College Budget Update

The Pennsylvania House sent their state budget proposal to the Senate on May 24th. The proposal includes separate Ag Research and Ag Extension line items to be included in the Penn State appropriation bill with funding levels at 25% less than the 2010/2011 funding level.

Majority Chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, John Maher, authored an amendment to separate and fully restore the Ag Research and Ag Extension lines items, but the budget process resulted in most amendments being pulled before consideration.

On the Senate side, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Jake Corman, has introduced the Penn State appropriations bill (SB1122), restoring funding to 85% of last year's funding level. The agricultural research and extension lines are not included in the bill, as Senator Corman is still working on a proposal to restore the lines to 90% of last year's funding and shift the location of the lines into the state Department of Agriculture. Click here for more information.

Please continue to communicate your support and appreciation of these efforts to your legislators. It is expected the legislature will act on the budget before end of the fiscal year on June 30th.

Ag Futures Process Moving Forward

The Ag Futures process, designed to develop and implement a new business model for the college, is moving forward. Dean Bruce McPheron presented a draft proposal for a new academic unit structure in a webinar to college faculty and staff on June 10, 2011. Details of the proposal can be found on the college Ag Futures website. Stakeholders can provide comments and feedback on the proposed structure between June 13-July 5. The Penn State Ag Council college strategic planning committee will be meeting to review the proposal and provide feedback as appropriate. We encourage council members to provide feedback on this important proposal.

College Names Interim Associate Dean of Undergrad Education

The College of Agricultural Sciences has named Tracy Hoover, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, as the interim Associate Dean of Undergrad Education.

She will serve in that post while a national search is conducted to replace J. Marcos Fernandez, who will become Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs for the College of Agriculture at Purdue University, effective July 1.

College Names Interim Associate Director of Cooperative Extension Appointed

Dr. Mary Jo Depp-Nestlerode, Regional Director for the central region, was appointed as Interim Associate Director of Cooperative Extension effective April 1, 2011.

Taylor Doebler Appointed to Board of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Taylor Doebler, owner of T. A. Seeds and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Penn State Ag Council, has been appointed as a Governor's representative to the Board of Directors of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Ag Advocate Training Held on April 16

The Penn State Ag Council hosted an Ag Advocate Training and Skybox Event for the new Penn State Extension Council members on April 16th in conjunction with the Blue and White football game.

The event included a morning training program with speakers addressing the impacts of the proposed funding cuts to Penn State and the College of Ag Sciences. Senator Jake Corman, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, discussed the budget situation, noting his desire to have the college Ag Research and Ag Extension lines items separated out from the Penn State general funding line and funding levels restored.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Hosts Dean's Tour

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation hosted a Dean's Tour on May 31-June 1, 2011. Stops included restoration and CREP partnership projects at farms and sites along the Susquehanna river.

The Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association will host another tour on August 2-3. Details for the next Dean's Tour will be sent soon!

If your organization would like to host a future tour, please contact Rhonda Demchak at rrr11@psu.edu.

College Capitol Day Held on April 13

The Penn State Ag Council (PSAC) and the Penn State Extension Council (PSEC) co-sponsored this year's College Capitol Day on April 13 in Harrisburg.

Approximately 160 college stakeholders consisting of Ag Action Network, College of Ag Sciences Alumni, PSAC, and PSEC members attended. Advocates delivered information packets to all 253 legislative offices and personally communicated the importance of college research and extension programs in their communities, businesses, and lives.

On behalf of the councils and the college, thank you to all of the advocates who attended! Feedback from legislators has been extremely positive.

If you attended capitol day, please be sure to send a thank you note to the offices you visited. If you could not attend, it is not too late to carry the message to your legislator!

College Research Tour Planned for September 22

The twelfth annual Penn State Ag Council's Research Tour will be held on September 22, 2011. Delegates will receive an electronic invitation shortly. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to attend.

College Discovery Day Tour July 14

The College's annual Discovery Day Tour will be held at the Southeast Ag Research and Extension Center in Manheim on July 14th. Legislators and media are invited to the tour, which showcases the value of the College's land-grant Research Stations to the commonwealth. Council delegates should have received an electronic invitation to attend the event. Please contact your legislator and encourage them to attend.

