CSU Extension

09/03/2026

Are you a cottage food producer with a current certificate from CSU? CSU Extension has an update class for you! This class covers changes coming in 2027, including changes to eligible foods, and needs to be completed this year.

If you are due to recertify or are taking the class for the first time, please take the full class, which includes this updated information.

Find the class schedule at

CSU's nationally-recognized training program covers the specifics of the Colorado Cottage Food Act & how to safely operate a food business from a home kitchen.

09/01/2026

We've bean thinking about Chance Moore and his internship, "Pulse Crops' Interface with Soil Health" all day! 🫘 Chance is a junior studying Soil and Crop Sciences and spent his summer participating in pulse crop experiments at the Western Colorado Research Center at Grand Valley (WCRC-GV) and soil health projects on Discovery Farms in Mesa, Montrose, Delta, Dolores, and Routt counties.

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family (think lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, and dry beans). 🫛 Chance got to work on several active crop projects like collecting field data for a cowpea variety x phosphorus rate study and measuring reproductive growth in winter pea variety x phosphorus rate x irrigation cutoff study. On the Discovery Farms, Chance got to install soil moisture monitoring equipment, collect drone images, and discuss the adoption of soil health practices with producers.

Check out Chance and his pod squad in action ⬇️

❇️ Chance gathers neutron probe data.

❇️ Chance tractor disking the Hamlin site in Maybell, Colorado to prepare for Sainfoin planting.

❇️ Makayla Hoggard (another Extension intern!), Chance, and others pose after completing a soil moisture sensor install for the Discovery Farms project in Yampa, Colorado.

❇️ Makayla, Chance, and Megan Mueller mix up water and sprite for innoculating Sainfoin seeds with Rhizobium bacteria.

❇️ Makayla and Chance fix a solar panel at a sensor station in Ekert, Colorado.

❇️ Any crop sample bag companies looking for a model? 😂

❇️ Chance with his mentor Todd Ballard at the botanical gardens in Grand Junction.

❇️ Looking at his bright future with all the internship knowledge and skills he gained this summer 😁

❇️ Chance and Makayla harvesting winter peas. They cut each plot with a sickle bar and pitchforked the yield of each plot into piles, which were then bagged and combined.

❇️ Chance speaking at the internship showcase at the Orchard Mesa Research Center.

Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences

08/27/2026

Camp vibes only. ✌️ CSU Extension intern Ariel McCarthy (right) supported two youth camps in Pueblo County over the summer: the Pueblo County 4-H Camp, a traditional camp experience that emphasizes teamwork, leadership, and personal growth, and the Adventure Day Camp, which engaged non-4-H youth from the community, offering them access to positive youth development experiences that they might not otherwise encounter.

Ariel is a sophomore studying Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and was responsible for planning, facilitating, and evaluating camp activities, in addition to evaluating how camp participation influences youth development outcomes such as confidence, communication, teamwork, and leadership. Also, we bet she was the coolest camp counselor ever!!

🍀 Ariel (right) at 4-H Camp at Beulah Mountain Park conducting a scavenger hunt activity. She gave kids clues so they could run around the forest and find icons displaying clue pictures and educational questions.

🍀 The campers watched their counselors perform in "Trashion Show" costumes made from recycled materials. Whichever group dressed their counselors as rockers the best won a ribbon to put on their group flag!

🍀 A 4-H member, mentor Lillian Esterl-Byrne (center), and Ariel at the Colorado State Fairgrounds facilitating a Pueblo County 4-H horse show. Ariel says, "It was a super fun learning experience getting to meet some of our 4-H members and their animals."

🍀 Some campers from 4-H Camp making small group flags to represent each age group. The best flag would win a ribbon and flags were used to display other ribbons won from different activities.

🍀 4-H Camp counselors!

🍀 4-H Camp hike.

🍀 Laura from Pueblo County Extension with campers from Adventure Day Camp at the Colorado State Fairgrounds. The kids learned about solar ovens and solar energy and made s'mores in the oven!

🍀 Getting ready for the Trashion Show.

