craigdailypress.com

The Colorado State University Extension Office and the 4-H program could face changes if budgets continue to be slashed, said Nate Balstad and Elisa Shackelton of the local extension office.

So far there have been no personnel cuts at the extension offices in Northwest Colorado, however, this could change in the coming years.

"The state budget isn't looking good," Shackelton said.

The cooperative extension offices around the state are operated by Colorado State University because it is a land-grant institution. The federal government requires all land-grant universities to operate extension offices around the state to educate as many people as possible. The 4-H program is run through the extension office and was established to reach the youth of a community.

Some ideas that were mentioned that could help are:

• Multi-county redistricting -- Balstad said in Minnesota one person is overseeing programs in three districts with an assistant in each of those districts.

"We are an ag county, it is important that we keep our integrity in our counties," Moffat County Commissioner Darryl Steele said about where the cuts should come from regarding the extension offices. He proposed cuts should come from counties where there is not such an agricultural focus such as Douglas or Arapahoe

counties.

• Separating the county and 4-H fairs -- "A big issue is that the county fair eats up a larger part of an officer's time," Shackelton said. "In the future, the program may ask counties to pay summer salaries of extension officers if they are not educating. From May to the end of August no educational programs take place because of the fair. I would love to do some summer camps and a class on food preservation."

But separating the fair was not an appealing choice for the commissioners.

"If you took the 4-H portion of the fair out, we would have no fair," Steele said.

"The ultimate point for a rural community is a fair," said Moffat County Commissioner Marianna Raftopoulos.

• Charging an extra $10 per 4-H member for membership -- This fee would be in addition to the normal $12 and would go to benefit organizational costs, Shackelton said. She said the 4-H program was hoping to raise $150,000 through the raise in membership fees.

"There has never been a state-wide fee for 4-H before," Shackelton said.

Added info