2011 Ag Progress Days

Ag Progress Days will be held August 16-18. The Ag Council will once again be hanging member banners in the special events building for Tuesday's Alumni Luncheon and Wednesday's Government and Industry Day Luncheon.

The banner forms were distributed at the Spring Delegate Meeting and are due by July 15. Please fill out the form and either fax it to 814-863-6152 or click on the link above and email the form to Rhonda Demchak at rrr11@psu.edu.

The two luncheons attract more than 1,000 people. Delegates will receive a post card and an electronic invitation to attend the luncheons in June. Please respond quickly if you plan to attend, as space is limited.

Ag Career Day to be Held on October 18

The College Ag Career Day will be held on October 18, 2011, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at the Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State University Park Campus. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and interview College of Agricultural Sciences' Students. To register to attend or for more information about participating, please visit the Ag Career Day Registration site.

Upcoming Events-Mark Your Calendar

July14- Discovery Day Tour, Southeast Ag Research and Extension Center
August 2- Dean's Tour Reception, Lewisburg, TBD
August 16-18- Ag Progress Days, Rock Springs
August 16 - College Alumni Society Luncheon, AG Progress Days site
August 17 - Government and Industry Day luncheon, Ag Progess Days site
August 17- PSAC Board Meeting, Rock Springs, Farm House 2nd Floor
September 22- PSAC College Research Tour, Ag Arena
October 5- PSAC Committee and Board Meetings
October 6- PSAC Fall Delegate Meeting, Ag Arena
October 6- College Scholarship Awards Banquet, Penn Stater
October 18- Ag Career Day

New Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education

Dr. Gary A. Thompson has been selected as the new College of Ag Sciences Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education and will be starting in early April. Dr. Thompson comes to Penn State from Oklahoma State University, where he serves as the Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has also worked at the National Science Foundation as the Program Director in the Division of Integrative Organismal Biology, Directorate for Biological Sciences. Dr. Thompson was also a faculty member at the University of Arkansas, University of Copenhagen, and the University of Arizona. He received his PhD. from Purdue University. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Thompson to the college!

College Academic Unit Restructuring Plan Under Development

Anticipating emerging challenges facing Pennsylvania and the college, more than a year ago the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recognized the need for organizational change and began a process designed to develop and implement a new business model for the college and address budget strategies.

The AG Futures Process has entered a new phase, which will address the restructuring of the college's academic units. Please read the Ag Futures Process Update for a complete summary of the initiative to date.

In response to a University-wide evaluation resulting in specific recommendations submitted to the College of Ag Sciences, the dean has charged six teams to develop draft plans for restructuring the college's 12 academic units. Those plans will be available online on February 25, and a process for stakeholder input will be provided. The plans will be considered in the draft plan the Dean will present on March 18. Again, a process will be provided for stakeholder input before the final version is presented by the Dean in early April.

The process to date has been very transparent with extensive input from both internal and external stakeholders. Detailed information on the process and timelines can be found at the AG Futures website. For more information contact Mary Wirth (mfw10@psu.edu).

The Penn State Ag Council's College Strategic Planning Committee is following the academic unit restructuring process and will be submitting formal comments to the Dean on the final plan.

Budget Challenges

The college's agriculture research and cooperative extension programs are unique to the college and are funded through individual lines in the Penn State non-preferred appropriations bill.

Funding over the past 8 years in these lines has increased an average of approximately only one percent per year, while the state budget has gone up more than 36 percent in the same time frame and basic education almost 50 percent.

The state relied on federal stimulus funds (ARRA) for 2010/2011 to keep Penn State at flat funding at 2008/2009 levels. Stimulus funds, which make up 6 percent of the college's state base funding, expire in June 2011. If these funds are not restored in the college's 2011/2012 appropriation, this, combined with increased operating costs, will result in the college facing a two year programmatic budget shortfall of almost $11 million.

