MSU Extension to help state go “green”

LAPEER COUNTY — Director Phil Kaatz and the 11 employees of the Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) office in Lapeer are breathing a little easier this weekend.

It would appear they still have jobs, and the many services and programs the MSUE office offers to residents and businesses in Lapeer County will continue to be administered. That’s good news for farmers, 4-H-ers and others who benefit from two MSU agriculture programs.

Even as late as Wednesday the certainty of funding for the MSUE was anything but sure.

But on Friday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the final six budget bills, which were the most contentious and likely to include line-item vetoes.

Spared from the cutting block, however, was one line in the higher education budget for agricultural extension and experiment station programs. Granholm and MSU officials struck a deal Thursday that continues funding for those programs and changes their focus to support the “green” economy.

In response, MSUE will be focusing its resources across Michigan around initiatives that will help build a green economy; continue to offer valuable support for the agriculture sector; develop community practices for energy efficiency and use of renewable energy; support urban centers to revitalize businesses and communities; and build urban farming and regional food systems. It will also offer expertise to restructured state and local agencies and foster interjurisdictional cooperation for regional prosperity.

“This is an exciting new chapter in our work, and I’m looking forward to the great things that will come as we engage with new and existing partners and create new initiatives with our existing network,” said Thomas Coon, MSUE director. “We have had long and successful interactions with our partners in state government, communities and agriculture and natural resources, and those relationships will only get stronger and provide more benefits to the people and communities of the state in the future.”

In a statement about the Extension deal, Granholm commented, “As Michigan moves from rust to green, these programs will be focused on enhancing our local communities’ efforts to collaborate and innovate in the new clean energy economy.”

MSU officials had expressed concern that Granholm would veto funding for the Extension program when the school’s October payment arrived without money for it. The higher education budget includes $34 million for the experimental station and $29 million for the Extension service.

Had the governor struck the MSUE funding from the budget, most of its 2,727 employees would have lost their jobs. Without the state funding, it was even possible that MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which gets 74 percent of its money from Extension and Experiment Station funds, would have had to shut its doors.

Granholm targeted both programs for cuts in her executive budget released earlier this year, proposing that their funding be cut in half.

“It’s good that she (Granholm) is seeing the relevance for our programs in Michigan. We offer so many unique programs that benefit the residents of the state. Here in Lapeer County, we’ve tailored our programs to meet the needs expressed by people in this community,” Kaatz said.

While many people may know MSUE for its popular 4-H programs, the breadth of its offerings and services also extends to many non-agricultural interests.

For instance, Kaatz said, MSU Extension in Lapeer County offers expertise in community and economic development, counseling for those impacted by home foreclosures, small business planning, estate planning, food safety training for persons in the hospitality and food services industry, Master Gardener classes and car seat safety checks.

Extension — which has 82 field offices and 15 research stations — is essentially an educational outreach operation, providing a link between the expertise housed at MSU and local communities.

The Experiment Station conducts research on topics ranging from biofuel crops to dairy production to community development, all topics of interest to Lapeer County and Thumb residents said Kaatz.