Extension Florence County

06/19/2026

UW-Extension Florence County would like to welcome Julia Vassar as the Summer Horticulture Assistant for the 2026 season! With her position, she will be assisting with the Crossroads Community Garden, the Elementary school garden, as well as helping community members answer horticulture related questions. She encourages anyone who has plant or soil related questions to contact her.

Julia grew up in Florence and graduated from Florence High School in 2020. After living in California for a few years, she is back in the area. Julia lives in Commonwealth with her husband and two sons. She also works at the Florence High School as a Paraprofessional. Julia will also be helping with the Outdoor Adventure program in July. Outside of work, Julia loves spending time with her family, working out, and baking. Fall is her favorite season because she loves seeing the leaves change color and doing fun fall activities like visiting the pumpkin patch.

Julia may be contacted anytime by phone or email and can be reached in person at the Florence County UW-Extension office on most Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:30am to 3:30pm throughout the summer. Her phone number is 715-528-4480 ext. 2, and her email is [email protected]. Email is the best way to reach her, so please include as much detail related to the question as possible. Photos are extremely helpful.

06/09/2026

06/08/2026

Get your summer off to a good start! Join us noon-1 pm., Tuesday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 23, for the Helping Children Develop Healthy Screentime Habits.

This two-part series for parents of children 3-10 years will help you help you:

-Set reasonable screentime limits
-Understand why problems happen
-Prevent issues
-Teach healthy screen habits
-manage conflict over screens
-Keep your child safe online

Learn more about this two-part series and register on our website: https://ashland.extension.wisc.edu/2026/05/27/helping-children-develop-healthy-screentime-habits-triple-p-two-part-series/

06/05/2026

We’re still reflecting on what a great day it was at the Human-I-T Free Laptop Event. Our Meet Extension - Laptop Distribution Day truly showed what can happen when a community comes together with a shared purpose.

We are incredibly grateful to all of the volunteers who stepped up to make the event possible. From setup to check-in to helping participants, your time and effort made a real difference, and it did not go unnoticed.

We also want to thank everyone who came out to pick up their free computers. It was wonderful to see so many people taking advantage of this opportunity and leaving with tools that can support learning, work, and connection.

The entire day was a reminder of how impactful these moments can be, not just in providing resources, but in strengthening our community. We’re proud of what was accomplished and thankful to everyone who had a part in making it such a success.

06/01/2026

UW Extension is offering free refurbished laptops to those in need. If you or someone you know is a Florence County Resident and could benefit, please reach out to reserve a pickup time.

Call Tierany Rugg at 715-528-4480 ext. 5 to schedule.

There are a limited number of laptops available, so don’t wait to call!

05/29/2026

Hi Florence Families
I am excited to share an upcoming opportunity for parents and caregivers in our community. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension is offering a FREE Triple P – Positive Parenting Program: Fear-Less class designed to help adults support children and teens in managing and reducing anxious feelings now and in the future.

This six‑week virtual series provides practical, research‑based strategies that families can begin using right away. Sessions include guided instruction, short videos, workbook activities, and supportive group discussion. This is an interactive class, not a webinar, and participants are encouraged to engage and learn together.

Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLTp1_QsvfYhwGHZNsW3DluphO70SKUbLkZGt9sAD54HNqPw/viewform?usp=header

05/22/2026

05/18/2026

UW-Extension Florence County would like to welcome Austin Korff as our 4-H Positive Youth Development summer intern! Austin is very excited to hold this position and work closely with the Extension office’s summer programs Food, Fun, and Fitness and Outdoor Adventure. He will focus on developing his skills related to working with youth, including much of the behind-the-scenes work required.

Austin lives in Florence and attends school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a full-time student. He is majoring in Elementary Education and is on track to graduate and enter the workforce in three years. As such, he is very excited for the opportunities and experiences this internship will provide him with on his track to teaching. Austin loves working with youth and has worked closely with the Extension office in the past as a Food, Fun, and Fitness youth leader and a dedicated member of the TORPEDOS volunteer organization. He is looking forward to spending his summer in this position and hopes to make many memories with the Extension!

Austin can be reached by phone or email. His phone number is 715-528-4480 ext. 3, and his email is [email protected]. Please join us in providing Austin a warm welcome!