140 to be laid off from Va. Extension
10/22/02
As many farmers had feared, state budget cuts announced by Gov. Mark Warner on Oct. 15 will have a dramatic impact on Virginia’s farmers and farm programs.
Among the announced cuts will be 140 layoffs in Virginia’s Cooperative Extension and Agriculture Research programs. Two of the state’s 13 agriculture research stations could be closed, eight local extension offices may be shut down and a total of 36 Extension agent and faculty positions are scheduled to be eliminated. The other layoffs include 12 research scientists and support staff across the state. Before the cuts, the Extension agent count stood at 215, down from 283 agents before July 1.
The cuts are for the current fiscal year and the next, ending July 2004. More could be coming this winter, when the Virginia General Assembly must make up the other half of a $1.5 billion shortfall in the state budget, Warner said.
“Our gut reaction is that these cuts are devastating,” said Martha Moore, public affairs director for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “We are still evaluating the total implications, but honestly, we’re in shock.
“Unfortunately, with these cuts it will be impossible for the governor to accomplish his stated goal of doubling agricultural receipts in Virginia in the next decade. And we hope that public safety will not be compromised by the elimination of state meat and poultry inspections.”
While the governor’s plan calls for closing some Extension and research offices, “we have not made any definite plans to do so,” said Charlie Stott, director of agriculture and Extension communications for Virginia Tech. “We’re going to do everything possible to keep county Extension and research offices open, and it’s too early to say exactly how the cuts will play out when you consider we’ll be offering severance packages to our employees.”
Stott said the layoffs inevitably will lead to a permanent end for some local programs for farmers and the public, like county 4-H clubs. Close to half the state will be without either an agriculture agent or a 4-H specialist after the new round of staff reductions.
The last round of budget cuts on July 1 also led to the loss of $2.5 million in ag research contracts, Stott said. As more senior researchers leave, millions of dollars in additional ag research programs and income for Virginia Tech will be lost as well.
In addition to layoffs in Extension and research programs, Warner’s spending cuts also will end the state meat and poultry inspection service under the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and lead to 43 employee layoffs. Responsibility for those inspections will fall back to the federal government, stretching an already thin food safety program even further.
Another 15 employees also will be let go in the Richmond office, according to J. Carlton Courter, VDACS commissioner. “In addition to those cuts, we’ll be reducing our international and domestic marketing programs by $578,000 in this fiscal year, partly by canceling several overseas trade shows. The Virginia’s Finest and Virginia Grown promotional programs will also be reduced for now,” Courter said.
Other agriculture-related spending cuts include $2 million less for the Department of Conservation and Recreation and $214,615 less for local soil and water conservation districts. One employee will be laid off there. The agencies run and certify the programs that help farmers create nutrient management plans to protect water quality, as well as provide cost-share grants for special equipment or management techniques.
The Department of Forestry will lose 19 employees not engaged in fire safety and will be forced to consolidate local offices.