Sherry Shaffer, director of the Colorado State University Extension office serving Pueblo County, outlined the office’s role and programs at the Pueblo City Council meeting. Shaffer said the local Extension is a branch of CSU Fort Collins that provides research‑based, noncredit education and is jointly funded by Pueblo County and Colorado State University.

Shaffer described a staff of about 12 employees who run program areas that include 4‑H and youth development, an agriculture and natural resources program, horticulture and a Master Gardener volunteer corps, and Family and Consumer Sciences classes on topics such as food preservation and cottage‑food safety. “We are actually a department of Pueblo County government and we're jointly funded by the county and Colorado State University,” Shaffer said.

She said local Extension offerings include AgFest (an annual program that brings fifth‑grade students to the fairgrounds), a community animal response team that helps evacuate large animals during emergencies, demonstration gardens around town, and the All Pueblo Grow seed‑lending library with locations in multiple branches of the library district. Shaffer also noted the office runs the Pueblo County Fair each July and that Master Gardener volunteers help residents with yard and garden issues.

Councilors asked how the local office relates to CSU Pueblo and CSU Global. Shaffer replied that the primary administrative connection is to CSU Fort Collins via a shared board of governors and that formal academic degree programs are not the Extension’s mission; instead, the office focuses on outreach and noncredit education. She said the Extension collects county‑level data and that more granular neighborhood breakdowns are not typically published, but that a county dashboard is available and she can share a link.

Councilors also questioned the reach and capacity of youth programming. Shaffer described a robust 4‑H program and volunteer base; membership figures were stated during the presentation (transcript wording included "2 10" youth members and 67 adult volunteers), which may reflect a delivery or transcription artifact. Shaffer offered to provide written materials and brochures for councilors and said Extension staff are available to partner on local education or outreach needs.

The council thanked Shaffer for the overview. The presentation highlighted Extension services available to local farmers, gardeners, families and schools and encouraged councilors to contact the office for program details or data access.