Through the innovations and ideals of the University of Missouri, MU Extension improves lives, businesses and communities by focusing on solving Missouri’s grand challenges around agricultural growth and stewardship, economic opportunity, educational access, and health and well-being.
As a land-grant university, MU is part of a federally mandated mission to extend the benefits of university research beyond the campus. In the 1800s, federal legislation facilitated the donation of public land to individual states. Missouri opted to allocate its land grant to the existing Columbia campus, effectively establishing two universities in one. On one hand, there’s an intellectual hub dedicated to advancing scholarship. On the other hand, there’s a landgrant institution spearheading research for the benefit of citizens statewide, nationwide and globally.
MU Extension represents a partnership between the University of Missouri campuses, the people of Missouri through county extension councils, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the USDA. Through statewide offices, publications, and web-based services, MU Extension faculty in every county in Missouri spread the benefits of MU research throughout the Show Me State.
Nearly 800,000 Missourians from all 114 counties in the state and the City of St. Louis benefit from MU Extension each year. We need your help to keep this momentum going. Your support will not only allow us to continue providing valuable knowledge and resources across the state, but to do even more to improve the lives of Missourians and grow the state’s key industries.
AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND STEWARDSHIP
It’s our land-grant mission to support Missouri’s most important industry: agriculture. And where others see challenges, MU Extension sees opportunities.
That’s why we’ve launched ambitious initiatives to double the state’s ag economy by 2030 while sustaining our natural resources. To achieve these lofty goals, we’ve recently hired more field faculty in areas such as agronomy, horticulture, livestock, natural resources, and regional economic development. These experts live where they serve and are a trusted resource for producers throughout the state — from the Bootheel to our most northern border.
MU faculty, students and staff are uniting advanced technology with community-level collaboration to serve producers and improve the ag economy for all Missourians. That’s how we’ve helped Missouri’s top industry save millions, with high profile programs such as the Show Me Select Replacement Heifer Program, the Integrated Pest Management Program, Missouri Regional Grazing Schools, Master Gardeners, and Master Naturalists. Together, these programs help MU Extension add $1.2B to Missouri’s growing economy each year.
With your help, we can create a brighter future for everyone across the Show Me State. Your investment will allow for expansion of our current resources, including necessary upgrades to our Extension and Education Centers, and for the creation of new ways for the University of Missouri to benefit the state we call home.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Our partnerships expand leadership development activities, increase Missouri’s agriculture-based economy and generate positive workforce outcomes. Below are a few examples:
• Launched in 2023 as a partnership between MU Extension and the MU Provost’s office, the MU Career Accelerator offers custom trainings, courses and certifications to help employers strengthen their workforce and individuals advance their careers.
• Last year, MU Extension’s business development program area:
Generated and/or retained 37,000 jobs.
Increased client sales by more than $1.6 billion.
Attracted $451 million in capital investments and $1.5 billion in government contracts.
• The annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference brings together multiple partners to showcase entrepreneurial towns across Missouri every September.
And that’s only the beginning. With your support, we can build upon these successful programs, while also adding additional programing, including conferences, through which our experts can share ways to boost Missouri’s economy, county by county.
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS AND EXCELLENCE
Access and opportunity are crucial for potential students from all corners of our state, and we want to foster in our youth the belief that they can succeed in higher education. To increase the number of high school graduates participating in postsecondary education, coordinated initiatives connect school outreach, educational experiences and increased engagement.
Our 4-H program annually serves nearly 60,000 youth from ages 5 to 18 through community programs and programs integrated with their schools. College and career readiness programming is a hallmark of 4-H that provides youth with hands-on skill development, leadership, teamwork, and communication skills in areas such as STEM, health, agriculture, and civic engagement. In addition, MU Extension’s nonprofit partner, the Missouri 4-H Foundation, annually provides more than 70 academic scholarships to 4-H members from all areas of the state.
