UF/IFAS Extension Wakulla County has scheduled their annual Open House event for August 23, 2025 from 9 AM to 1 PM.  This free, family-friendly event will offer tours, mini-classes, a meet and greet with 4-H club leaders, live music, food trucks, and activities for families! Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Extension faculty and volunteers. Information about Extension programs and services will be available.

Learn about the Family & Consumer Sciences Program

The Wakulla County Family and Consumer Sciences program focuses on providing timely, relevant, and reliable information on topics such as nutrition, health and wellness, and family resource management through a variety of classes, workshops, and community events. Family and Consumer Sciences educational programming provides people with the knowledge and skills they need to improve their quality of life and that of their family. Samantha Kennedy is the Family and Consumer Sciences agent in Wakulla County. She specializes in healthy cooking, food safety, food preservation, health and wellness, and financial management.

Learn about the Master Gardener Program

The Florida Master Gardener Program is an outreach program composed of UF/IFAS Extension certified volunteers who are trained to provide research-based horticultural education to Florida residents. Participants of the program must complete a 50-hour plus training course provided by the University of Florida and local county Extension office. Hours may vary by county. Contact the county Master Gardener Coordinator in your local county Extension office for more information or visit the Florida Master Gardener website.

After they are certified, Master Gardeners work through their county Extension office, contributing 75 volunteer hours and 10 learning hours within the first year of certification, in accordance with statewide program bylaws. Certified Master Gardeners serve their communities by answering gardening questions from local residents, participating in community and school garden projects, supporting youth activities, and more. To become a Master Gardener, you must have an interest in gardening, a desire to help others in your community, and a dedication to complete the training and service hours.

Learn about the Family Nutrition Program

The UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP) has provided free nutrition education to SNAP-eligible people in Florida since 1996. We teach children and teens how to make more nutritious food choices and adopt healthier eating and physical activity habits to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease. We also provide free training and resources for community partners interested in making healthy changes in their organization or community.  The FNP program is currently in 30 counties. Find out more about our programs by contacting us.

Learn about the 4-H Youth Development Program

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization. Over 230,000 members in the State of Florida help to make up the community of more than 6.5 million young people across America. 4-H is a nonformal, practical educational program for youth. Florida 4-H is the youth development program of Florida Cooperative Extension, a part of the University of Florida IFAS.

4-H is open to all youth, ages 5-18, determined as of September 1 of the current 4-H program year and open to all counties in the State of Florida. 4-H serves youth from all backgrounds and interests. It reaches both boys and girls through 4-H clubs, special – interest groups and short – term projects, school-age childcare, individual and family learning and mentoring, camping, and school enrichment.

There are three primary program areas, or mission mandates, – science, citizenship, and healthy living. The educational foundation of 4-H lies in these three-mission mandate. These mandates reiterate the foundation purposes of Extension (e.g., community leadership, quality of life, and technology transfer) in the context of 21st-century challenges and opportunities.  Rachel Pienta is the 4-H agent in Wakulla County and Christine Pearson serves as the 4-H Program Assistant.

About Wakulla Extension

UF/IFAS Wakulla Extension is a federal, state, and county partnership throughout Florida, with the mission to improve our lives by developing knowledge in agriculture, natural resources, and the life sciences and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. The partnership includes Florida Cooperative Extension, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida (UF), Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) and the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners.

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