Okaloosa County BOCC — July 28, 2015 — 4-5 Agriculture Extension-done — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OKALOOSA COUNTY, FLORIDA SERVICE AREA: PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM: EXTENSION SERVICE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Okaloosa County Extension Service develops and delivers research-based educational programs, workshops, newsletters and publications in the areas of agriculture/small farms, family and consumer sciences, horticulture, natural resources, marine science, and 4-H/youth development. The nationwide informal educational network links experts and resources at federal, state and local levels. Local advisory committees provide guidance and recommendations for programming based on local community needs. Programs in Agriculture/Small Farms/Natural Resources focus on agriculture profitability and the sustainable use of environmental resources for the larger commercial operations as well as those smaller farms with more limited available resources. Family and Consumer Sciences programming involves food, nutrition, health, food safety, family finance, community prosperity, and housing. Home and Commercial Horticulture programs include training of Master Gardeners and development of Best Management Practices for the benefit of the environment for all county residents. With increased urbanization and growth come increased pressures on our coastal ecosystems. Balancing population needs while conserving our natural resources is one of the major goals of Okaloosa County’s Sea Grant and Natural Resources Extension program. 4-H clubs develop youth leadership, character, and good citizenship. Projects and programs focus on a wide array of youth interests REVENUE: Extension Service is funded within the General Fund and two partners-federal and state. Federal and state partners provided $688,851 to support the Extension Office during FY14/15. In addition, local Extension agents secured $213,931 through grants, in-kind services and monetary donations. For every dollar of General Fund contribution provided to Ag Extension, over $2.60 was obtained from other sources. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS LAST YEAR: Ø The Extension Agricultural program reached 3,167 clientele through on-farm consultations, phone calls, group meetings, emails and office visits. Ø During April 2014, our county received 10-20 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period. The six farmers who followed the University of Florida Extension/IFAS recommended Best Management Practices saved money and time. The estimated savings per farmer was $8,000 in lost fertilizer (due to leaching), lost topsoil (due to erosion) and manpower and fuel costs to repair damages for a total of $48,000. Ø In 2014, the Agriculture Extension Program reached 1,722 youth through Agriculture Awareness educational programs such as embryology, AgVentures and Ag Literacy day. Ø The Commercial Horticulture program in Okaloosa County has enabled 808 Green Industry professionals to obtain and maintain the state required licensing for pesticide and fertilizer application. Additionally, specialized training was offered including Palm Management School, Irrigation Contractor Exam Review and Green Industries Best Management Practices for Spanish-speaking workers. In doing so, the individuals have alleviated the potential for fines from non-compliance, learned how to protect themselves and others from harmful effects of pesticides, and acquired the knowledge needed to prevent environmental damage. Ø Trained through the Master Naturalist program, 21 AmeriCorps volunteers utilized the newly acquired interpretative skills into their Grasses in Classes and Dunes in Schools programs, delivering curriculum to nearly 2,000 elementary school students monthly and enabling 388 students to successfully grow and install 560 coastal restoration grass plants to restore 2,000 sq. ft. of the coastal dune system. Ø Work with the Six Rivers Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas partnership group resulted in approximately 2,000 acres of invasive species being removed, treated and/or replaced with native plantings. Ø To better assist residents in the area of diagnostic needs, the Extension Office offered diagnostic testing of soil and water. In addition, the Extension Office informed the public of diagnostic labs, procedures in sampling and provided interpretation and management recommendations of diagnostic samples submitted