Wesley Tucker, Agricultural Business Specialist, Polk County and SW Region, explained: “My job is to give you the education and information you need to make your operation more profitable. My sole purpose is to help you. That’s what I love about my job.”
Tucker then goes on to explain that the history of the Extension offices began back in 1862 when folks began to realize that 90 percent of the population was involved in agriculture and never availed themselves to the educational opportunities through the University. They developed a system and it became more formalized and created a structure of knowledge-sharing called the University of Missouri Extension Offices. The University of Missouri is part of the land-grant system and is designed with three functions: research, teaching and extension.
They offer services such as soil testing, nitrate testing on forages and water testing. There is a nominal fee that varies for each office for these types of services. They saw a significant rise in nitrate testing this last year because of the drought and all of the problems with the high nitrate levels.
Tucker said they are the go-to people for getting your questions answered. If they don’t know the answer, they can certainly find out. He said they can find the answers to your “need to know” questions. Tucker said they are an open door to the University.
What kind of information do they offer specifically? They offer information about: animals (all types of livestock imaginable), aquaculture, crops, equipment and facilities, horticulture, management, pests and diseases and soil and water. If they don’t offer a seminar immediately about your topic, their website offers an enormous amount of information on a wide variety of topics under each of these headings. Most are fairly self-explanatory but the staff at the Extension office is readily available to work with you and help you to understand or obtain additional information if needed.
The counties are staffed with a variety of experts within a geographic area to allow them to work as a regional team environment. You may have an agriculture business specialist, a livestock specialist and an agronomist that work together as a team offering seminars such as the Hay School. By partnering with the University of Missouri they also have availability to work with and offer services of horticulture specialists and natural resource engineers. Lately through a partnership with Lincoln University they have had the opportunity to utilize and work with a small ruminant specialist.
Each county offers different programs depending on their staff’s expertise and availability. Typically they will offer seminars such as hay schools, grazing schools, soil and crop conferences, livestock and forage conferences, regional beef conferences, sheep and goat conferences. They will not only draw upon their own staff and local university professionals but will reach out to well known consultants and bring them in to speak on topics of current events within each industry.
Tucker said he cannot talk about the programs offered by the Extension office without talking about Annie’s project. Annie’s project is a seven-week management education for farm women seminar. With topics ranging from farm record keeping and taxes, business plans, pasture rental contracts, insurance: life, crop, health and disability; keys to being a profitable livestock producer and more. It’s the perfect seminar for all women involved in managing a farm.
They offer information for producers regarding agriculture, but also offer services regarding natural resources, lawn and garden, home and consumer life, nutrition and health, families and relationships, communities and leadership, business and careers, and emergency management.
The office receives funds from the federal, state and county government combined. The fourth funding source is generated funds. Since many of their sources have been shrinking it has been forcing them to charge for services which in the past had been offered for free. Services such as seminars or soil testing now require small fees. They also occasionally do fundraising or rely on corporate sponsorships to assist the program’s budget.
Tucker encourages everyone to check with their Extension office to see which seminars are being offered locally.
