By MARK POWELL

The University of Maryland’s ag college is in a curious predicament.
Ag dean Dr. Tom Fretz has a mandate from the state legislature to start a “Dairy Farm Nutrient and Business Management Initiative.” That will involve $1.094 million over four years to hire four Extension faculty. The problem for Fretz is that the ag college did not receive funding from politicians to fund the initiative.
So, on Oct. 1, when implementation of House Bill 983 is called for, Fretz will have to decide whether he is bound to begin the process of implementing the initiative.
Fretz said he would like to do an analysis of the situation and see if four faculty are actually needed.
“It’s an unfunded mandate,” Fretz said, adding that the budget is set. If he were to go forward with the project, he asked out loud, “does it come at the cost of 4-H faculty, production ag, or the inner city youth projects?”
It appears unclear at the present what exactly will happen.
University of Maryland dairy expert Bob Peters briefed the state ag commission last week on the initiative.
The initiative is among the recommendations of task force created in 1995 by the legislature to help improve the economic viability of the state’s dairy industry.
Peters explained that the initiative would consist of two major components:
• Workshops and seminars for all producers aimed at addressing dairy issues; and
• Teams of advisors established to work individually with up to 50 dairymen to improve their situations.
The workshops would address nutrient management concerns of the dairy farms as well as the various areas of farm management which can improve overall economics.
A few members of the Ag Commission questioned Peters on the initiative, saying that private consultants can do as good a job as the university.
Fretz said he saw nothing wrong with working with private businesses in such matters.
The Ag Commission did vote to support the initiative.
Fretz said if there is a feeling of support for the initiative from the community at large, that should be expressed to the state’s political leadership.
“It’s the citizens the governor listens to,” he said.