Got gardening questions? You can ask the Almanac, but you should also know about your state’s cooperative extension service. They have local experts who provide on-the-ground advice with tricky insect problems, the best varieties to plant in your area, and more! Here’ a list of cooperative extension offices by state.
What is a Cooperative Extension?
In 1914, the U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered with a nationwide network of universities to create a system of “extension” services. The goal of these services was to provide farmers across the country with advice from local experts regarding all things agriculture and farming.
The program was a huge success, and today, there are extension services in all 50 states (though some are not associated with the USDA). Extension services routinely put on community events, hold lectures and courses, and answer gardening and farming questions from locals. Typically, an extension service has a “home base” located at a prominent university in the state, but will often have a series of county offices, too.
Contact your state’s extension service (sometimes called “cooperative extension” services) for advice on anything from combating local pests to choosing plant varieties suitable for your area. Extension services are also the place to turn to to get your garden soil tested (usually for a small fee), enroll in a Master Gardener program, or get your child involved in a 4-H club.
Cooperative Extension Services by State
Although we LOVE to answer your gardening questions here on our website, sometimes the knowledge of a local expert is required! Consult the list below to find the cooperative extension service in your state for free advice.
Note: These website links may change occasionally, so please comment below if you find the link is not working and we will update it. Thank you.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Reader Comments
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Illinois co-op site
The illinois link takes me to the University of Illinois website and i have sent a few emails regarding soil testing without any reply.
Illinois Cooperative Extension
Try contacting someone from your county’s office if you haven’t already. Here is a map of the county extensions in Illinois: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/findoffice.cfm
nothing came up under the
nothing came up under the maine extension
Listing
Thanks for letting us know the link changed. We have updated the Maine Extension link above.
Why is my state (KS) the only
Why is my state (KS) the only one not on the list of states with a "cooperative extention"?
Thanks for the catch! We will
Thanks for the catch! We will add the Kansas State University extension to the list: https://www.ksre.ksu.edu/
why is south africa's
why is south africa's extensions are not shown?
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