About the OSU Extension Service: The Oregon State University Extension Service shares research-based knowledge with people and communities in Oregon’s 36 counties. OSU Extension addresses issues that matter to urban and rural Oregonians. OSU Extension’s partnerships and programs contribute to a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for Oregon.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Viewers around the world can once again watch new life begin as the Oregon State University Extension Service brings back its annual chick-hatching livestream.
The livestream starts on April 20 and will document the chicks as they hatch. The expected hatch date is April 21, and the cameras will remain on until April 23.
Photos https://beav.es/Jx5 (Flickr) and video https://beav.es/Jxo (Box) available.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – It sounds like the setup for a holiday romantic comedy – Priya Rajarapu works as a Christmas tree expert for Oregon State University’s Extension Service, helping Oregon’s 300-plus Christmas tree growers produce a healthy crop each holiday season so that the state can export millions of perfect trees across the world.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Building on nearly two decades of success, Oregon is planting the seeds for a healthier, more resilient future.
The Oregon Farm to School Network, which includes the Oregon State University Extension Service, has released Oregon Harvest for Schools: 10-Year Strategic Vision for Oregon Farm to School (2025–2035) — a transformative roadmap to ensure every child has access to delicious, nutritious local food while supporting Oregon’s farmers, food makers, educators and communities.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A collaborative research and outreach effort led by Oregon State University to protect whales and sustain Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery has been recognized as one of four regional winners of the 2025 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – As canning season gets underway, the food safety and preservation helpline from Oregon State University Extension Service will start taking calls July 7.
The toll-free helpline, 800-354-7319, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The helpline will be staffed by certified Master Food Preserver volunteers in several Oregon counties until Oct. 10. After this date, the helpline will remain open and will be checked weekly for voice messages. In 2024, the volunteers fielded 723 calls.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Planting native plants is a popular way to help support pollinators like bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
But when shopping for native plants, people often come across something called a “cultivar.” This is a special version of a native plant that have been selected or bred to have certain traits, like different flower colors or shapes. These cultivated plants can look and behave a bit differently from the wild versions.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – When botanist John Bartram first identified a hydrangea native to the U.S. in the 1730s, little did he know it would become a mainstay of the garden with its iconic flowers implying romance with their blustery beauty.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Anticipation of ripe pears and apples peaks in fall as fruits hang heavily from branches and begin their gravity-aided trip to the ground.
But how do you know when it’s prime picking time?
According to Steve Castagnoli, a retired horticulturist with Oregon State University’s Extension Service, the signs are different for apples and pears.
“It’s much easier to recognize ripeness in apples,” he said. “Pears typically won’t ripen to eating quality on the tree so you can’t go out and taste one.”
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Fruits and vegetables in the garden that have been showered with ash from wildfires should be safe to consume, according to Oregon State University Extension Service experts.
Rinsing the produce outside and then again in the kitchen sink will help remove ash and the particulates that accompany it, according to Brooke Edmunds, associate professor and Extension community horticulturist in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Halloween is still a faint dot on the calendar, but it’s not too early to plan a strategy for harvesting and storing pumpkins and winter squash.
First frost won’t hit for several more weeks, so there’s no hurry to harvest. But it’s good to have a plan once below 50-degree temperatures arrive. Tried-and-true storing techniques can keep some winter squash for several months.
