Do you sometimes feel like you’re on information overload?
With hundreds of television channels to choose from, more and more websites popping up every day, and increased social media options such as Twitter and Facebook, it’s challenging to know which information to trust.
When people access the CSU Extension system, they are not only tapping into Colorado State University campus resources but also every other land grant institution in the country. This unique system with several distribution mechanisms allows people to get their questions answered by experts on topics ranging from roses to small acreage management.
People who have access to a computer and the Internet, for example, can get answers to gardening questions using Planttalk (www.planttalk.org). Audio and written information is available on tree care, vegetables, lawns, fruits, weeds, houseplants, diseases and insects, soils and much more. ‘Ask an Expert.’ from eXtension (extension.org), provides answers to specific questions from over 74 land-grant universities. Examples of questions that have been submitted include, “How is my drinking water tested and who conducts these tests?”
Other resources include: The southeast area web site (www.extension.colostate.edu/SEA/) has links to information, fact sheets, information on county agents, addresses and phone numbers for local county extension offices, and more.
Other sites include:
- CSU web site (www.colo. state.edu) provides information on research and educational opportunities, admission and alumni and outreach initiatives statewide.
- The state Extension Service web site (www.ext. colostate.edu) with links to agriculture production, 4-H, yard and garden, financial literacy, food safety and nutrition information and, as well as free and for-sale books and online publications.
Access to the Internet is not essential to finding answers, however. With offices in each county in the southeast area, educational programs and information are available with solutions that safeguard health, increase livelihood, and enhance well being.
Delivering unbiased, research-based information to the communities of Colorado is Extension’s primary mission. Since its establishment in 1870, Colorado State University, the state land grant university has had a three-part mission: education, research and extension. In 1914, Congress authorized land grant universities in every state to feed research-based information – through Extension agents – to local residents. Partnerships between counties and extension set the stage for local problems to be more effectively addressed.
The mission of extension is to provide information and education, and encourage the application of research-based knowledge in response to local, state, and national issues affecting individuals, youth, families, agricultural enterprises and communities of Colorado. Information on extension programs in Colorado can be found online at www.ext.colo state.edu/coop/aboutce.html. Try the Extension Connection!
