Extension Vacuum Coming?

Every state has a budget crisis this year to one degree or another, and belt tightening will likely affect the ability of Extension services to keep up with their clients’ needs.

One area agronomist in a Midsouth state – who also has responsibility for a minor crop statewide – said the other day that he was told that his entire budget for the rest of the fiscal year was essentially gone. “I was told not to drive anyplace,” he said.

A memo went out to people in the Louisiana rice industry to inform them that county agents in two prime rice parishes would not be immediately replaced, and people on the list were given the names and phone numbers for alternate contacts.

We’re hearing similar stories from other states. One Extension specialist who works in a crop that may gain acres said that he lacks the time and resources to work with all the farmers who've decided to either grow that crop for the first time or who are coming back to it after dropping it from their crop mixes several years ago.

"People with no experience want me to give them what amount to private short courses over the phone or in person, while growers who dropped the crop several year ago are asking for all kinds of information about what's changed since they last time they were involved with it," the consultant said while we were visiting at a meeting last fall. "We have limited resources now and more things on our plate as positions go unfilled. We're trying to direct people to our web resources, and in a lot of cases I'm strongly encouraging new or returning farmers to hire a crop consultant."

For agriculture, the next side effect from state budget shortfalls will likely be a push for increased taxes or fees on inputs, equipment, licenses and other direct or indirect operating costs.

For example: the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) warned its members in its e-letter this week that they can expect to see bills introduced in legislatures that address “fee and tax increases, budget cuts and government service reductions” on virtually every industry and profession, including the seed business.

“The future in the states will be interesting as history has proven that state legislatures can be very creative when their budget ‘backs’ are against the wall,” ASTA’s newsletter noted.

As as example, the report pointed to a push in New York’s legislature to create a seed license process that would assess 25 cents per $100 of a company’s gross annual volume sales of seed. If passed as it now stands, that would be among the highest such fee structure among states that charge that licensing fee, the report added.

While these kinds of fees aren’t directly charged to farmers, they get passed along to the field, in whole or part, by seed companies.