Dade County, Ga., has been without an extension agent for two years and is likely to stay that way, based on a new plan from the state’s thinned-out extension agency.
Tier 2 countiesBrantley, Charlton, Clay, Crawford, Dade, Hancock, Heard, Long, Pickens, Quitman, Talbot, Towns, Twiggs and Wilkinson.Source: University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Under a plan released in November, Dade County is categorized as a Tier 2 county, which means the county will have an office with an office manager, but no agent.
In a November news release, Beverly Sparks, associate dean for extension with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which manages the extension agent program for the state, outlined a new system based on budget cuts.
The agency’s budget has been cut by 23 percent.
“It was clear with our new budget reality we had to redesign how that education was delivered,” she said.
Under the system, Dade and 13 other counties are considered “Tier 2.”
“Agents will be assigned as resources but will not generally offer programs or make client visits,” Sparks said.
Ted Dyer, who was the last agent in Dade County before he moved to Gordon County 21/2 years ago, said he spent 40 to 50 percent of his time on 4-H, the extension program that works with youth.
He said it’s difficult for one agent to cover Walker and Dade counties and it’s also tough for farmers to go without full-time services.
“They need a full-time agent there, but the state doesn’t have the money to fund it,” said Dyer, taking a break from working with heifers in Gordon County on Thursday afternoon. “It’s just the times.”
Walker County Extension Agent Norman Edwards, who has been covering the county since Dyer left, said he has been handling paperwork and working with part-time staff and volunteers to “keep things held together.”
“It’s not really been anything like filling in like a full-time agent would,” he said. “There’s a lot of individuals that are interested in having a full-time agent, and I certainly agree with them.”
Edwards said that even though Dade is small, it has a “fair amount” of beef cattle, hay and cropland.
In the release, Sparks acknowledged that the new system might make some residents unhappy, but she offered a hopeful note for counties like Dade.
“I think this plan is flexible and allows us, as resources return, to build back and bring those 1, 2 and 3 tiers up to a higher tier,” she said.