Olson named as new EOT Extension Educator

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Another new face joined the University of Minnesota Extension Office in New York Mills as Olivia Olson filled the position of Extension Educator in late November 2023.

Olson is a 2021 graduate of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Food Systems and Global Studies. She has previously worked in the agriculture industry with educators, farmers, and nonprofits both in the United States and Vietnam. Olson will be working with a variety of local partners to educate and facilitate agricultural improvement across the region.

“I am supporting both East and West Otter Tail Master Gardener programs, doing volunteer support and helping out with events as needed,” said Olson. “Otherwise, I’m working with both University of Minnesota Extension providing support for farmers and leading workshops, doing education and outreach things there with the agriculture and horticulture focus. Also working in conjunction with the East Otter Tail and Wadena Soil and Conservation Districts too and doing a lot of education and outreach with them. I’ll be supporting them and helping on their projects as well.”

Olson grew up in Plymouth, Minn., a suburb of the Twin Cities. Her most recent position in Southern Minnesota was working at The Good Acre, a food hub located in St. Paul centered around providing economic opportunities, as well as market access to small scale farmers. Now that she’s living in a less population-dense area, Olson is looking forward to the potential of her new position in Otter Tail County.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of all of the awesome work that’s happening in the county and the areas both with the Soil and Water Conservation Districts as well as Extension and there’s a lot of potential with this,” she said. “There’s a lot of people doing incredible work already and there’s also a lot of capacity and opportunities as there hasn’t been anyone in this role for quite a while.”

“There’s a lot to look forward to,” she continued. “A lot to be involved in and a lot of work to support.”

Olson is also looking forward to hearing from and meeting farmers in the local area interested in how the Extension Office can benefit their farms.

“I really enjoy the farm education realm of things,” she said, “and being able to share that with people and continue to support farmers in a wide variety of capacities.”

Farmers are invited to contact Olson at (218) 998-8303 or olso7655@umn.edu to get in touch with her and learn more about the benefits of the Extension Office related to agriculture and horticulture. A newsletter featuring resources, upcoming events, and information related to the farming community is also in the works as Olson settles into her new position.

Olson stepped into the role of Extension Educator on November 20, 2023 and has enjoyed her first month in the office.

“It’s been good,” she laughed. “It’s been a lot of information. I’ve had a lot of meetings to meet all sorts of people and just figuring out what all is going on and what people are working on, how I can get plugged in, what the needs and goals are for the county and how I can support that.”

Coming from a background in both the University of Minnesota as well as the state’s agricultural and horticultural industries, Olson knew about the work done by the Extension Office when she first saw the position being advertised.

“I had heard a lot of really good things about Extension and all the different work that was being done and I really enjoy doing on-the-ground working with farmers and people who are involved directly in agriculture and food systems change and natural resource care,” she said. “Being able to make some of these changes to systems to improve the soil and the water health and really just make the natural environment and community stronger and healthier and it seemed like there was a lot of potential for that in this role and that was a big part of what excited me for it.”