The Mat-Su Copper River Cooperative Extension Service district office is located in Palmer, 42 miles northeast of Anchorage. The district is the size of West Virginia, covering a region stretching from Valdez in the south to Cantwell to the north.
It is the fastest-growing region in Alaska, with a population of about 116,000 with a diverse economy. It is considered Alaska’s agricultural heartland and world-famous for the giant vegetables grown there, as well as potatoes, oats, hay, greenhouse produce and sod. The offices are located on the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, a working research farm.
The district offers outreach programs in agriculture and horticulture; health, home and family development; integrated pest management; nutrition; and 4-H and youth development.
Upcoming events
Events
Aug 26
UAF online/virtual event
Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 12 – 1pm
Whether you have had a bountiful hunting season or found a great sale price at the grocery store, knowing how to best preserve your meat is a great skill to have. In this webinar, UAF Cooperative Extension Service Professor Sarah Lewis will teach participants how to properly preserve meat products so they are safe, shelf-stable, and delicious. She will cover how to prepare different types of meat for preservation using pressure canning, freezing, and drying.
Where: Zoom. Register using the or visit .&/ces/districts/matsu/160; Cost: Free
For more information, contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or mjohansson@alaska.edu.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.&/ces/districts/matsu/160;This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/matsu/8217;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Anchorage CES calendar, Bethel CES calendar, Bristol Bay/Dillingham CES calendar, Delta Junction CES calendar, Southeast CES calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar, Kodiak CES calendar, Mat-Su/Copper River CES calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar, Sitka CES calendar, Fairbanks/Tanana CES calendar
Aug 27
Contact organizer
Thursday, August 27, 2026, 11:30am – 1:30pm
The Anchorage Outreach Center will be at the Anchorage Museum&/ces/districts/matsu/39;s Lunch on the Lawn every Thursday in August. We will be testing canner gauges for free. You only have to bring the gauge or the lid with the gauge (if you have an All-American pressure canner, we ask that you remove the gauge from the lid to ensure the most accurate reading).
The Anchorage Museum brings you live music and food trucks every Tuesday and Thursday. Lunch on the Lawn, is their weekly live music series, features local and national acts performing live on the museum lawn.
Other activities include educational programming, community conversations and family-friendly games. Weekly activities vary. Free to attend.
Note: music and activities will move indoors if it rains, where museum admission applies.
Music Schedule
Aug. 4 - Joe Schumacher&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 6 - Ginger and Ale&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 11 - Fiona Rose &/ces/districts/matsu/160; &/ces/districts/matsu/160;&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 13 - Santoro&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 18 - Uncle Jim&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 20 - Big Tim and Tall Order&/ces/districts/matsu/160;
Aug. 25 - TBD
Aug. 27 - TBD
Funded by EasyPark&/ces/districts/matsu/8217;s Park It Forward: Downtown Grant Program.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Anchorage CES calendar, Mat-Su/Copper River CES calendar
Sep 02
UAF online/virtual event
Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 12 – 1pm
Aging changes how people&/ces/districts/matsu/39;s bodies process food, build muscle, regulate blood sugar and absorb nutrients. Yet most nutrition advice stays general.
This free Zoom class is hosted by the UAF Cooperative Extension Service in Southeast Alaska. It explores the key biological changes that affect health over time and why many people hit a plateau despite &/ces/districts/matsu/8220;doing everything right.&/ces/districts/matsu/8221;
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of why personalized nutrition is often necessary to support long-term energy, resilience and well-being.
Register using the or visit .
For more information, contact Jasmine Shaw at&/ces/districts/matsu/160;jdshaw2@alaska.edu or 907-747-9440.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at&/ces/districts/matsu/160;amnorris2@alaska.edu&/ces/districts/matsu/160;or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to&/ces/districts/matsu/160;amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/matsu/39;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Anchorage CES calendar, Bethel CES calendar, Bristol Bay/Dillingham CES calendar, Delta Junction CES calendar, Southeast CES calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar, Kodiak CES calendar, Mat-Su/Copper River CES calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar, Sitka CES calendar, Fairbanks/Tanana CES calendar
Events
Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 907-745-3360
Fax: 907-745-6268
Email: matsu.ces@alaska.edu
We are located at 1509 S. Georgeson Dr. in Palmer at the Matanuska Experiment Farm. Find us with !