show that American youths today are more connected to screens than to the outdoors. Parents of children 8 to 12 years old report their children spend three times as many hours with computers and televisions each week...

May 2023 | Impact Story