State tardy on $10 million in funding to U of I Extension

6 views
Skip to first unread message

Wes King

unread,
May 20, 2015, 11:39:29 AM5/20/15
to illinoislocalfoods, illinoisfarmersmarkets, Advocates for Urban Agriculture, soilfooda...@yahoogroups.com, isa-policy...@googlegroups.com, hfhp-il
University of Illinois Extension Local Food and Small Farm Educators have been incredibly important partners in Illinois Stewardship Alliance's work to support local food and sustainable agriculture.This needs to get resolved!


  • State tardy on $10 million in funding to U of I Extension

    • emailprint
      COMMENT
      1
       2
    • By Seth A. Richardson, State Capitol Bureau

      Posted May 19, 2015 at 6:59 PM
      Updated at 10:28 PM 


      The state is behind on millions of dollars in payments for University of Illinois Extension for the current fiscal year after stopping payments without notice.
      U of I Extension provides university resources at the county level. The state appropriated $13 million for the fiscal year that ends June 30, but has made only one payment this year, leaving $10 million of funding missing.
      George Czapar, director of U of I Extension, said Tuesday he did not receive word payments were being stopped. He said without the funding there could be cuts in services to programs like 4-H.
      “It’s such a sudden occurrence that we’re still trying to sort out what kind of contingency plans we have,” he said. “We’ve talked to the units in all counties to try and hold off new expenses while we get this resolved.”
      Czapar said nothing is final yet, but with the end of the fiscal year coming up decisions will have to be made.
      Financial support for the Extension office comes from a mix of federal, state and local funding. The state’s portion goes through the Department of Agriculture, but Extension has received just one of the four scheduled payments.
      Kristi Jones, a spokeswoman for Agriculture, said Extension’s funds are sitting in reserve, but she would not elaborate under who’s orders or why the department was withholding payment.
      “The department is aware that the University of Illinois Extension has received one payment in FY 15 and we are working with the university on ways forward,” she said.
      Czapar said cutting spending isn't the answer. U of I Extension streamlined itself in 2010, going from one fully staffed office in each of the 102 counties to 27 regional offices and eliminating 250 jobs.
      “We’re lean and mean,” he said. “This type of funding is something we’re dependent on.”
      The largest program within the Extension office is resources for 4-H, which provides about 200,000 youths with guidance and a variety of different activities including clothes-making, robotics, cooking, gardening and hiking.
      There are about 5,000 4-H members in Sangamon, Menard and Logan counties. Erica Austin, Springfield director for the group, said the organization is about more than just agriculture.
      “Most of the kids that we serve are underprivileged kids who lack certain skills through generational poverty or what have you,” she said. “The skills that these kids are learning are skills that they probably wouldn’t have gained if not for 4-H.”
      Jayla White, a 16-year-old sophomore from Southeast High School, said she was a rough kid who was in trouble before joining.
      “It taught me to be mature,” she said. “Without 4-H, I’d probably still be in fights and disrespectful.”
      Seventeen-year-old Marshall Boles, a senior at Lanphier High School, said he lacked ambition in school and life in general before 4-H. Now he is an honor roll student who wants to go to college and join the Army as an officer.
      “They basically helped me hone my skills and communication,” he said. “Before them, I was always quiet and didn’t’ talk to anybody. I didn’t really care about life or anything. Then they turned me around and made me see the bigger picture that it’s about my family and what I want out of life.”
      Austin said without 4-H, kids like White and Boles might get left behind.
      “There will probably be another agency that will try to pick them up, but 4-H is known for what they do,” she said.
      Czapar said the Extension office is trying to work out a solution with Agriculture and the governor. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office declined a request for comment on this story.
      --Contact Seth A. Richardson: seth.ri...@sj-r.com, 782-3095, twitter.com/SethARichardson.


      --
      Wes King
      Executive Director
      Illinois Stewardship Alliance
      "Local Food Matters"
       
      *Support Illinois local food and farms - become a member today!


