We are part of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service’s statewide network and the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture. Our mission is to provide research-based information through non-formal education to help all Arkansans improve their economic well-being and the quality of their lives. Whether it is agriculture, 4-H, health and living, or community development, the Polk County Extension Office is at your service!
Polk County 4-H Youth Development
The mission of 4-H is to provide opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills, form attitudes, and practice behavior that will enable them to become self-directing, productive, and contributing members of society. The Polk County 4-H program consists of thirteen community clubs with just over 300 youth as members. This youth development program also reaches students at schools through school enrichment programs. Membership in 4-H is free and provides youth and their families with a world of opportunity! Join a 4-H Club today!
Horticulture Education and the Master Gardener Program
Gardening is a popular activity for Polk County residents. Let the Polk County Extension Staff help your garden grow. Whether it is variety selection, insect or disease identification, soil testing, canning, freezing, or preserving your bounty, the Polk County Extension Staff can help you become a better gardener. If you want to really learn how to garden, consider becoming a Master Gardener! The Master Gardeners not only learn, but also volunteer.
Beef Cattle and Forage Education
Polk County is home to 893 farms consisting mostly of grazing and hay land for approximately 29,000 head of cattle. The latest best management practices and research in these areas are a big concern to these cow/calf producers. The Polk County Extension staff delivers education to producers to increase profits from cattle enterprises. Whether it is forage testing, pasture inventories, soil testing, ration balancing, winter annual pasture production, or weed control, the Polk County Extension office is ready to help beef producers maximize their operations.
Polk County Family and Consumer Sciences
Polk County is a rural county estimated to have 20,471 residents in 2012. The poverty rate is 21.7% in the county which exceeds the percentage for the state with an 18% rate. In 2011, Polk County reported that 67% of the adult population is considered overweight or obese and 22% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Polk County Extension Service is dedicated to meeting the community education needs of its residents with a variety of relevant programs such as Best Care, Guiding Children Successfully, Living Well with Diabetes, Cooking Schools, Food Safety, Healthy Lifestyles program for youth and Extension Exercise Programs.
Community Building in Polk County
Community leaders from Scott, Polk, and Montgomery County have joined together to form a regional coalition. This coalition is called the Arkansas Regional Coalition of the Ouachitas (ARCO). ARCO was formed to promote and advance sustainable prosperity and well-being for the people of west central Arkansas. In 2012, ARCO joined forces with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and Rich Mountain Community College to initiate the Breakthrough Solutions Program. This program is creative, inclusive, and open, to developing solutions in each county to generate jobs and economic activity.
Contact Polk County Extension
REMINDER: This listing is a free service of ArkansasLandCAN.
Polk County Extension is not employed by or affiliated with the Arkansas Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.
Contact Polk County Extension
211 DeQueen Street
Mena, AR 71953
Phone: (479) 394-6018
Fax: (479) 394-8137
Service Area
