‘Minnesota 87’: Extension showcases its presence in every county in the state
Source: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/minnesota-87-extension-showcases-its-presence-every-county-state Parent: https://twin-cities.umn.edu
‘Minnesota 87’: Extension showcases its presence in every county in the state
March 13, 2026
Spend time in any Minnesota county and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Extension faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. \ \ A new project, “Minnesota 87: Extension in Every County,” offers a snapshot of Extension’s educational programming over the past year — including photos, stories and data — in each of the state’s 87 counties. \ \ Extension leaders launched the Minnesota 87 project to share the sheer breadth of Extension’s impactful work — and the measurable successes of Minnesotans in their communities.\ \ Though Extension is based at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus in St. Paul, more than 65% of Extension staff live and work in Greater Minnesota. Each year more than 1 million people statewide benefit from an Extension service.\ \ Below are examples of projects from three counties, which barely begin to scratch the surface. Explore the work in every county at Minnesota 87: Extension in every county.\ \ Kittson County: 4-H turns dry lake into scientific opportunity
Summer camp in Minnesota brings to mind images of water activities, especially when a 4-H camp is right on a lake. But when Lake Bronson in Kittson County was drained for work on a dam, Extension 4-H educators Kaiya Novacek and Sandi Weiland flashed their “4-H optimist badges” and hosted a camp exploring the dry lakebed.
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At Lake Bronson, 4-H campers found bison bones, arrowheads, pottery, fossils and agates — as well as a sense of scientific wonder to last well past summer. “Honestly, I think it is really neat with the dry lake bed, and now there’s lots of greenery growing in the bottom,” says Novacek. “It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see a drained lake.”\ \ Almost 100 young people attended the camp. Besides lake bed exploration, they learned about ATV safety, archery and wildlife. And they played water games — no lake required.\ \ Watonwan County: St. James celebrates community through culture\ **Once home to predominantly white European descendants, the city of St. James has experienced a remarkable demographic shift over the past 25 years. In celebration of the expanding community, the city has launched an annual fiesta. Residents from all backgrounds are invited to gather and take part in the flavors, music, dance and stories of their neighbors.\ \ The fiesta was launched by Uniendo Culturas (Uniting Cultures), a community organization dedicated to fostering connections in St. James. Extension’s Southwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership is supports this ongoing work.\ \ “The festival is a community event, but it is also an individual practice. It is an invitation to look within oneself — one’s own culture — and share it,” says Julio Zelaya, the event organizer. “We all have a culture. Those patterns and practices are powerful things we carry. Each person’s culture not only shapes the individual but also those around us.”\ \ Anoka County: Annual master gardener sale nurtures green thumbs\ **The Master Gardener plant sale is a May tradition in Anoka County, held at the Anoka County fairgrounds each year. Well over 1,000 people attended in 2025 to buy plants and get horticultural advice from volunteers, who share expertise about growing vegetables, planting trees, choosing native plants to attract pollinators, growing healthy food, keeping plants healthy and much more.\ \ The volunteers enjoy receiving a variety of inquiries from experienced gardeners, young families planting their first gardens, and sometimes residents who are even younger.\ \ Master gardener Penny Johnson assisted teenage plant-shopper Corey, who said, “I really like looking at plants and shopping for plants and taking care of them. The thing is making sure they have the light and the conditions they really need to thrive, [and] making sure to water them but don’t overwater them. It’s like a pet, just being careful with them.”
About Extension
University of Minnesota Extension has served Minnesotans for well over a century, with the earliest statewide 4-H projects going back to 1904. Legislation passed in 1909 created Extension as a part of the Department of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota.
Today Extension focuses on public education, research and outreach — not just in the areas of agriculture and natural resources work (still a large part of Extension), but also community development, 4-H and the health and well-being of families.
More than 14,000 Minnesotans are involved in Extension’s volunteer-driven programs such as the Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Aquatic Invasive Species Detectors and 4-H — making Extension a vital hub for community building. In all, Extension volunteers contributed nearly 1.4 million hours of their time in 2025 alone. Explore volunteer opportunities with Extension.
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