Contributed
The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office offers so much more than just a place to bring your soil samples. Horticulturist Nancy Olsen spoke to the Elizabethtown Rotary Club during their luncheon meeting on Wednesday about the various programs and services offered by Cooperative Extension.
Olsen said the Cooperative Extension Service was begun with the adoption of the Hatch Act in 1887 which established experiment stations. She explained there are also two land grant colleges in the state which are North Carolina A & T State University and North Carolina State University.
Some of the goals of Cooperative Extension include enhancing agricultural, forest and food systems; strengthening and sustaining families; developing responsible youth; building quality communities; and conserving and improving the environment and natural resources.
Programs offered at the Cooperative Extension offers include 4-H programs, Teen Court and Life Skills classes; Head Start programs; weight loss classes; career days; camps; ServeSafe classes; camps and Summer Academy. They also offer agricultural related services such as soil sampling, Farm-City Week Banquet, Master Gardner volunteers, on-farm problem solving, field days, Ag ‘Em Up Days, pesticide disposal days, and much more.
Olsen said the fall is a great time to test your soil. Currently the cooperative extension office has soil testing kits free to the public during the fall. Their office is at 450 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown, NC. Find out more at: https://bladen.ces.ncsu.edu/
About Author