    Debbie Hillman

    unread,
    May 20, 2015, 1:05:16 PM5/20/15
    to Wes King, illinoislocalfoods, illinoisfarmersmarkets, AUA Agriculture for Urban
    Hi, Wes, and all --

    Thanks for letting us know about the current funding crisis for Illinois Extension.   Illinois Stewardship Alliance is not the only organization that has benefited from a strong partnership with Extension.    

    WHAT SHOULD WE DO?  In the interests of gathering energy to respond to the current crisis (and to develop an action plan), it might be worth repeating a conversation that took place in 2007 (?) between Robin Schirmer and myself.  

    I was in the midst of writing, passing, and implementing the first Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act.   During this time I met many of the people who had been getting more and more active in building an Illinois-based food-and-farm economy.   Robin Schirmer was helping to organize winter markets in the Chicago area and we were getting to know each other.  

    EXTENSION'S VALUE TO EVERY COMMUNITY.   In one particular conversation, I was describing to Robin how important Extension's mission was  to a fully functional food-and-farm economy that served every community -- not only in Illinois, but nationally.   And not only farmers, but home-makers.  Being an urban person and not familiar with Extension activities, Robin asked me to describe Extension's work.

    I must have done a pretty good job because Robin immediately summed up Extension's value to any community.  She said, "That sounds like a library."

    Ever since, some of us who worked on the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act initiative have called Extension by the following term:  
    "Local food libraries" -- every community needs one.

    APPLIED TECHNOLOGY.  To put an even finer point on the "library" term, Extension offices are APPLIED libraries -- with reference librarians eager to help anyone 
    --  find real information, and 
    --  apply it to a real-life situation (e.g., plant identification, crop disease, nutrition, finances, immigration, etc., etc.)

    'EXTENSION' OFFICE IN EVERY COMMUNITY?  
    From an Illinois food-and-farm, urban-suburban-rural perspective, should we:
    -- Respond to the State of Illinois's cut in funding to Extension?
    -- Study the original mission of Extension in order to adapt it to the 21st century?  (other states have already been doing this)
    -- Develop our own "Extension" offices -- local food libraries -- community by community?   (e.g., hire existing Extension agents to continue their local work under the auspices of some local organization)
    -- Something else?

    It is my life-long dream to have an Extension-like office in my community (Evanston, IL).   In fact, I am actively trying to find an Extension-like home for my personal library of 500+ books  --  gardening, farming, construction, earth systems, arts, etc,    I am in conversation with a local family-owned bicycle and woodworking shop.   Stay tuned.  We might be developing a new model.

    Local food libraries -- every community needs one. 

    I look forward to hearing other people's thoughts.

    -- Debbie

    Debbie Hillman
    Evanston, Illinois

    D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters

    ...water is a generous visitation from the Holy Female without whom all life would cease.  She is the greatest possible gift and could easily take herself away.  
    -- Martin Prechtel, The Disobedience of the Daughter of the Sun








    Wes King

    unread,
    May 20, 2015, 2:23:30 PM5/20/15
    to Debbie Hillman, illinoislocalfoods, illinoisfarmersmarkets, AUA Agriculture for Urban, soilfooda...@yahoogroups.com, hfhp-il, isa-policy...@googlegroups.com
    Hi all,

    I just got the attached letter that my local extension unit's director put together regarding what people can do to help extension, it is geared towards central IL but the action item and ask is the same throughout the state. 

    The main thing is for people to contact their State Representative and State Senator and share their stories about working with extension, and why extension is important and needs to be adequately funded. 

    Don't know who your state legislators are you can look that up based on your address at the following link: https://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

    More info on contacting your state legislators (once you know who they are) can be found at the following link: www.ilga.gov

    WK
    Tell The Story - U of I Extension.pdf
    Reply all
    Reply to author
    Forward
    0 new messages