Local Programs

All residents of Fairfax County are eligible to enroll in the Master Gardener Volunteer Training. This is an internationally recognized program of horticultural excellence. Trainees receive  hands-on and classroom education from Extension agents and specialists, university faculty, and green industry professionals.   Newly graduated Master Gardener Interns then receive training:  work on class projects such as Plant Clinics, Demonstration Gardens, Horticulture Help Desk, Workshops and Community Special Events. After completing the requirements: Interns become Certified Master Gardeners.  We have daytime and evening classes available for participants.

In Fairfax County there are two Master Gardener Programs:

Fairfax County Master Gardener Association

Green Spring Master Gardeners Program

The objective of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP) is to improve the water quality and health of Virginians using private water supplies. Initiated in 1989, VAHWQP drinking water clinics have been conducted in nearly every county across Virginia, and 22,000 samples have been analyzed and results confidentially returned to participants. The best part: your water test results are explained in a helpful meeting, where ways of preventing contamination and treating water quality problems are also addressed.

Drinking water clinics are organized by your local Extension Agent and Virginia Tech faculty in the Biological Systems Engineering Department. Participation is voluntary and all information is kept strictly confidential. Anyone with a private water supply system (including wells, springs, and cisterns) may participate.

For more Information, Click here.

What's New
 

FAIRFAX COUNTY WELL WATER CLINIC

Registration for our 2024 clinic is NOW CLOSED. 

Virginia Household Water Quality Program  

We provide educational opportunities and information to people who use pesticides as part of their livelihood, to consumers with questions about the use and impact of pesticides in their everyday lives,  and to policy makers such as local, state, and federal government regulators and legislators.

People who apply pesticides professionally need to obtain a Pesticide Applicators Certificate.  Through education and examination, the certified applicator must maintain their certificate by attending re-certification classes every two years.

For more information please visit the Virginia Tech Pesticide Program.

Pesticide Certification and Recertification information below

Certification/Training
Recertification for Private Applicators
Recertification for Commercial Applicators

A routine soil test package includes analysis for soil pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, and B, along with fertilizer and lime recommendations for the specified crop. Soluble salts and organic matter tests are also available. To obtain a Virginia Tech Soil Test Kit please visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office in Fairfax at the address below, or any Fairfax County Public Libraries.

Virginia Cooperative Extension
Fairfax County Office
12011 Government Center Pkwy, 10th floor
Fairfax, VA 22035

We also stock soil test kits at :
Merrifield Garden Center (Gallows Road and Fair Oaks Locations)
Burke Nursery 
Twins Ace Hardware (Fairfax City)
Campbell and Ferrara Nursery

• Once you get the box and form, follow the directions for sampling on the back of the form.  You will need to take about 12-15 scoops of soil or more to make a composite sample representative of your test area.
•  
• You mail the soil and payment directly to the Soil Testing Lab at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA for analysis.  A routine test is $10.  It typically takes about 10-14 days for a response.

For more Information, Click here.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is looking for qualified applicants to become Master Food Volunteers!

Participants receive 30 hours of training over four days:

• Basic nutrition
• Meal planning
• Cooking techniques
• Food safety
• Working with diverse audiences

At the end of the training, participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills to confidently help others improve their lives through balanced eating and healthy living. In return, participants commit to 30 hours of volunteer service within one year of the training.

Opportunities for service include health fair displays, food demonstrations at farmers' markets, teaching food safety classes, submitting articles to the media on nutrition and wellness, assisting with Extension nutrition programs for youth and adults, and much more!

The Family Nutrition Program's mission is to teach limited-resource families how to make healthier food choices and become better managers of available food resources for optimal health and growth. Our programs focus on basic nutrition, physical activity, safe food handling, and thrifty food shopping.

Program coordinators for limited income families in Fairfax County may contact our local FNP team to learn more. For food, nutrition, and health programming for other audiences, please contact Kathryn Strong.

The number of consumers preserving foods at home continues to increase, as more consumers emphasize greater control over what they eat and where their food comes from. Failure to adequately preserve foods in the home can result in foodborne illness. Many families don’t have the knowledge to safely preserve their food at home. Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents provide a variety of opportunities to fill this educational need.

Extension routinely holds in-service training for FCS agents and food safety educators on canning and food preservation, in order to meet the demand for food preservation information. Throughout the state, FCS agents also provide a variety of home food preservation workshops designed to teach participants how to safely can, freeze, or dry their own foods. The types of food preservation support provided include:

• General informational canning classes
• Canning demonstrations at community events
• Hands-on boiling water bath canning classes to teach how to safely can high acid foods
• Hands-on pressure canning classes to teach how to safety can low acid foods
• Pressure dial gauge inspections
• Individualize home preserver support via phone/e-mail

Learn more about clubs in our county visit our website

Fairfax County, Arlington County, and City of Alexandria

Counselor Applications Open: November 1st, 2025 - Apply Here
2025 FAA 4-H CAMP registration will open Feburary 2025  

Camp Dates: June 22 -26, 2024

Click Here for more information

Fill out our interest form to be the first to know when registration opens. 

The Fairfax County, Arlington County, and City of Alexandria (FAA) 4-H Junior Camp will be held at the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center . Camp is open to youth age 9-13. The camp fee includes transportation from camp, meals and lodging for five days and four nights, a camp t-shirt, and class supplies. Campers have the opportunity to pick their roommates if they like, and are then placed in a room with campers of similar age. Each morning, campers attend three different activities from options that include activities such as fishing, archery, horseback riding, or a ropes challenge course, plus much more. Lunch is followed by free recreation and swim time, and every evening campers enjoy a campfire, snack, and an evening program. For more information, please contact the Fairfax Cooperative Extension Office.

Registration will be completely online for both Campers and Counselors. Checks must be mailed to the Fairfax Cooperative Extension Office located at 12011 Government Center Parkway, 10th floor, Fairfax, VA 22035. Campers are not considered fully registered until all required paperwork and camper fees are received. Camper spaces and class selections are filled in the order they are received. 

74th Annual 4-H Fair

August 1 -4, 2024

4-H Fair Video

Register your entries online at  http://tinyurl.com/FFX4HFairEntry

For more information click here

CLICK HERE for information on 2025 program 

The Embryology Program is an exceptional curriculum enrichment program that is designed to help students obtain a better understanding of life and embryonic development.  The bird egg is an excellent educational subject for the study of embryology. 

This program will teach students responsibility and caring for a living animal, teach respect for life and the value of all living organisms.  There will be an emphasize on a “hands-on” experience with a live animal, that will help students grasp developmental processes and stages of growth.  This program will also introduce and explain the topic of reproduction and its scientific processes, as well as other areas of science to the students. In addition, this program addresses several Standards of Learning.  If you would like to see the list of Standards of Learning addressed by the Embryology Program, please let me know.