UGA Extension Office

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Your Cooperative Extension office, a department of Columbus Consolidated Government, provides the Columbus community with many services.

With over 1150 children enrolled in 4-H clubs, we're in 18 schools in Columbus.  4-H also works with over 250 children at Fort Benning. 4-H members highlight each year with a week of summer camp at Rock Eagle.

Our local Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program logged in 2,825 hours of service in Muscogee County for a value of $65,192.20. Those hours were spent monitoring water quality in local streams, teaching children and adults about the environment, home garden visits, and other community service projects. As a part of our outreach, we recently partnered with Columbus State University and Georgia Organics to build the Columbus Community Gardens map.

Our Home Visiting programs provide parenting support and education to over 700 families in the Columbus area.  We also provide training to professional childcare providers, helping those professionals provide quality care and education to many children in Columbus.

Our agents provide classes to individuals and other agencies throughout Columbus. Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program teaches families how to save money on food and how to make good, inexpensive and nutritious family meals. Family and Consumer Sciences provides classes on living with chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

 


Upcoming Events

  • Jun 18 ServSafe Do you need to update your ServSafe certification? Or are you interested in learning more about food safety in restaurants? Clayton County Extension has is now accepting registration for our 2024 ServSafe classes. - January 23rd & 24th - June 18th (one-day training) - October 22nd & 23rd At these trainings, we will prepare for the ServSafe Manager Certification exam which will take place on the 2nd day of the training (unless it is the one day course!). The cost is $150.
    • Jonesboro, GA
  • 2024 FABricate Contest
    2024 FABricate Contest The annual FABricate competition is held by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences but is open to all students from any of UGA’s schools and colleges. By Sean Montgomery | Published: 3/28/2024
  • COVID Tea
    COVID Tea New research from the University of Georgia suggests that something as simple as a cup of tea can help in the fight against COVID-19. By Jennifer L Reynolds | Published: 3/27/2024
  • Georgia Hunger Study
    Georgia Hunger Study The 2023 Georgia Hunger Study, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of University of Georgia researchers in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Services and Feeding Georgia, found that 79% of households utilizing charitable food agencies reported experiencing food insecurity. By Cal Powell | Published: 3/26/2024
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Diagnostic Services

We offer several diagnostic services through UGA labs, including soil tests, water quality tests, and disease and insect identification. For more information about these services, please contact our office.


Information on soil and water testing

  • Testing for Water Quality (C 858-2) The quality and safety of drinking water is of great concern to many Americans today because of an increased interest in health and environmental quality. This new focus on water quality has led many Americans to consider testing their water. This publication is intended to help you understand water testing and to identify the tests needed.
  • Soil Testing for Home Lawns, Gardens and Wildlife Food Plots (C 896) Developing and maintaining productive soils begin with soil testing. Soils tests provide information on the soil's actual nutrient status. Test results are used to determine the amount and kind of nutrients that should be added for the best growth of lawn, garden, and other types of plants.