CSU Extension

Did you know September is National Preparedness Month? From disaster planning and emergency response to long-term recovery, land‑grant universities help communities prepare for uncertainty, respond when disaster strikes, and recover stronger.

https://agisamerica.org/helping-america-prepare-for-and-recover-from-disasters/

Here's how:

🔷 Oklahoma State University Extension developed disaster assessment tools and training programs that strengthened coordination among Extension professionals, agricultural producers, and emergency management agencies during tornadoes and wildfires.

🔷 CSU Extension equips ranchers and agricultural producers with wildfire preparedness and recovery strategies, helping communities better withstand increasing wildfire risks.

🔷 Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension deployed a mobile Disaster Recovery Unit following historic flooding, helping residents access FEMA resources, internet connectivity, and recovery assistance.

🔷 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's Disaster Assessment and Recovery network assisted more than 2,200 Texans affected by drought, floods, severe weather, and wildfires.

🔷 UGA Extension helped farmers navigate disaster assistance programs following Hurricane Helene, supporting applications that secured approximately $43.4 million in financial assistance.

🔷 Virginia Cooperative Extension coordinated agricultural relief efforts following Hurricane Helene, helping move hay, supplies, and other donations to farmers and forest landowners in need.

🔷 Cooperative Extension at A&T expanded access to mental health resources for farmers and ranchers recovering from Hurricane Helene, providing counseling, peer support, and training opportunities.

🔷 Servicio de Extensión Agrícola - Oficial worked with community leaders in Puerto Rico to strengthen emergency preparedness and food security, helping residents build local response systems for future disasters.

https://agisamerica.org/helping-america-prepare-for-and-recover-from-disasters/

National preparedness relies on strong communities, resilient food systems, and trusted local institutions. Land‑grant universities help .

Photo courtesy of Janie VanWinkle.

Ready

Green School early bird registration ends tomorrow, Sept. 30! ⏰ If you've been thinking about registering but haven't yet, here's what some of our past participants had to say about the program (spoiler...they loved it!) 💚

Make sure you sign up ASAP at https://online.colostate.edu/certificates/green-school/ to snag the $50 discounted price.

Join the Outdoor Recreation Knowledge Exchange on Oct. 1 from 12-1 p.m. MT for a free Zoom webinar: "Building Talent Pipelines for the Outdoor Economy." 🧭 This is the first webinar in a three-part series hosted by CSU Extension, Utah State University Extension, University of Wyoming's Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute, and the University of Montana Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research. To learn more and register, visit https://col.st/9klsu.

Green School vibes 🍃🪴 only 10 days left to snag the $50 early bird discount pricing before it increases on October 1!

Our flexible Green School program blends self-paced, online courses with live, interactive instruction-- giving you the tools and confidence to grow successfully in Colorado’s unique climate. When you register for Green School, you'll:

✨ Learn at your own pace
✨ Connect with experts live online
✨ Gain practical, research-based gardening skills

Ready to grow smarter? 🌻🌱 Check out https://online.colostate.edu/certificates/green-school/ for more info and to sign up!

Way to go CJ and Nancy!! 🔔🐏💚

Are you a cottage food producer with a current certificate from CSU? CSU Extension has an update class for you! This class covers changes coming in 2027, including changes to eligible foods, and needs to be completed this year.

If you are due to recertify or are taking the class for the first time, please take the full class, which includes this updated information.

Find the class schedule at the link below 👇

Cottage Food Safety Training | CSU Extension CSU's nationally-recognized training program covers the specifics of the Colorado Cottage Food Act & how to safely operate a food business from a home kitchen.

We've bean thinking about Chance Moore and his internship, "Pulse Crops' Interface with Soil Health" all day! 🫘 Chance is a junior studying Soil and Crop Sciences and spent his summer participating in pulse crop experiments at the Western Colorado Research Center at Grand Valley (WCRC-GV) and soil health projects on Discovery Farms in Mesa, Montrose, Delta, Dolores, and Routt counties.

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family (think lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, and dry beans). 🫛 Chance got to work on several active crop projects like collecting field data for a cowpea variety x phosphorus rate study and measuring reproductive growth in winter pea variety x phosphorus rate x irrigation cutoff study. On the Discovery Farms, Chance got to install soil moisture monitoring equipment, collect drone images, and discuss the adoption of soil health practices with producers.

Check out Chance and his pod squad in action ⬇️

❇️ Chance gathers neutron probe data.

❇️ Chance tractor disking the Hamlin site in Maybell, Colorado to prepare for Sainfoin planting.

❇️ Makayla Hoggard (another Extension intern!), Chance, and others pose after completing a soil moisture sensor install for the Discovery Farms project in Yampa, Colorado.

❇️ Makayla, Chance, and Megan Mueller mix up water and sprite for innoculating Sainfoin seeds with Rhizobium bacteria.

❇️ Makayla and Chance fix a solar panel at a sensor station in Ekert, Colorado.

❇️ Any crop sample bag companies looking for a model? 😂

❇️ Chance with his mentor Todd Ballard at the botanical gardens in Grand Junction.

❇️ Looking at his bright future with all the internship knowledge and skills he gained this summer 😁

❇️ Chance and Makayla harvesting winter peas. They cut each plot with a sickle bar and pitchforked the yield of each plot into piles, which were then bagged and combined.

❇️ Chance speaking at the internship showcase at the Orchard Mesa Research Center.

Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences