ReConnect

WSU researcher Dan TerAvest helped farmers find ways to sustainably feed a growing world during a three-year sojourn in Africa.

WSU researchers team up with an amateur apple detective to bring back heirloom fruit

Never before has such a vast amount of genetic information been available to tree fruit breeders. Today, Washington State University researchers know enough about the natural diversity within a species’ genetic code to enrich centuries-old tree fruit breeding techniques. Here in the Northwest, this means increasing tree fruit yields while leaving a smaller environmental footprint. […]

Children arrive at school hungry, don’t receive any nourishment during their five-hour school days, and can’t afford to bring food from home, according to teachers and school staff in Burundi. That was the overwhelming response to questions posed by Washington State University Extension faculty during an exploratory trip in 2013. Mary Katherine Deen and Kevin […]

Imagine farm life in Washington State a century ago: Smoky kerosene lamps lighting up the night reveal no smartphones, laptops, or TVs. Food is cooked on wood or coal stoves. Clothes are washed with homemade soap by hand in a tub. Horses provide transportation as well as draft power.

Three generations of Appels, including 20 WSU alums, have been farming the land outside Colfax for more than 80 years. During half of that time, 4-H leadership has been part of the growing tradition.

At a recent graduation ceremony in Pullman, a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree and former Secretary of Defense thanked WSU students, faculty, and administrators for their efforts to “recruit and embrace our military veterans returning home from America’s wars.” The collaboration between the Green Alliance for Veterans Education and WSU Extension is the latest example.

From making baskets at Farm Women’s camps in the early 1900s to learning about diversified farm management via Google Hangout live streaming during this year’s Women in Agriculture Conference, WSU Extension has been creating opportunities for women in the Pacific Northwest to gather and share their farm life experiences since the beginning of the organization itself.

Enter our time warp for a 123-year retrospective of key events in Extension history

Watch interviews with WSU Extension leaders and program participants sharing their experiences with the organization and how it has enriched their lives. Join them in the celebration of empowered individuals and strengthened communities for the past 100 years.