MSU Extension Bay County

Message from the district director 

 Michigan State University Extension is proud to provide our state’s residents with the knowledge they need to do their jobs better, raise healthy and safe families, build their communities, and empower their children to achieve successful futures.

As times change and new challenges arise, Extension is committed to meeting people wherethey are to make our programming and resources accessible to all. We now offer virtual, hybrid, and face-to-face programming throughout the year depending on our partners' and residents' needs, requests, and preferences. Moreover, we ensure our customers – the residents of Bay County – are provided with the high-quality, evidence-based curricula they are accustomed to.

MSU Extension provides hundreds of programs focused on youth development, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, business, agriculture, veteran’s outreach, invasive species, farmers market, food safety, Saginaw Bay watershed and community food systems. We focus on the needs of youth, families, seniors, veterans, farmers, and the disadvantaged while working with our partners in the communities that we serve.

On behalf of the MSU Extension team serving your county, thank you for your continued support. I would also like to thank all our partners, businesses, families, and youth that we serve. It is a pleasure and honor to work with you and meet your needs so we can make a positive difference in your community.

Mark J. Rankin, District 9 Director

• $17,492,455 Total Economic Impact
• $1,696,111 Spending with Local Businesses
• $3,645,864 Financial Aid Disbursed
• 181 Enrolled Michigan Students
• 1,646 MSU Alumni in Bay County
• 1,948 Youth Participants in 4-H

Health and Nutrition program highlights

MSU Extension Health Team programming aims to promote health and well-being, including understanding important connections between physical, mental, social and emotional health. Extension Educators continue to provide evidence-based health programs such as Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention, Walk with Ease, Personal Action Towards Health (PATH), Sleep Education for Everyone Program (SLEEP), and Stress Less with Mindfulness throughout the community.

• Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention
• The Michigan Substance Use Prevention, Education and Recovery (MiSUPER)
• The Arthritis Foundation Walk with Ease 
• Mindfulness Learn and Lunch: MSU Extension health educators provided 40 virtual mindfulness lunch and learn sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the year, reaching around 2,000 audience members. These sessions cycled through our mindfulness menu of programs, with topics ranging from mindful walking and eating to building resilience to avoid burnout. Participants who registered for these programs through MiRegistry were able to receive continuing education credits by attending these sessions.
  • Food safety for childcare providers provides food safety education for staff who care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The curriculum used is Safe Food = Healthy Kids, developed by MSU Extension educators. Learn what the best practices are for food safety to help keep kids safe.
  • Cooking for Crowds is a three-hour food safety training for volunteers working in a non-profit venue. Cooking for Crowds classes educate volunteers who offer fundraisers and events such as dinners and bake sales. This program aligns with the 2009 Michigan Food Code.
  • Michigan Cottage Food Law workshop classes offer a unique feature with a combination of presentations offered in this program with the Food Safety Team, teaching safe food handling concepts and the MSU Product Center sharing tips on building a solid business and marketing plan to sell the Cottage Food items. The program ends with a Q&A session featuring an inspector from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to answer questions pertaining to food products.
  • Pantry Food Safety – It’s Your Job! is another three-hour training offered for volunteers working in food pantries and food banks. After completing the Pantry Food Safety training, participants will receive a certificate of completion.
  • Preserving MI Harvest

    Learn the latest methods and research for preserving foods at home. Let us help you fill your pantry and freezer by preserving food safely at home. To learn more and to register, visit: Preserving Michigan Harvest

    MSU Extension Food Safety Team programming works to provide educational programs for food workers, cottage food entrepreneurs, childcare providers, food pantry volunteers, and consumers, providing information about the five risk factors that contribute most to foodborne illness – personal hygiene and health, cooking temperatures, holding temperatures and cleaning of food contact surfaces. In 2023 the Food Safety team continued to reach multi-counties in Michigan and out of state with virtual programming and the return to live programming as well.
  • SNAP-Ed nutrition education is provided to children, youth, adults, and families with limited financial resources and are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Expanded Food and Nutrition (EFNEP), Senior Project Fresh, WIC Project Fresh

Community, Food and Environment program highlights 

The MSU Extension Community Food Systems team works to make the Michigan food system accessible, equitable, fair, healthy, diverse, and sustainable by focusing on the people who shape food systems through education, connection, networking, research, assistance, and consultations. The Community Food Systems team leads programming that: supports community food value chains, supports food and farming business sustainability, enhances land and ecosystem quality, cultivates networks, and increases community engagement in agrifood systems.

• Michigan CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Network
• Michigan Farm to Institution Network
• Michigan Apple Crunch
• Homeownership webinar series 
• Foreclosure resources
• Money management 
• Michigan SeaGrant

• Michigan Sea Grant (MISG) Extension promotes research, education, and outreach to enhance the responsible and sustainable use of our diverse Great Lakes resources. Through MSU Extension, MISG works with Michigan residents, industries, and coastal communities to encourage their use, benefits, and enjoyment of Great Lakes resources that positively influences our state’s economy, environment, and quality of life.

  • This year’s Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration release events marked an important milestone – over 5,000 Lake Sturgeon released into the Saginaw River system. Learn more at www.saginawbaysturgeon.org

• Center for Great Lakes Literacy - MISG Extension provides leadership for the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL), a collaborative effort led by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes watershed. CGLL engages and inspires teachers, scientists, and students to promote improved stewardship of our shared freshwater treasure. A Great Lakes literate person is someone who understands, appreciates, shares about, and helps to protect the Great Lakes resources and the watersheds that feed them.
  • Twenty educators from across Michigan participated in the 2023 Lake Huron Place-Based Education Summer Teacher Institute hosted in Au Gres. The 2023 institute focused on climate change and green infrastructure in the Great Lakes as both an issue and a student stewardship opportunity.

    To support their implementation of a place-based education project, each educator – including one from Midland County – received a $500 project stipend with support from CGLL and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiation. Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative network and its leadership partners also supported the Summer Institute.

Consumer horticulture 

The Consumer Horticulture team serves Michigan through its educational lawn and garden programming. We provide research-based information and training to our communities. In addition, we answer questions submitted by the public through Ask Extension and our MSUE Lawn and Garden Hotline (1-888-678-3464 prompt #1). Answering calls on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Ask Extension is an online tool that allows Michigan State University experts to answer questions submitted by the public along with photos of issues they are experiencing in their garden or lawn.

In 2023, 6,471 Ask Extension questions were responded to statewide, along with 1,652 hotline questions. Alongside these tools, our “Gardening in Michigan” Facebook page and website house ornamental and vegetable gardening resources and hosts free educational videos.

Agriculture and Agribusiness program highlights 

• Farm Stress Management: Collectively, the MSU Extension Farm Stress team conducted a record number of programs, reaching a record number of participants in 2023. Across all staff reporting program activities in PEARS on behalf of the MSUE Farm Stress team, there were 68 unique direct program activities in 2023, which spanned 169 distinct sessions with 5,657 participants. We also had 103 individuals enroll in the Rural Resilience online D2L training course. Furthermore, 33 farmers and farm family members were referred through our teletherapy partnership to Pine Rest for behavioral health support, with another two farmers to Easterseals for counseling; this is a 52.17% increase compared to 2022.

Children and Youth Development 

The MSU Extension Child and Family Development Team offers programs and services that support families in a variety of ways. From helping parents and caregivers increase early childhood science, math, preliteracy, and social and emotional skills in young children to developing critical life skills and healthy behaviors in youth of all ages, MSU Extension works to ensure Michigan’s families are stronger and children are prepared to excel in school and life.