A Free Resource No Homesteader Should Be Without
Each US state has their own University's Extension Service. These services are beneficial to everyone! This article should be of particular interest to homesteaders, preppers, backyard gardeners, small and large farmers, and anyone interested in learning about the various topics your Extension Service provides!
Extension provides non-formal education and learning activities to people throughout the country — to farmers and other residents of rural communities as well as to people living in urban areas. It emphasizes taking knowledge gained through research and education and bringing it directly to the people to create positive changes. (Read More)
The Cooperative Extension System empowers farmers, ranchers, and communities of all sizes to meet the challenges they face, adapt to changing technology, improve nutrition and food safety, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and protect our environment. (More)
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For example, Oregon State University's Extension services include: Gardening, Small Farms, Food Preservation, Food and Nutrition, 4-H, Family and Youth, Health and Wellness, Environment, and finally Trees and Woodlands. Don't think that these are just for Oregon residents! Look around, I bet there's some information that would be beneficial to you!
You can get an idea of what your State's Extension Services can provide for you. For example, a gardener can get help to identify plants, insects, diseases, and more!
Through these programs you can become a Master Gardener, Master Beekeeper, Master Food Preservationist and I am sure other Master skills! When you become a "master" at something through the extension service, you are expected to volunteer your time to help other people learn whatever skill it is you've mastered.
In any case, whether you're a backyard gardener, a small farmer/homesteader, a veggie grower, livestock raiser, canner, interested in the environment, trees or woodlands, your local Extension office is there to help answer any questions you may have!
Please share this with your gardening, homesteading, etc friends because I know this resource is not widely known! It's a free resource based on research and provided through your State's University!
Find your local Extension Office here, or click on your state below, to see what they can help you with, today!
U.S. States:
U.S. Territories:
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Great post. This is an invaluable resource! Thank you, I'll definitely be checking out my state's link.
It is a really good FREE resource that not many people KNOW is there! Please share with your friends! I've contacted them to get an ID about a damaging pest! They gave me the ID and suggestions on how to rid of it! I'm going to be posting about that pest next, or very soon in the next few days if something else makes me blog about it first. Haha
Ground squirrels...oh I hate those! They are so destructive. Last year I live trapped 5 of them and this year SO FAR I got 4 more! This year they destroyed some tomato plants and all of the pepper plants and they also love to dig through the flower pots as well! I just released one this morning back "into the wild" and away from my home and plants!
Man, these little things are small. They're little itty bitty prairie dogs. They are so stinkin' cute but they decimated any food-plant I've grown. However, I do have some tomatoes and a few cucumbers... So far, they're okay? Maybe cause the tomatoes look like death itself. Haha
Well good luck in getting rid of them or at least preventing them from doing any more damage! After I got home yesterday I spotted ANOTHER ONE!!! This means that I set the trap again this morning, hopefully I will catch the 5th one of the year today!
Nice job on your post! I completely forgot about the extension offices. In WI there are also county extensions, but I don't know if that's in all states. We're battling bunnies and deer, cute, but forget gardens lol. Actually had a doe and her twins, still with spots, come between me and my neighbors house couple days ago (we're in the city). I suppose I'll be seeing more of them... Gardens here are protected by chicken wire or similar. We've tried potted gardening for city life, fun to see it grow. Curiously we've learned the rabbits don't like our lettuce so I guess that's safe LOL...
Yes! It's in all states! :D I think almost every county has one, maybe not a physical building to visit, but at least a phone number to call. I think they do this because each county basically has it's own weather-type. Haha Or something.
Haven't seen you around in a bit!! You gotta come around more often, friend! :) Saw your real neat and odd cloud pic though! Crazy!
And thank you!
Thanks! Work got crazy, we're about to go live with a new software in less than 2 weeks. It's pretty major for Mayo, just crossing fingers there aren't too many hic-ups...
I have yet to see one single deer here at my house, but they're terribly abundant in the town 20 mins away from here! I guess we have rabbits too??? Husband says he's seen them, but, I haven't... I dunno if I believe him! Haha.
LOL, they're too busy eating all the groceries in town! I actually know a little town in SD that people needed to put large fences around if they wanted gardens. The deer just thought they owned the town LOL. Used to go hunting rabbits in eastern OR. Most farmers didn't mind 'cause they can be quite destructive to alfalfa crops, and it helps keep disease down too.
Hopefully maybe you can find some late season plants that can still produce into the fall.
Exactly! Everyone in Prineville has 8ft fences around their gardens! I just need to figure out ground squirrels. Haha I only wish I have just deer to contend with!!
The deer are our biggest garden threat here in da U.P. of Michigan. There's more deer here in town than there is is out of town, or at least it seems like it. I neglected to make sure the back garden gate by the alley was closed last week, and the next day there was deer tracks in the garden. It was only 1 set of tracks, and it didn't do much damage, just sampled a few things, ate the leaves off one of the cucumber plants, and ate the tops off a couple of the sunflowers. It could have been worse.
Looked outside my window yesterday and a doe and 2 very young fawns were in my back yard, cute, but I think they've developed a taste for my wife's sunflowers lol... and I'm in the middle of a subdivision. I think they just bed down in the lot behind us.
Oh yeah, they definitely like sunflowers.
It's crazy the things you learn. I never knew such an amazing set of programs existing. That is definitely awesome! Thank you for the great info!! : )
Alas we don't have any similar services that I know of here in the UK.
I googled around and found a Master Gardener Program: http://mastergardeners.org.uk/about/master-gardeners/
http://mastergardeners.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-master-gardener/
Maybe there is something like it!
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Very good :) I like it :)
Thanks!
you are welcome :)