Cooperative Extension System
Connect with your local Cooperative Extension office
Your county or regional Cooperative Extension office is a great source of research-based farming and gardening advice tailored to where you live. Extension specialists across the U.S. can help with pests and diseases, soil and growing conditions, sustainable practices, farm business questions and more, and most offices also run local classes and publish practical guides.
Funding for Cooperative Extension flows through the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), working with land-grant universities and state and county governments.
Beyond agriculture, Extension also runs programs on topics such as families, youth and communities; food, nutrition and health; economic and community development; education; livestock; and more.
How to find your local Cooperative Extension office
Every U.S. state and territory has an Extension headquarters at its land-grant university, backed by a network of county or regional offices whose specialists can point you to research-based answers.
Another valuable resource
The Extension Foundation runs an online learning site with research-based articles, videos, webinars and other resources from land-grant universities across the country.
