Local Extension Offices coordinate with other organizations and professionals to present classes for people of all ages to acquire ‘hands on learning’ of basic life skills.
I have learned so much valuable information, gained practical skills, and have been pushed past my own inhibitions by working with my children in the 4-H program. But these skills are for everyone, of all ages. As you look closer at the services offered by the Extension Office, you will find:
- The Master Gardener Program
- Soil Testing
- Canning Lessons
- Pressure Canner Testing
- Small Livestock and Animal Husbandry Seminars
- Small Business / Innovation Services
- And many more topics appealing to the self-reliant.
The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each state has an office at its land-grant university that coordinates a network of regional and local offices.
County extension faculty (Extension Educators) are located in county extension offices all around your state. In addition, subject matter specialists (Extension Specialists) and support personnel are located in Regional Extension Centers and on the university main campus. These faculty members conduct extension education programs throughout the state for free or minimal cost. Collaborative relationships with countless agencies, groups, and individuals make possible a vast array of innovative educational programs. Extension faculty are joined by several thousand volunteers and by dozens of cooperating agencies, organizations and businesses, both public and private, on the local, state and national levels.
These professionals work with the people to address agricultural, natural resource, youth and community issues of the specific state.
The Extension Office also provides Family Life Development and Community Development services through their Family and Consumer Sciences Program which blends perfectly with the 4-H program.
Whether you are looking to attain education and experience or are looking for an opportunity to make a difference in your community by working with youth, the County Extension Office has a place for you. And it’s a great place to meet people with similar interests!
Go tohttp://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ to find the Extension Office in your county.