Pierce County has proposed the reduction of the WSU Pierce County Extension budget from its current level of $275,423 to $75,423 for 2010.  This reduction will affect programming in the current 2010 funding year.  This is roughly a 72% cut from the current level of funding.  At that funding level it would effectively eliminate the Agriculture and Natural Resources program.

This program is responsible for technically assisting Pierce County farmers, developing educational programs to support existing and new farmers, and driving the knowledge base of agriculture in the County.  Over the past 15 months this program has applied for over $6 million dollars in external grants funds through partnerships with county, state, and federal agencies, non-profit agencies, and farmer cooperatives.  This money has been used to build the future generation of farmers, identify potential new agricultural products and cropping systems, reduce production costs and increase profit margins, and increase consumer interest in Pierce County agricultural goods. More >