A CSU Extension agent meets with community members to discuss orchard tree management on May 10, 1934. Photo courtesy of University Historic Photograph Collections at the Archives and Special Collections of the CSU Libraries
The Public Lands History Center will feature a panel of speakers from Colorado State University and CSU Extension for the fall American West Program on Oct. 5.
Established in 1972 by an interdisciplinary group of scientists, humanists, engineers and artists to explore common themes in the West, the American West Program has brought innovative speakers, artists, films and more to the CSU campus and Fort Collins for more than 45 years. The CSU Extension panel, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 5 p.m. in the Morgan Library Event Hall.
In 1914, Congress authorized land-grant universities in every state to provide research-based information to Extension agents in each county. For over 100 years, CSU Extension has helped people in Colorado find the answers they need — for everything from a healthy home life to a successful business. This panel reflects on this rich legacy by addressing farm and ranching technologies and values — past, present and future.
Panel guests
The panel will feature Joanne Littlefield, CSU Extension’s director of outreach and engagement; C.J. Mucklow; CSU Extension’s western regional director; and Rick Knight, a professor in CSU’s Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. Littlefield will explore farmers’ and ranchers’ evolving commitments to sustainable and productive land use. Mucklow will examine land users’ and managers’ common interest in sustaining both the health of land and people’s attachment to landscapes that provide important resources, whether food, forest or recreation. Knight will discuss the ways in which ranching and ranch families might bridge the divide between rural and urban America through their provision of food and open spaces.
“We hope to provide participants with a greater understanding of Colorado State University, Extension programs and their partnership in supporting ranchers and farmers, in an effort to embrace new technology while sustaining productive land use,” says Littlefield.
Support
To learn more about the PLHC and the American West Program, visit their website. Consider supporting future PLHC projects and programs by making a gift online. The center and the Department of History are part of CSU’s College of Liberal Arts.
