eXtension: Land grant universities at your fingertips

eXtension is an online resource developed collaboratively by the nation’s land grant institutions to provide credible, research-based information to the public on topics of daily life, communities and business and may be accessed at www.extension.org.

If you’ve thought about starting a new enterprise, or trying a different cultural practice, you have probably turned to the Internet as a source of information. Michigan State University’s website, www.msue.msu.edu, is the go to place for access information here in Michigan. But did you realize that you can benefit from the collective knowledge of land grant extension specialists and educators across the U.S., at just one website? eXtension strives to provide objective, research-based credible information you can use daily to improve your life at www.extension.org.

A quick review of eXtension’s major features will soon make www.extension.org one of your favorite websites.

The eXtension site is organized into resources areas such as energy, pest management and youth. One click on energy gives the user additional options, such as wood energy. There’s a great deal of material on wood energy generated across the county from types to policy. You will find the other resource areas to be just as rich.

If you don’t quite find what you’re looking for, you can ask an expert! Hundreds of extension educators and specialists have volunteered to share their expertise. You will receive an E-mail response, and see many of the questions and answers that others have asked before you.

There is an events section listing significant educational programs to which you can travel, or view as a webinar at home on your computer. The January 2012 selection is pages long with topics such on animal production, social media, home gardening and aquaculture just to name a few. Many events and webinars are available free of charge. Take a look at eXtension; it might be the gateway to your next business idea, hobby or volunteer activity.

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