The college continues to take aggressive measures to implement cost-saving strategies as well as to secure adequate funding. The number of layoffs and program cutbacks necessary to address the budget realities will not be known until the legislature passes the 2011/2012 budget.

Please take the time to communicate to the Governor and legislators the importance of these programs to Pennsylvania and request continued funding.

Advocacy Resources Available on College Website

The college website has a new page containing college background materials and impacts that you may find useful as you advocate for college programs. The link - Impacts - can be found on the college home page in the right column under "spotlight."

Council Election Results

At the August board meeting the board of directors elected a new slate of officers effective January 1, 2011, which included:

• Gregory Kirkham - President (1st term) Westfield Group
• Joel Rotz - Vice President (1st term) Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
• Ferlin Patrick (Secretary/Treasurer 1st term) Food Industry Group
• Gregg Robertson – Past President (1st Term) Pa Landscape & Nursery Association

John Rodgers, the outgoing Past President, leaves the Ag Council after nearly a half century of service in many capacities. His years of service and dedication to the Ag Council has been invaluable, and he will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues in the Council.

At the October board meeting, the board appointed Ken Martin, Furmano Foods, to fill the unexpired term of Kristen Goshorn to expire 12/31/2011. Elections were held at the October delegate meeting to fill three board of director vacancies for a three year term that expires 12-31-2013:

• Cynthia Boyer Blakeslee (2nd term) Ag Law Committee of the PA Bar Assoc.
• Mike Brammer (1st term) PA Assoc. of FFA, Inc.
• Taylor Doebler (1st term) T.A. Seeds

To see a complete listing of board members click on the link below, http://agsci.psu.edu/business/agcouncil/board-of-directors

Next Delegate Meeting April 7

Please mark your calendar for the next Penn State Ag Council Delegate Meeting to be held on April 7, 2011. The meeting will be held at Celebration Hall in State College, PA. The meeting will focus on voluntary audit systems and food safety as follow up to the viewing of the movie, Food, Inc. Extra time will be provided during the College Update to address the restructuring of the academic units and the Ag Futures process.

College Capitol Day Scheduled for April 13

The 7th annual College Capitol Day will be held in Harrisburg on April 13, 2011. The event is sponsored by the Penn State Ag Council and the newly created Penn State Extension Council, which replaced the Pennsylvania Council of Cooperative Extension Associations (PCCEA.)

You will be receiving your registration via email the first week of February. Please plan on attending to help communicate the message of agriculture, particularly the importance of the Penn State Agriculture Research and Agriculture Extension programs, to the new administration and legislators.

Advocate Training Blue White Weekend

The Ag Council will be hosting a legislative training session for Ag Action Network and Penn State Extension Advocates, which will be held on Blue & White Weekend, April 16, 2011.

2011 Dean's Tours

On May 31- June 1, 2011, the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Foundation will host a Dean's Tour in north central Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna river basin. The tour will focus on conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Vegetable Growers Association and the Pennsylvania Forrest Products Association will jointly host a Dean's Tour on August 2-3, 2011.

An evening Dean's receptions will be held in conjunction with both tours with details to follow.

The membership committee is seeking member organizations to host future tours. If your organization is interested please contact Rhonda Demchak at rrr11@psu.edu or 814-867-1816.

Discovery Day at Southeast Reseach Center

The 2nd annual tour of the Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center will be held on July 14, 2011.

This tour is designed to showcase the important research being conducted by faculty, staff, and volunteers at the center and demonstrate the impacts across the state. Please let your legislators know about this informative event and encourage them to attend and learn first hand the value of college research and extension programs.

Time to Renew Your Membership

Penn State Ag Council 2011 Membership renewals have been sent out via CVENT. The strength of the Council is in its membership. Please take the time to renew today. Please contact Rhonda with any questions at 814-867-1816.

Upcoming Events

April 6- PSAC Board Meeting
April 7-PSAC Delegate Meetings

April 13- Capitol Day

April 16- Blue White Training Event
May 31- Deans Tour Reception

July 14- Discovery Day Research Tour

August 2- Deans Tour Reception