When you serve backyard farmers across the state, 4-H members in every county, and speciality crop growers, you must be doing something right and Elizabeth Exstrom certainly is as she’s named one of the top extension agents in the country.
Exstrom, a Nebraska Extension horticulture educator based in Hall County, has been recognized with one of the top honors from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
Exstrom received the Distinguished Service Award during the organization’s 2026 Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference held July 11 in Denver. The award recognizes Extension professionals with at least 10 years of service who have earned the respect of their peers and demonstrated excellence through outstanding Extension programming.
Exstrom said the recognition was meaningful because it began with support from colleagues in Nebraska.
“That was really humbling for our state to move my application forward on behalf of Nebraska to the national organization,” she said.
Exstrom has served Nebraska Extension for 17 years, working in horticulture, landscape and environmental systems. Her work includes answering questions from Nebraskans, providing commercial pesticide training, leading Master Gardener programming and helping youth learn through hands-on gardening projects.
“Every day is a new adventure,” Exstrom said. “No day is ever the same.”
She said her programming changes with the seasons, from pesticide training in the spring to Master Gardener training and summer calls from homeowners, gardeners and others looking for answers.
“We keep really busy,” she said.
One of Exstrom’s signature efforts is the Special Garden Project, which has reached more than 26,500 youth in all 93 Nebraska counties. Each year, the project introduces young people to a different plant, giving them a chance to grow it and exhibit it at county and state fairs.
“The goal is to get youth interested in the area of horticulture growing something different, whether it’s a flower or a vegetable or an herb,” Exstrom said. “The goal is to have them learn something in the process.”
Exstrom also leads the Central Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Program. Under her guidance, volunteers have contributed more than 38,590 hours of community service, with an estimated local economic value of $1.34 million.
Her work covers a wide area of central Nebraska. Exstrom said Nebraska Extension educators serve accountability regions, and horticulture specialists are spread across a large geographic area.
“I have about 25 counties,” she said. “It’s a swath from Kansas to South Dakota, from the edge of Hall all the way over to the edge of Dawson.”
Exstrom said the mission of Extension is to provide reliable, unbiased information to help Nebraskans make informed decisions.
“We want to be that impartial third party that gives you the information that you need,” she said. “We’re not out there to sell you anything. We’re out there to help any way that we can.”
Many Nebraskans may also recognize Exstrom from Nebraska Educational Telecommunications’ “Backyard Farmer,” where she has appeared for about 17 years.
“We’re just trying to get out there and get the information to people on what they need to be aware of,” she said.
The National Association of County Agricultural Agents represents Extension educators, agents and specialists working in agriculture, horticulture, natural resources, 4-H youth development, community development and related fields. Exstrom was among honorees representing the top 2% of the association’s membership nationwide.