The Ohio State agriculture faculty, staff and students are once again facing cuts to two important programs. The OSU Extension program and the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center have reappeared on the state’s chopping block.

Since Ohio is in dire need of a balanced budget in order to end the 2004 fiscal year and to begin the 2005 fiscal year, Gov. Bob Taft has chosen to reduce government assistance to both programs. The programs are facing cuts of four percent for the remaining 2004 fiscal year and six percent for 2005.

Since the summer of 2001, these program budgets have seen 13 percent in reductions, totaling $11.1 million.

The cuts to OSU Extension program, which provides funds to the 88 county extension and 4-H programs throughout the state of Ohio, have the potential to affect Ohio youth. As a result of the budget cuts, the OSU Extension program will have to come up with new and effective ways to generate funds.

“These cuts may mean that they will have to charge for the trainings that they provide, such as their pesticide training program,” said David Zartman, a professor in animal sciences.

OSU Extension also provides social programs to inner-city youth, which could also be in great danger of being downsized or cut, Zartman said.

The research and development center can be found in nearly every corner of the state, with branches in Wooster, Belle Valley, Jackson and Columbus, among others. The center plays a large part in the agriculture research developments in Ohio and has multitudes of projects. Projects range from genetic and nutritional factors affecting muscle characteristics and carcass value of beef cattle to pollution prevention in the Lake Erie Basin.

With so many kinds of research and such widespread locations of the facilities, many faculty and staff members are facing an uncertain future. The center announced Monday they are planning to close the Southern Branch Experiment Station and will be withdrawing from activity at the USDA Hydrology Research Center at Coshocton, which means many employees have already seen the effects of these budget cuts.

Zartman said some of the most vital members to these programs are the staff members, and without these people, the faculty will be left with work they do not have time to do.

“Living with uncertainty is hard to deal with,” Zartman said.

OSU agriculture students have strong opinions about the disconcerting issue.

“I don’t think it is fair to cut programs that can help children’s development which, in my experiences, 4-H and Extension did for me; and as for OARDC, Ohio State was built on agriculture – they should not cut what the university was built on,” said Brenna Finnegan, a senior in agricultural education.

Finnegan also said she and other students hoping to seek a career in agriculture may have to turn to out-of-state jobs because of the reduced number of positions in her home state.

Bobby Moser, dean and vice president of the College of Agriculture, addressed the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences March 23 to discuss the budget cuts and provide reassurance.

“We make a difference to the state of Ohio. Our programs do matter, and I’m proud of you and what you do,” Moser said.

James Kinder, chair of the department of animal sciences, must present a plan that accommodates the budget cuts to Moser by mid-April.