UW-Extension

Mission Statement

UW-Extension extends the knowledge resources of the University of Wisconsin to the citizens of Oconto where they live and work.

UW-Extension faculty and academic staff in Oconto County work in four major program areas to provide educational programs that are based on research and address the priorities of local citizens. These areas include

• Agriculture and Natural Resources,
• Community Resource Development,
• Family Living, and
• 4-H and youth development.

The major goals of Extension programming in the county include:

• Fostering profitable, environmentally responsible agricultural production through the application of principles of modern farm production, and financial management.
• Improving the capacity of local citizens to make wise land use and growth management decisions; and manage lakes and waterways in a sustainable manner.
• Fostering profitable and sustainable small businesses through the application of modern business planning and management techniques.
• Improving the parenting skills and effectiveness of parents and guardians of children.
• Increasing the self-reliance of limited income residents through improvement of nutrition, food safety and money management knowledge and skills.
• Increasing the effectiveness of citizen volunteer adults, enabling them to teach valuable life skills to children through 4-H.
• Working with parents, schools, and other youth development agencies to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk factors related to alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by young people.
  
  In addition to local programming, the local Extension office is the contact point for many other University resources such as Independent Learning courses through University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations and business counseling through the UW Small Business Development Centers.