Warner College of Natural Resources Colorado 4-H

08/26/2026

Did you know that flumes and other devices essential for monitoring and managing water in ditches, canals, and on-farm distribution networks can be 3D-printed? 😮 Daniel Seffah-Duodo, a student earning his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, got hands-on experience prototyping 3D-printed structures used in irrigation delivery and flow-measurement systems in his internship, "Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) for Designing and Producing Accessible and Economical Irrigation Flow Measurement Devices." (Say that 5 times fast 😅)

Colorado's irrigation systems face a growing need for practical, affordable, and locally manufacturable alternatives to traditional fiberglass/metal structures. In his internship, Daniel collaborated with conservation districts, ditch companies, irrigation businesses, and river districts to evaluate how 3D-printed prototype devices function within real operational constraints. In doing so, Daniel gained meaningful experience in applied engineering, community-responsive innovation, and co-development of tools that strengthen water management across the state.

Additive manufacturing is not just a technology, but a pathway to advancing water stewardship, reducing costs, and modernizing Colorado's agricultural infrastructure. Great job, Daniel!

In the photos:
🌊 Ben Schaub (left) and Daniel Seffah-Duodu (right) at the hydraulics lab in the Engineering research center on the Foothills campus, Fort Collins. They were running a calibration on a 3D-printed 150mm RBC flume.
🌊 Daniel in the field at ARDEC installing a low cost water sampler.
🌊 Alex Enriquez (left) and Daniel in the field at ARDEC (Wellington) installing a flume.

Colorado State University Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering CSU Ag Water Quality

08/25/2026

Have you ever driven past an abandoned or unused building and thought, "Hmm, I wonder what they're gonna do with that?" 🤔 Well do we have an internship highlight for you!

One of CSU Extension's specialty areas is offering support and resources for community and economic development. This summer, Nafisa Nawar Aava, a grad student studying Political Science, participated in a Chaffee County Redevelopment Feasibility Study. The focus of the study was an 80,000 sq. ft. greenhouse facility in Chaffee County that is currently unused, so Nafisa evaluated potential community-serving uses for the site as part of her internship.

She shared some of photos of the facility and we can't wait to see her findings at the Extension intern poster session in October!

🔹 Nafisa Nawar Aava (center) with her mentors Willie Wilkins (right) and Monica Pless (left) just before Nafisa's first county meeting. This was their first meeting in person and Nafisa says, "It was a joy working with them!"

🔹 Willie Wilkins looking at the benches in the greenhouse in Salida. This was Nafisa's first visit inside the greenhouse facility.

🔹 The greenhouse facility from the outside. Nafisa says, "This is only one side though, the whole facility is much bigger."

🔹 A tour of the control room.

🔹 One of the bays inside the greenhouse facility. Each bay has around 24 benches.

🔹 A view on the way to Salida for visiting the greenhouse facility.

🔹 Checking out the heating instrument inside the greenhouse facility.

CSU College of Liberal Arts Colorado State University Political Science Department Chaffee County Extension

08/21/2026

Picture this: it’s 90 degrees outside. You slide down a small cliff to jump in a pond. There’s a hole in your left wader shoe so the cold water starts seeping in. An adult male bullfrog call gives you a jump scare. You squeeze some slimy black mud (a sign of pond health!) into a tray for lab processing. Life is good. 🐟

Welcome to a day in the life of Madison Taylor, a senior studying Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology,
at her internship, “Aquatic Ecology of Urban Ponds in Fort Collins.” As part of her internship, Madison surveyed freshwater ponds, canals, and streams in and around Fort Collins, focusing on characterizing fish, amphibians, aquatic macro-invertebrates, and their habitat variables. The data from her internship will eventually be reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Fort Collins Natural Areas, and private landowners to help them determine pond health and ecosystem stability.

Madison says, “This was my first summer fieldwork type internship; I’ve been in the lab before but it’s been a real treat to get outside and come to all these beautiful places.” 💚

Warner College of Natural Resources

08/19/2026

CLASS 17 SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Kathy Whitman is the Veterinary Extension Specialist for Colorado State University, where she strives to be a trusted animal health resource to those involved in livestock and agriculture production. At Colorado State University, Kathy has participated in a wide range of activities, primarily working as a liaison between the university, extension, and livestock stakeholders. She’s recently been involved in HPAI research, emergency management and preparedness, BQA training, 4-H activities, veterinary student teaching, extension education and consultation. Raising a few head of cattle for direct-to-consumer products with her husband gives Kathy some small insight into the needs of the producers with which she’s engaging. Kathy received her MS in Ruminant Nutrition and DVM from Colorado State University. She completed a Field Services internship at the University of Georgia, and later became an ABVP diplomate specializing in Beef Cattle Practice. Dr. Whitman was in private practice in both Utah and Colorado and was an Assistant Professor with the University of Nebraska at the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, prior to joining Colorado State.

