For Release December 11
Regents hear report, recommendations on agricultural program funding issues
BROOKINGS, SD – At its December meeting at South Dakota State University the Board of Regents heard a report, requested by the legislature’s Interim Appropriations Committee, on agricultural related issues. In preparing the report, Regents Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry consulted with numerous people at South Dakota State University and the agricultural community of the South Dakota.
The report calls for the state to return to the practice defined in 1988 for the funding of the federal salary shortfall for personnel in the Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. There are employees in these programs whose base salary comes from the federal government. When raises are provided to state employees, the federal government does not always provide funding for comparable salary increases for these extension service and experiment station employees. In 1988 an agreement was reached to have the university provide funds for the needed increases, while the state would appropriate funds back to the university in the following year.
The current shortfall runs $150,000 per year and SDSU has covered almost $300,000 of increases without state appropriations.
In reaching consensus on a recommendation several alternatives for permanently solving this problem were examined. Perry reported to the Board that, "Whereas other alternatives may have some potential, they have serious implications for activities of the Cooperative Extension Service. This is particularly true of alternatives such as user fees." Perry added, "Alternative funding sources would not necessarily have the funding stability or reliability needed to maintain this investment over several years."
In another part of his report, Perry recommends that the state return to maintaining and repairing the six agricultural research farm sites in the state. In their FY99 budget request, the Board of Regents recommended that the state appropriate 1% of the replacement value of the station’s facilities to handle the facilities’ maintenance and repair needs.
Perry said, "These are critical areas for South Dakota if we are to maintain our partnership of having strong education and research in the agricultural sector." Perry reported that he would continue to work with the appropriations committee and representatives of the agricultural community to establish a long-term program for meeting these needs.
Regents voted to direct Perry to submit the task force report to the legislature with the recommendation that the Board work with Ag Unity to study the delivery of extension services.