County extension

[StrojanHerefords]

My thought on government agents is you get what you pay for. If the agents were truly good at what they do, there is a far bigger stand of timber waiting for falling in going into business for themselves.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

My thought on government agents is you get what you pay for. If the agents were truly good at what they do, there is a far bigger stand of timber waiting for falling in going into business for themselves.

Possibly. But tell me, do you think you pay a lot on taxes? If you think so, then do you consider the government agents expensive for you? As for the stand of timber I'm looking for, I consider other things as well besides the size of the stand of timber. I will admit though, 'quality control' in the government sector isn't what it is in the private sector. As I stated earlier, some of us are worth our weight in gold (and I'm overweight ) others among us aren't worth a plugged nickel.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

When I was young our county had one county agent and a secretary headquartered at an office in the basement of the courthouse.
Some years later they built a new building on the outskirts of town, and now have several agents and all kinds of meetings and functions at the building.
A lot of it is either 4H, or stuff to do pertaining to various "apparently ag related community programs" which they have an agent for that.
The trend seems to be hiring young agents that invariably don't stay in any location very long.
For quite a while our years back our agent was one of my retired ag teachers.
When he retired from the county agent position he was replaced by a young guy that was more into horticulture than animal agriculture. I always thought that was a wrong move, but then after a few years they gave him the title of horticulture agent and hired another ag agent that I kind of knew through being friends with some of his family in another county. He was actually raised in a farm and had cattle.
Now both of those agents are gone to other locations and I haven't met the new one.
Unfortunately, a lot the folks in those jobs only have practical experience with livestock or crops through their college, and the college farms are different in some ways than those of actual working farms.

You hit the nail on the head with extension agents, and to a lesser extent federal government ag personnel. 'Extension' in of itself covers Sooooo many different aspects of the rural lifestyle (can't think of a better explanation), that it is impossible for an agent to be an expert in everything extension covers. Horticulture makes up a large portion of what extension is about, so does livestock. Both of those components are very diverse unto themselves. There in lies the problem. Extension can't possibly employ an 'expert' in every component of it's existence in every single county. Most counties only have one extension agent. Agents from different counties with different expertise should work together to serve their county. Our previous extension agent was a horticultural expert but worked closely with the neighboring county extension agent who was a livestock focused agent. Everyone with a livestock interest at that time knew they could easily get livestock help from extension. Well, the local extension agent retired and was replaced by an agent focused on agribusiness. This new agent saw (and sees) the county as 'his' territory and thinks other agents should mind their own business and serve only the people in their county. The new agent has effectively ostricized the public and will not let neighboring agents help with anything this newer idiot of an agent knows nothing about, including livestock. The livestock owners within the county no longer get any help from extension despite the fact that the agents that could and were helping them haven't retired, relocated, or changed their focus. It's all the new guy's fault.

The NRCS suffers somewhat from the same problem, but they don't cover quite the diversity of interests that extension does, and they are slightly more networked.

 

[Ky hills]

You hit the nail on the head with extension agents, and to a lesser extent federal government ag personnel. 'Extension' in of itself covers Sooooo many different aspects of the rural lifestyle (can't think of a better explanation), that it is impossible for an agent to be an expert in everything extension covers. Horticulture makes up a large portion of what extension is about, so does livestock. Both of those components are very diverse unto themselves. There in lies the problem. Extension can't possibly employ an 'expert' in every component of it's existence in every single county. Most counties only have one extension agent. Agents from different counties with different expertise should work together to serve their county. Our previous extension agent was a horticultural expert but worked closely with the neighboring county extension agent who was a livestock focused agent. Everyone with a livestock interest at that time knew they could easily get livestock help from extension. Well, the local extension agent retired and was replaced by an agent focused on agribusiness. This new agent saw (and sees) the county as 'his' territory and thinks other agents should mind their own business and serve only the people in their county. The new agent has effectively ostricized the public and will not let neighboring agents help with anything this newer idiot of an agent knows nothing about, including livestock. The livestock owners within the county no longer get any help from extension despite the fact that the agents that could and were helping them haven't retired, relocated, or changed their focus. It's all the new guy's fault.

The NRCS suffers somewhat from the same problem, but they don't cover quite the diversity of interests that extension does, and they are slightly more networked.

From my understanding isn't there a board or at least someone over the extension agent that folks could take the issues with that rogue agent too? That was kind of alluded to by one of our agents a few years ago.
By the way I saw an article from our local paper a few days ago about how one of the schools was going to have a weeklong program through the extension office called Progressive Agriculture Safety. From what I could tell it had zero to do with actual agriculture.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

From my understanding isn't there a board or at least someone over the extension agent that folks could take the issues with that rogue agent too? That was kind of alluded to by one of our agents a few years ago.
By the way I saw an article from our local paper a few days ago about how one of the schools was going to have a weeklong program through the extension office called Progressive Agriculture Safety. From what I could tell it had zero to do with actual agriculture.

I would wager to say there is someone or a board, but figuring out who to take the issue to probably isn't known by many at all and your primary contact, the rogue agent, isn't likely to be very helpful. Probably the best route to find information on this process would actually be to contact an agent in an adjoining county.

