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Penn State Extension | The Pennsylvania State University

Lifelong learning you can trust

Practical knowledge to work the land, develop skills, grow your business, serve your community, steward the environment, and raise healthy families.

Learn when, where, and how you need

Choose from thousands of in-person workshops, online courses, publications, and onsite consultations on topics that matter to you. 

Solve Problems

Got an issue? Let’s work together to identify and solve the most important challenges impacting your business, home, or health.

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Expert resources to develop competencies for the workforce, build your business, pursue a hobby, or follow your passion.

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Professional credentials you need to demonstrate that you are safe, competent, and qualified.

Featured Online Courses

Plant Health Diagnosis: Assessing Plant Diseases, Pests and Problems
Online Courses
Plant Health Diagnosis: Assessing Plant Diseases, Pests and Problems
Sections 4
Length 2 hours
Learn a process for diagnosing plant health problems, including signs and symptoms of diseases, pests and insects, and environment or management issues. Earn 4 Category 6, 7, 18, 23, or Private Category credits and a certificate of completion.

$39.00

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Extension by the Numbers

People, resources, and ideas advancing the extension mission.

320+

Subject Matter Experts

1,500+

in-person and online events per year

6,000+

articles, publications, and fact sheets

Trending Topics

Extension offers the latest information and resources on topics impacting Pennsylvania today.

Avian InfluenzaAvian Influenza

Avian Influenza

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): Poultry Owners Should Be On High Alert.

Develop Skills

Expert resources to develop competencies for the workforce, build your business, pursue a hobby, or follow your passion.

Spotted LanternflySpotted Lanternfly

Spotted Lanternfly

Learn how to slow the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly.

Latest News

Our Vision

We believe that all people should have access to science-based information. 

Penn State Extension is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. We provide access to face-to-face and online education to our customers—when they want it, where they want it, and how they want it—to help them address problems and take advantage of opportunities for improvement and innovation. Partnering with and funded by federal, state, and county governments, we have a long tradition of bringing unbiased support and education to the citizens of Pennsylvania. We make a difference locally through focused engagement, and more widely to customers connecting in the digital landscape.

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Featured Articles

Photo: Rivertowne Brewing, Export, PA
Articles
Beer and Spirits: Supplying the Craft Beverage Boom with Local Ingredients
By Heather E. Manzo, Maria L Graziani, Molly Berntsen, Rachel Hair, Thy Le An Ngo
Penn State Extension conducted research in 2017 to assess current and future production levels and supply chain actors and identify future potential for local and regional sourcing of ingredients
Tree of heaven leaves. Credit: Bigstock
Articles
Tree-of-Heaven
By David R. Jackson, Art Gover, Sarah Wurzbacher
Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is an invasive tree and noxious weed in PA. This article displays images to assist with identification and provides recommendations for control, including a management calendar and treatment and timing table.

Upcoming Workshops

Biocontrol School
Workshops
Biocontrol School
When 12/05/2024
Length 7 hours, 30 minutes
Event Format In-Person
The Biocontrol School offers expert insights on sustainable pest control. Perfect for growers, consultants, and enthusiasts, the event covers biocontrol agents, strategies, and practical applications.

$85.00

Made for the Shade: Choosing the Best Plants
Workshops
Made for the Shade: Choosing the Best Plants
When 11/16/2024
Length 1 hour, 30 minutes
Event Format Hybrid | Choice of In-Person or Virtual Attendee
Struggling to create the perfect shady garden? Join Penn State Master Gardener Kevin Kelly's webinar for tips on shade-loving plants, including natives and non-natives, to transform your shady spots!

$10.00

LIFT (8 Weeks)
Workshops
LIFT (8 Weeks)
When Multiple Options Available
Event Format In-Person
Get motivated, energized, and inspired while boosting strength, flexibility, and vitality! LIFT’s group training helps build confidence and improve your body and overall well-being.

$60.00

Crops Day
Workshops
Crops Day
When Multiple Options Available
Event Format In-Person
Explore the latest seasonal innovations, gain pesticide recertification credits, and stay informed about cutting-edge agronomic research, products, and technology updates.

$10.00

ServSafe®
Workshops
ServSafe®
When Multiple Options Available
Length 2 days
Event Format In-Person
Upon successful completion, participants can receive their ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Certificate, meeting the PA Department of Agriculture requirements for the Food Employee Certification Act.

$165.00

What our customers are saying

Everything we do is centered around animal welfare and food safety. However, we needed the science. It's all that partnership and education. I've learned so much through the years working with extension. It's been a great thing.

Frank Connett

Manager of Flock Services at Kreider Farms

Management of forest invasives has been a very large problem for me, and I've managed to keep on top of it, but I found the resources offered by extension have been very valuable in that. It is very helpful because if you talk to the professionals who do it, you get a very different view point and in many cases you could be wasting thousands of dollars in doing the wrong thing, or the right thing at the wrong time. I found that having the resources from extension has aided me in many ways.

John Hoover

Bald Eagle Tree Farm

The extension programs have given me reference making me a much better steward of our property and a better understanding of how the ecosystem fits together. Since I've been managing it, we've seen a return of fishers and beavers to our stream so we are getting back pieces to the ecosystem that have been missing.

Susan Shoemaker-Benedict

Beartown Family Limited Partnership

Penn State has been an integral part of the business since I’ve been here. We do about 3.5 million pounds of fresh sausage a year. We’ve relied on Penn State many times because we do not have the budget to have a full-time person here that deals with food safety or research and development.

Len Caric

President/CEO Uncle Charley’s Sausage Co.

We work very closely with Penn State Extension, and that has been instrumental in developing best practices and new processes and technologies, both in the orchard and the packhouse.

Danijel Lolic

Rice Fruit Company

I really appreciate the instructors from Penn State Extension mostly because they serve as a really good resource. They're well-spoken and very clear. They'll take subject matter and dumb it down–so to speak–so that on every level, you understand it.

Ester Betley

Dining with Diabetes Participant

Penn State Extension and the University have provided us uncounted resources when it comes to the education of our employees.

Byron Shaffer

Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Kreider Farms


Volunteer with Penn State ExtensionVolunteer with Penn State Extension

Volunteers are the backbone of extension

Join a highly engaged team that supports Master Gardener; Master Watershed Steward; 4-H; and Nutrition, Health, and Wellness programs.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities

Learn more about Pennsylvania 4-HLearn more about Pennsylvania 4-H

Pennsylvania 4-H: Transforming kids through doing

4-H is the state's largest youth development organization, with clubs in rural communities, small towns, and big cities–including a club near you. Members tackle projects that build life skills, explore careers, and help young people find their passion in life.

Learn more about Pennsylvania 4-H