Lifelong learners benefit, too. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute provides participants age 50 and up with a variety of courses related to topics such as the arts, science, literature, psychology, history, finance, technology, environment, politics, religion and more.
By the same token, MU Extension is committed to providing training, resources and more to help our first responders better serve their communities and keep Missourians safe. Our programs include:
• Fire and Rescue Training Institute: 10,000+ students from 750+ agencies in every county and 25+ states
• Law Enforcement Training Institute: 350+ graduates since 2020 working in 52 counties with a 99% placement rate
• National Animal Cruelty Investigations School: 25+ courses for agencies in 28 states
• MO Extension Disaster Education Network: statewide disaster preparedness and response hub
Your support will help us further enhance these programs, add additional educators and support staff, and better serve our communities through educational programming that benefits us all, no matter our age or location.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Health care shortages are among our biggest challenges as a state. That’s why our programming aims to alleviate that need by helping people stay healthy and using innovative strategies to increase healthcare access. Here are a few examples of how we’re working to benefit the health of all Missourians:
• Our reach is statewide. Fifty-eight field faculty with diverse backgrounds in public health, nutrition, social work, exercise science, and mental wellbeing enhance access to programs close to home, helping all Missourians thrive.
• The Recovery Friendly Workplaces initiative addresses two intertwined issues: labor shortages and employment needs for Missourians in recovery. This initiative reduces the stigma of substance use disorder, supports those in recovery and boosts the labor pool for Missouri employers.
• Statewide programs help Missourians prevent and manage chronic diseases like diabetes and arthritis. Our fall prevention programs help older adults live independently for longer, giving family caregivers peace of mind.
• The Continuing Education for Health Professions team supports those who make healthcare accessible across Missouri. Continuing education was provided to 32,000 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and others. Our reach extends to more than 40 states and 20 countries.
• Mental wellbeing across the lifespan is critical to Missouri’s future. Our telemental health expansion model overcomes access barriers and engages collaborators across the UM System to provide lifesaving telemental health services through select rural county extension offices. Services for qualifying Missouri farm families are available free, regardless of geographic location.
• In collaboration with the MU School of Medicine and community collaborators, we provided 2,200+ health screenings during 47 mobile events in 34 southern counties with on-site results for 761 participants. In addition, the mobile simulation unit provided hands-on first responder training, enhancing access to lifesaving care for rural communities
• A generous pledge of support from the MFA Foundation is enhancing the capacity of MU Extension to address rural Missouri’s mental health crisis. We are helping farmers and communities deal with disasters and build resilience to handle stressors impacting mental wellbeing.
These programs are crucial, but we can do more. Building upon them is necessary for Missourians to thrive financially, physically, and mentally. You can better the lives of Missourians by supporting these muchneeded efforts.
EXPANDING OUR CAPACITY
Our programs are nothing without the people who run and support them. A statewide network, comprised of faculty, staff, council members and volunteers, delivers programs that create meaningful change across Missouri. Our deep community connections leverage and amplify our impact.
• Faculty & Staff: 800+
• Faculty with joint appointments in nine MU schools and colleges: 85+
At MU Extension, we want to ensure that our people are the best trained and best resourced in the country. Your support would allow us to endow faculty positions to remain competitive in the marketplace, provide greater professional development and internship opportunities and fund our county centers as much as possible. We have outreach programs in every county in the state, and further support from alumni and friends like you would help us build upon that foundation. That means more programming, more assistance and more training in every Missouri county. That means real-world, tangible impact that can be felt immediately across Missouri.
BUILD THE FUTURE OF MISSOURI – TOGETHER
MU Extension continues to invest in our mission and vision to improve lives, communities and economies by producing relevant, reliable and responsive educational strategies that enhance access to the resources and research of the University of Missouri. This includes continued focus on increasing resources that benefit agricultural growth and stewardship, economic opportunity, educational access and excellence, and health and well-being.
Simply put, supporting our efforts means you’ll be supporting the entire state. We hope you’ll join us on our journey. Let’s shape a future that benefits all Missourians – together.
