- Collection:
- Georgia Government Publications
- Serial:
- Press release.
- Title:
- Press release [Feb. 5, 2004]
- Creator:
- Georgia. General Assembly. House. Public Information Office
- Contributor to Resource:
- Georgia. General Assembly. House. Public Information Office
- Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia. General Assembly. House. Public Information Office
- Date of Original:
- 2004-02-05
- Subject:
- Georgia
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- publications (documents)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Open access; Unrestricted online access star GAGAL
July 29, 2002B; title from Georgia Government Publications citation, viewed September 19, 2007. - External Identifiers:
- Call Number GA L412 .P1 P7 2004/2-5
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl412-b-pp1-bp7-b2004-s2-h5-belec-p-btext
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl412-b-pp1-bp7-b2004-s2-h5-belec-p-btext
- Language:
- eng
- Holding Institution:
- University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library
- Rights:
-
House Information Office
Room 505, Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
1-800-282-5800 404-656-5082
2-1959-5113
February 5, 2004
For Immediate Release
Extension Agents High Priority for Representative Black
Farmers interests' must be protected
Atlanta State Representative Ellis Black (D-Valdosta), who is a member of the Agriculture and
Consumer Affairs Committee and the Appropriations Committee, has been meeting with
concerned constituents in the farming community and fellow lawmakers with a strong interest in
agriculture. Their discussions have focused on potential cutbacks in the state budget, affecting a
variety of services to farmers.
Because of Georgia's current revenue shortfall, Governor Perdue has ordered state agencies to cut their current spending plans by 2.5 percent and an additional 5 percent cut for next year. Respectively, these cuts to UGA's College of Agriculture, which oversees county extension agents and the Agricultural Experiment Station, amount to $926,000 in FY 04 and $2.6 million for FY 05. "County agents are invaluable to rural communities," said Rep. Ellis Black. "They provide services and information for farmers who frankly are having a hard time in today's tough economic times. Georgia is no longer just competing with the Midwest in agriculture but with nations throughout the world. Cutting such a valuable resource will significantly harm our state's number one industry." Black also noted that the State's 4H agents work within the Cooperative Extension Service and will be reduced in numbers as a result of the Governor's budget proposals.
Black noted that the number of county extension agents has dropped from 504 in 1990 to 312 now and the number of extension specialist has decreased from 226 to 111 in that same time. Butts, Macon, Meriwether and Talbot counties have no extension agents and in the last fiscal year the system cut 21 jobs.
Rep. Black went on to say, "Writing a state budget is long drawn out process but I want to make it known that funding for UGA's College of Agriculture's County Extension Agents is a top priority of mine because agriculture is the backbone of Georgia's economy."
He added, "I also express concern for the budget of the Agricultural Experiment Station within the University of Georgia. As a farmer myself I know research is the key to improving Agriculture in Georgia and it would be a disservice if this much needed tool is no longer available. Black said that budget reductions in these areas would seriously weaken many of the important research programs involved in the Experiment Station.
### For further information contact Rep. Black at 404/656-0305