As for the 'Progressive Agriculture Safety' program, that doesn't necessarily surprise me. Sometimes agents (and pretty much anyone/everyone) geta a mandated task form a supervisor. The problem is, the agent knows nothing about the task. That could be what happened here.

 

[Ky hills]

I would wager to say there is someone or a board, but figuring out who to take the issue to probably isn't known by many at all and your primary contact, the rogue agent, isn't likely to be very helpful. Probably the best route to find information on this process would actually be to contact an agent in an adjoining county.

As for the 'Progressive Agriculture Safety' program, that doesn't necessarily surprise me. Sometimes agents (and pretty much anyone/everyone) geta a mandated task form a supervisor. The problem is, the agent knows nothing about the task. That could be what happened here.

I will add, sometimes the people of the community are the toxic side of the equation too. This community here is as toxic as they come even within the rural community which is generally the pick of the litter.
Like I said I've known one of our former agents for years and knew of another one through being good friends with some of his family connections in another county.
Another agent that we worked with for a while probably talked too much and spilled more beans than he should have.
Most of those guys would allude to issues they had or were trying to avoid with people in the community.
Some people naturally have over inflated senses of self worth and expect preferential treatment, and get mad pretty quick if they don't get exactly what they want. Things like that I wouldn't want their job here for sure.

 

[Ouachita]

After reading this thread, I feel fortunate to have had a great extension agent for 20+ years. Many blue moons ago, I went to get some soil sample bags and I guess I looked confused as a baby at a topless bar. I tried to explain that's my normal expression, but she insisted on coming out to the place to make sure I did it right. She's been to the place several times over the years, helping identify weeds (which ones are nuisance weeds, and which ones are potentially harmful to livestock). Just a wealth of information and great resource a phone call away.

 

[greybeard]

I would wager to say there is someone or a board, but figuring out who to take the issue to probably isn't known by many at all and your primary contact, the rogue agent, isn't likely to be very helpful. Probably the best route to find information on this process would actually be to contact an agent in an adjoining county.

Almost sounds like you are suggesting it's the farmer's fault (not knowing who to contact)
Well, at least you didn't suggest he move to another county.

Reading thru all this, I'm reminded that there was once a very very high positioned govt person that publicly made the very astute observation about the nine most terrifying words in the English language.

 

[CowboyRam]

I think part of the problem is that is government funded. Most people that work for the government are not going to anymore than they possibly have to, and government does not always attracted the most talented people. When I was teaching at the community college those teacher there were complaining about everything; they didn't want to have to just a little bit more. One time they were complaining about when they were going to start the school year; either before or after labor day. I guess they didn't want to put in a few more hours for the year.

 

[Travlr]

Most people that work for the government are not going to (do) anymore than they possibly have to, and government does not always attracted the most talented people.

And if that's what you expect and it is the way you treat people, rhat may be why you get what you get.

Maybe I've been lucky, but even the reluctant agents I've met have eventually come around and been valuable.

 

[CowboyRam]

And if that's what you expect and it is the way you treat people, rhat may be why you get what you get.

Maybe I've been lucky, but even the reluctant agents I've met have eventually come around and been valuable.

You don't always get the best and brightest when it comes to government is what I'm saying. Every now and then there are exceptions, but those seem to be few.

 

[Travlr]

You don't always get the best and brightest when it comes to government is what I'm saying. Every now and then there are exceptions, but those seem to be few.

I've had that experience with the Post Office and DMV... But with some work I've had much better luck with extension agents.

 

[greybeard]

But with some work I've had much better luck with extension agents.

That's been a constant thru out this discussion.
Hint: It SUPPOSED to be the other way around. They, are supposed to work with us. It's their JOB!!
But, perhaps it's just an example of the Peter Principle.

 

[Travlr]

That's been a constant thru out this discussion.
Hint: It SUPPOSED to be the other way around. They, are supposed to work with us. It's their JOB!!
But, perhaps it's just an example of the Peter Principle.

Maybe it's a case of some people being harder to work with than others...

 

[CowboyRam]

I've had that experience with the Post Office and DMV... But with some work I've had much better luck with extension agents.

We have a family friend that worked for the Post Office. He was lazy as could be; even lighting a fire under his butt would not speed him up. Oh and he was one of those guys that knew it all. He was very smart, but at the same time dumb as a post.

 

[Lucky_P]

We have an Ag & Natural Resources agent, a Family & Consumer Sciences agent (who has a couple of assistants), a Horticulture agent, two 4-H Agents who have at least two program assistants.
Current Ag agent is pretty good, I suppose; he certainly can point you to the appropriate Extension 'expert'... which may or may not be helpful in a 'real world' situation.
The last Ag agent was pretty lazy, and the one before him, who'd been in place for decades... if you weren't growing tobacco, he didn't have time for you.
Horticulture agent is pretty good, if you're into ornamental horticulture. My kids are grown, and the current 4-H agents are local kids younger than my own... IDK how they're working out, but despite us being a very rural county, it seems that most of the 4-H programs for the past 20 years have been geared more toward inner-city youth than to advancing what we traditionally anticipated out of a 4-H program.
My own kids were very involved in 4-H Shooting Sports, and did the 4-H Country Ham project for several years, but despite us having a commercial beef operation, none were interested in showing livestock.