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

Building a ‘spark’ in 4-H for urban and underrepresented families

Traditional programs in Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development in Jackson County have seen success over the years. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the deadly and destructive 2020 Almeda fire, shed ...

Jul 2022 | Impact Story

‘Agripeneurs’ course creates regional market for local seed producers

Southern Oregon has a climate well-suited for seed production, and there are already more than a dozen farmers in the area who are selling commercial seed on contract for regional, national and international seed companies. But ...

Jul 2022 | Impact Story

Career Connect Day draws 200 students and job seekers in eastern Oregon

For decades, schools in rural Umatilla and Morrow counties have experienced declining high school graduation and college-going rates. More support and resources are needed for high school students to be prepared for college or ...

Jun 2022 | Impact Story

Garden to Table reaches traditionally underserved Yamhill County residents

The number of Latinos in Yamhill County continues to grow, making up about 16% of the county’s population. However, Latinos, especially those in lower-income households, along with other underserved residents, have traditionally been...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Farmers get a handle on wildfire prevention from OSU Extension outreach

Wildfires are burning across more agricultural lands than in the past across eastern Oregon due to a changing climate, increasing invasive annual grasses and changing farming practices that leave more residue on the soil surface ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

Led by OSU Extension Fire Program, statewide campaign prepares Oregonians for wildfire

In addition to climate change and a century of vegetation buildup, people contribute to wildfires more than ever. This is especially true as they move into houses that were built next to forest and agricultural lands where ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

New rotational crops increase economic viability for Lower Columbia Basin farmers

On the irrigated farmland of the Lower Columbia Basin, growers rotate their high-value crops of onions and potatoes from field to field to help stave off soil-borne diseases and pests, cut down on erosion, suppress weeds and ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

Farm managers gain knowledge in OSU Extension’s virtual Coffee Hours

With its fertile soil and mild climate, the Willamette Valley grows a wide number of crops that are profitable but attract a challenging arsenal of pests and weeds. Growers and field agronomists tell the Oregon State University...

May 2022 | 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

Warm Springs students explore ecology in collaboration with OSU Extension

There’s concern among tribal members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs that youths aren’t getting enough outdoor and science educational opportunities, especially opportunities with connections to tribal culture, values and ...

May 2022 | Impact Story