Listen to Kathy as she visits with Lorrie Boyer.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2412634/episodes/19627446

08/17/2026

Green School registration is open and we’d love for you to join us! 🌱💚

Whether you’re new to Colorado or an experienced gardener, this 16-class course covers everything you need to know to garden successfully in our unique climate. From Soils, Trees, Botany, W**d Management, Insects, Pruning, Irrigation... and a whole class dedicated to Colorado Gardening Challenges! Learn research-based, best practices for managing your landscape no matter where you garden in our state – because wherever you are in Colorado, we’re local.

Find more info and register at https://online.colostate.edu/courses/AGBB/AGBB2098.dot

08/17/2026

Now Accepting Applications for the Jefferson County Master Gardener Program

In 1995, I read about an incredible horticulture volunteer program through Colorado State University Extension Services that turned 20 years old. I loved gardening, and I applied. Much to my delight, the program accepted me as an apprentice, and after completing all the requirements, I became a Colorado Master Gardener (CMG) in 1996 for Adams County. I volunteered for seven years for Adams County CMG, working info tables, answering garden questions via phone and in person, and helping in the one garden the program had. Then work and life became too much, and I stepped back.

Fast forward to 2024, I still had that botany and gardening bug. So, I applied to become a Colorado Master Gardener apprentice, this time with Jefferson County, since we moved. Again, the CMG accepted me as an apprentice. In October 2025, I earned the title of Colorado Master Gardener! And I love it.

The CMG matured and changed in many good ways in the 2-ish decades I was away. My first time, the training was in person and was all classroom- no hands-on labs. Now training is online, with several in-person labs, allowing me to do the classes on my schedule. There was a weekly scheduled review session that supported learning from the week’s topic. The hands-on labs provided the opportunity to meet other CMGs and apprentices, practice identifying soil, use a key to identify trees, and learn about the wonderful world of beneficial insects. Gardening Science has advanced. The right way to plant trees has changed; more fact sheets and video information are available to the public, and CMGs can now answer inquiries via email.

So many reasons why I loved being a CMG are still there. I get to volunteer alongside many dedicated and more knowledgeable CMGs, who freely share ideas and information. Jefferson County MG has multiple gardens to work in, such as the Plant Select, Horticulture, Courage, Orchard, Native Plains Garden, Mountain Native Garden, and Low‑Flammability Gardens. There are continual training opportunities. I can work at an info table, be on the help desk answering emails and calls, contribute to the social media team, learn beekeeping, and work towards being part of the diagnostic team. I get to help the public, sharing knowledge and ideas. The opportunities for learning and helping are endless. Plus, Colorado has over 3200 native plants and 100 native tree species, plus all the non-native, introduced, and invasive species; I doubt I will volunteer long enough to know them all!

CSU Master Gardener Volunteer Program is accepting applications now until August 31 for their new cohort of Colorado Master Gardeners. This includes Jefferson County, along with many other Colorado counties, because you volunteer in the county where you live. Here is the link:
https://extension.colostate.edu/colorado-master-gardener/become-a-colorado-master-gardener/

If you love flora, botany, soil, and landscaping, and want to contribute to your community, I urge you to consider this exceptional program!!

Photo: Pat Greer
Image Description: Master Garden apron on a maple tree with certificate.



Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners are here to help answer your gardening, lawn, and diagnostic questions! Email [email protected] to send us a message or ask a question.

08/13/2026

Registration for Green School opens next Monday, August 17th! 🎉 If you’re a plant person looking to grow your skills (while learning with other plant people), you won’t want to miss this course.

Join the interest list at https://online.colostate.edu/certificates/green-school/ to be notified when registration opens.