USU Extension - San Juan County

06/16/2026

USU Extension is looking for the best gardens across Utah! Whether you grow vegetables, flowers, native plants, or have a beautiful container garden, this is your chance to showcase your hard work and creativity.

🏆 Competition Categories:
🌿 Best Overall Garden
🥕 Best Vegetable Garden
🌸 Best Flower Garden
🪴 Best Container Garden
🌼 Best Native Plants Garden

🎁 Winners will receive:
✔️ A winner's yard sign
✔️ 10 heirloom seed packets
✔️ A free USU Extension gardening class of their choice
✔️ An Olmsted Forge garden set

📅 Submission Deadline: September 15

Help us celebrate the amazing gardens growing across Utah and promote sustainable gardening in our communities!

🌐 Learn more and submit your garden at bestgarden.usu.edu

06/05/2026

☀️ Summer 4-H Afterschool Starts Monday! ☀️

There's still time to register for the 2026 Summer 4-H Afterschool Program at Blanding Elementary!

📅 Starts Monday, June 8
🎒 Open to all students
📚 STEAM, SEL & Academic Enrichment
⏰ Monday–Thursday | 8:30 AM–12:30 PM

Scan the QR code on the flyer or contact Jalynn Jones for more information. 🍀🌞

06/05/2026

Marathon Kids Summer Movement Challenge kicks off June 8, and it's FREE for ALL ages and abilities. Run, walk, jump, play... every mile and every minute counts toward completing a "marathon" this summer. No pressure. No competition. Just kids moving, growing, and loving it.

📍 Sign up now at marathonkids.usu.edu, spots fill fast!

06/04/2026

06/01/2026

Looking to expand your professional skills or explore opportunities in healthcare?

Utah State University is offering a FREE 40-hour Healthcare Interpreter Certification Training designed to prepare participants to effectively bridge communication between healthcare providers and patients. This training is an excellent opportunity for community members, students, Community Health Workers, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in serving multilingual populations.

Training runs June 6–29, 2026, with in-person sessions at the USU Moab Campus and VIRTUAL (Zoom) participation available for residents of Blanding and Price.
All training materials, workbooks, language exams, and certification costs are covered at no cost to participants.

Pre-register Today:
https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_205KceuiNr7kk6y

Help strengthen healthcare access and communication in our rural communities while gaining valuable career skills.

05/18/2026

🐓 H5N1 & Backyard Poultry Webinar 🦆

Join this upcoming webinar to learn about H5 bird flu prevention, backyard poultry biosecurity, and what producers, youth exhibitors, and Extension personnel should know.

📅 May 21, 2026
⏰ 12:00–1:00 PM ET

Youth livestock event resources:
EXCITE H5N1 Resources
https://h5n1.extension.org/youth-livestock-events-and-shows-2/
Register here:
Webinar Registration
https://extension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkf-yvrT4iH9Lq0i7q4_N7VKLzhM79CjIW?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-96-LogiEZLxxbgPrTsk9kIXImoVNIbAoPvthF28TxbtUUtFEDdKsznbgo7xp91WJkmyidCF1glZEqJrIelXXQqz-7Ctw&_hsmi=418508584&utm_content=418509111&utm_source=hs_email #/registration

Monthly update and sharing meeting for participants in H5N1 projects.

05/15/2026

🌱 Volunteers Needed Tomorrow! 🌱

Come help us set up drip irrigation systems at the Blanding Youth Garden tomorrow, Saturday the 16th at 9:00 AM! 💧🌿

📍 Location: 500 S & Main St, Blanding, UT
📅 Saturday, May 16
⏰ 9:00 AM

We would love extra hands to help get the garden ready for the season. All help is appreciated! ☀️🪴

05/14/2026

🐴 Animal Health Alert for Livestock & Horse Owners 🐄

USU Extension is encouraging producers and animal owners to stay aware of two diseases that could impact livestock and horses this summer and fall: Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) and New World Screwworm.

🔹 Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease that can cause painful blisters and sores in the mouth, nose, and hooves of horses and livestock. It is spread by biting insects and has already been reported in nearby states.

Learn more:
https://www.equinediseasecc.org/vesicular-stomatitis

🔹 New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae infest wounds on animals, causing severe tissue damage. Recent detections in Central America and Mexico have increased concern about possible spread.

Learn more:
https://ag.utah.gov/animal-industry/animal-health-program/new-world-screwworm/

These diseases could also affect livestock and 4-H events this season, so awareness and prevention are important.

New World ScrewwormAnimal HealthHomeAnimal IndustryAnimal Health ProgramNew World ScrewwormNew World Screwworm (NWS) is a fly, and the larvae of this fly burrow into living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing large wounds and death in untreated animals. The fly was eradicated from the United Sta...

05/12/2026