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March is Extension Month in Tennessee.

Extension is a national educational program supported by the United States Department of Agriculture through the nation’s land-grant universities and administered with funding from state and local governments. In Tennessee there are Extension offices in each of the 95 counties, including Hamblen County.

An integral part of the land-grant mission, Tennessee Extension programs are delivered by subject-matter specialists, county agents and volunteers associated with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Tennessee State University College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences.

“Extension Month is a great opportunity to celebrate the educational outreach, strong partnerships, tremendous impacts and outstanding people within Extension across the state,” UT Extension Dean Ashley Stokes said. “I spend a good deal of time traveling across the state visiting our local Extension offices and community members, and I am always excited to hear about how the programs led by our teams provide real life solutions with our clientele. March is the month we celebrate our successes and work to increase the visibility of Extension.”

Latif Lighari oversees TSU Extension faculty as associate dean for Extension at TSU.

In addition to the traditional agricultural production recommendations available through county Extension offices, services for all citizens include the state’s award-winning 4-H youth development program including its summer youth camps; family and consumer educational programs; and healthy living courses. The increasingly popular courses for Master Gardeners and gardeners in general, are also conducted through county Extension offices.

UT Extension also performs services for the state’s citizens, including managing the statewide Soil, Plant and Pest Center through which clients can have the quality of their soil and forage analyzed and any insect pest or plant diseases identified. Extension also trains clients in the proper use of pesticides and even operates commercially-certified kitchens where small-scale vendors can prepare food items for sale while meeting state guidelines for food safety.

Those interested may contact UT Extension Hamblen County for more information at 423-586-6111. You can also find contact information online at the UT Extension website: extension.tennessee.edu. Just click on the link to local offices and choose the county’s name. Information is also available at the TSU Cooperative Extension website: www.tnstate.edu/extension.

Many of UT Extension’s educational resources are also available online. From the UT Extension website choose the link to “publications” and enter the topic for which you need information. The search engine will generate a list of resources. Most are available free of charge. A publications page is also available on the TSU website, which includes a list of available publications by program area. Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions.