Marion County 4-H club members on KOAC radio broadcast, 1950

Polk, Marion, and Yamhill counties make up the mid-valley region of Oregon. Plenty of produce, picking, and harvesting happens in this region – and Extension Services has been an integral part of this work!

Miller's dept. store window display in Salem, 1944

The OSU Extension Service has been in Marion County since September, 1911, when the first Oregon Director of Extension was appointed. The first Extension Agent, Luther Chapin, was appointed in on September 7, 1912. Funding for this first agent came from commercial monies raised through the local Chamber of Commerce. Although no state funds were used, the county agent still had close connections with the college, using experiment station results as the basis of his demonstration program and calling upon college specialists for assistance. Learn more on the Marion County Extension history page.

A.W. Oliver demonstrating butchering techniques, 1938

Polk County Extension has been an integral part of Polk County life and development since 1918. It continues to be important today. Visit the page The History of Polk County Extensionfor some wonderful historic photos and facts about Extension in the county. It is a robust page with information about the history of 4-H, women working during WWII, notable visitors, and technological developments to aid in harvesting.

Weighing beans, 1946

Yamhill County has a diverse agricultural production including wheat, barley, horticulture, dairy farming, orchards, commercial timber, and wine. Read more about the history of Yamhill County on the State of Oregon page.