The Faces Of Extension: Maxwell Norton
July 11, 2011 
One simple statistic says it all when it comes to the state of Extension in the Golden State, and how it has fared in modern times. “Since 1980 we have lost more than half of the Cooperative Extension personnel,” says Norton. “We are now down to 200 Advisors statewide — that’s for ag, natural resources, youth development, and nutrition education. They are spread across 52 counties in that state that has incredible diversity of climate zones, ecosystems, and commodities.”
Extension funding is so low it would be laughable if the problem wasn’t so serious, especially when you consider that the state produces half the nation’s fruit and half the nation’s vegetables. Consider too, that an astounding 350-plus crops are produced in the state. Many of these crops are grown in no other state. Many of them are minor, to be sure, but some of them, such as almonds, bring in approximately $2 billion in revenue. Considering that about two-thirds of the crop is exported, it has an impact on balance of trade. But Extension has not nearly kept pace.
“Counties are now being staffed at minimum levels. Madera County, for instance, is one of our nation’s major agricultural producers but they are down to one full-time advisor,” says Norton. “Fresno County, the nation’s leading tree fruit county, has no tree crop advisors. Kern County, the nation’s top almond producer, has no almond advisor. This sad list goes on and on.”
For many years the problem was a lack of support within the University of California because political power resided with the campuses, medical centers, and large laboratories like Livermore. Most of these are located in the more urban areas of the state, not its rich agricultural areas, such as the San Joaquin Valley, not to mention the Imperial, Coachella, and Sacramento valleys.
But Maxwell says there is one ray of light in the dark state picture, as at least they have a strong advocate. “Our new Vice President — Dan Dooley — is doing a great job raising the profile of ag and Natural Resources and I think he is doing a good job advocating for our programs,” he says.
Unfortunately, though, the state’s huge budget deficit means that Extension is going to face some tough times, no matter how strong its advocates. “We have a perfect storm financially, in this state, and the necessary cuts to all programs, is going to make it difficult to keep some offices open,” he says. “There just aren’t enough Advisors to go around.”
While the budget almost makes further cuts unavoidable, they couldn’t be coming at a worse time in terms of the threats faced by agriculture. “When you consider all the new pests like European grapevine moth, brown marmorated stink bug, light brown apple moth, and spotted wing drosophila, agriculture has never had a greater need for localized research and technical assistance,” he says. “The rising cost of water and the declining quality of water is placing additional stresses on agriculture. Farmers are trying out new emerging crops to create new markets and they need farm advisors to work with to develop the best cultural practices and pest management programs.”
Maxwell urges the state’s growers to take a minute and exercise some political muscle. There is no better time to take action, what with the many problems faced by the state’s growers. “Please tell your state Assemblyperson or Senator that UC Cooperative Extension — a prominent part of UC’s division of Ag & Natural Resources, is important,” he says. “We need more farm advisors in the field attacking problems that are attacking agriculture.”
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