Do you know what Utah State University (USU) Extension is? While USU Moab, USU Blanding, and USU Price are all extensions of the Logan Campus, that is not the meaning of Extension in this context.
In 1862, Congress passed the Morrill Act, which allowed the creation of a Land Grant University for each state. The purpose of these universities was to increase the availability of agricultural and mechanical education to the community. In 1914, Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, which established an Extension Service at each Land Grant University.
These Extension Services are the means by which these universities “extend” practical knowledge and research concerning agriculture, home economics, and more to communities. USU is Utah’s Land Grant University, and USU Extension’s goal is to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities throughout the state.
USU Extension operates through a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Agriculture, Utah State University, and the local county governments. The integration of teaching, research, and public service enables USU Extension to respond to critical and emerging issues with research-based, unbiased information.
USU Extension is available in every county. USU Extension in Grand County is located at the new Moab Campus Building on 1850 S Aggie Blvd.
You may recognize the names of Mike Johnson, a previous County Extension Agent, Marion Holyoak, a previous 4-H Coordinator, and Catherine Hansen, the previous Home and Community Agent.
Currently, I’m the Director of Extension in Grand County and the Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent. Maria Velasco is the Home and Community Agent, Ashley Duralch-Kondos facilitates 4-H, and Miyoshi Lee facilitates the Youth Vape Prevention Program. While most Extension Specialists reside at USU Logan, we are lucky to have our Sustainable Communities Specialist Rosylnn McCann present at the Moab Campus as well.
So now that you know what Extension is, how can we help you?
County faculty put on workshops, give presentations, provide site visits, run diagnostics, collect data, write fact sheets, and if we don’t have the answer, we do a lot of research.
Most of the assistance provided by USU Extension is free or low cost. We have tools that you can borrow and lots of information. You can think of us as consultants in our respective fields. We are there to provide you with information to help you make the best decision for your situation. We are not regulatory and will not make decisions for you.
As the Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent, I’m assigned to help with topics such as crops, livestock, irrigation, gardening, rangeland, forestry, wildlife, and more. I get questions ranging from raccoons, squash bugs, and tomatoes to cattle grazing, alfalfa, and plant identification.
As the Home and Community agent, Maria addresses topics such as finance, health, wellness, nutrition, prevention, job readiness, resource management, food preservation, and emergency preparedness.
If you have a youth who wants to join a 4-H club or if you want to volunteer with 4-H, you can contact Ashley.
Miyoshi provides education and outreach for youth, parents, and educators about the effects of vaping on youth.
USU Extension can help you! Please stop by the campus or call 435-797-1483. You can also visit our website at https://extension.usu.edu/grand/.
Cory Farnsworth
Utah State University Extension
Moab