through UF/IFAS. More than 1000 samples were submitted and processed from Okaloosa County citizens in FY14. Ø Seventy-nine Master Gardener volunteers provided 5,721 hours of volunteer service, teaching 4,952 residents Florida-Friendly practices in maintaining their lawns, landscapes and gardens. Using the 2014 accepted $21.24 value for volunteer time, Okaloosa County Master Gardeners contributed a net in-kind donation of $121,514 to Okaloosa County. Ø Extension Agents published 104 newspaper articles and aired 8 TV and 104 radio programs reaching almost 300,000 people each week with unbiased research proven information. Ø Okaloosa County 4-H reached almost 1,688 youth through clubs, camps, day camps, school enrichment and after-school programs in 2014. These youth learned science, engineering and technology, healthy living, leadership and citizenship skills. Young people in 4-H report better grades, higher levels of academic competence, an elevated level of engagement at school and are 2 times more likely to plan to go to college to pursue a degree in science, engineering or computer technology than their peers. Ø Forty classrooms at 8 Elementary schools participated in our Embryology program, reaching 720 students in 2014. One hundred percent of 40 teachers indicated that these students learned something new about eggs and chickens from this project being brought into their schools. Ø In 2014, Extension Agents and volunteers taught 27,655 clientele in classes, phone conferences, demonstrations, seminars, web-based modules, interactive audio/video conferences and through field and office visits. PROGRAM GOAL: Ø To maintain or increase quality educational programs and services using research-based information in response to resident’s needs in a timely, accurate manner. Ø To maintain state funds and increase other funding to upgrade equipment. Ø To increase external funding for Extension. KEY OBJECTIVES: 1. Recruit and train 20 new volunteers in support of Extension educational programs and services by October 2016. 2. Increase use of technology to enhance educational delivery by October 2016. 3. Maintain existing programs in the areas of agriculture/small farms, family and consumer sciences, horticulture, natural resources, and 4-H/youth development by October 2016. 4. To increase external funding for Extension educational programs by October 2016.  PERFORMANCE MEASURES: Actual Estimated Adopted Performance Measures FY12/13 FY13/14 FY14/15 Number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTE’s) 9 8 9 Input Total Operating & Maintenance Expenditures 406,595 317,610 347,218 Volunteer Hours/FTE Equivalent 11,015/$5.29 12,000/$6.00 762 Total Number of Client Contacts 70,486 65,000 27,655 Output Volunteer Training Hours 7,100 5,000 6,856 Volunteer Contacts 21,154 15,000 9,092 Program Cost per Client Contact $4.43 $4.30 $12.56 Efficiency Per Capita Cost of Program $2.12 $2.00 $1.77 Client Contacts per FTE (including Volunteers) 8,493 6,000 3,073 Effectiveness Percentage of Clients Adopting Change/Satisfaction 92 92 86 Volunteer Effectiveness (Contacts/Training Hours) 2.97 3.0 1.19 Volunteer Savings to County @ $21.24/hour $200,422.80 $180,000 $145,621 (According to Independent Sector Research) HISTORICAL STAFFING SUMMARY: Category FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 Full-time Administrative & Support 2 2 2 2 Full-time Management & Professional 6 6 6 7 Part-time 1 1 1 1 Total 9 9 9 10 EXPENDITURES: Expenditures Budget FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY15/FY16 Increase/ Category Actual Actual Original Approved +/- Decrease Personnel Services $266,859 $276,297 $296,780 $273,013 -$23,767 -8.0% Operating Expenses $42,145 $56,753 $50,438 $48,232 -$2,206 -4.4% Capital Outlay $0 $0 $ $27,000 $27,000 0% Debt Service $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 0% Grants & Aids $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 0% Other Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 0% Total $309,004 $333,051 $347,218 $348,245 $1,027 0.3% ACCOUNTS: FY14 FY15 FY16 FY15/FY16 Increase/ Code Category Approved Approved Approved +/- Decrease 10 SALARIES & WAGES $237,488 $240,577 $221,209 -$19,368 -8.1% Decrease due to vacancies, retirements, and new hires 20 BENEFITS $53,529 $56,203 $51,804 -$4,399 -7.8% Decrease due to vacancies 40 TRAVEL & PER DIEM $11,600 $11,600 $11,600 $0 0% 41 COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES $3,400 $3,400 $4,200 $800 23.5% 42 FREIGHT & POSTAGE $25 $25 $25 $0