1. Kentucky Cooperative Extension County Enhancement Initiative “Enhancing Our Future” www.ca.uky.edu/ces

2. Vision for CES in the 21 st Century Make a difference in the lives of people – catalysts for positive change Mission is providing research-based education for people of Kentucky Same basic philosophy as when CES was begun nearly 100 years ago: “Helping people help themselves; learning by doing”

3. Major CES Program Areas Agriculture and Natural Resources Community and Economic Development Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Youth Development

4. CES Program Emphasis

5. Extension Involvement by the Numbers Over 6.5 million contacts in 2003 227,000 Kentucky youth involved in 4-H Youth Development Programs –40% of Kentucky’s youth ages 9-18 –Over 25,000 4-H adult volunteer leaders Over 23,000 Extension Homemaker Club Members Agricultural Development Councils established in every Kentucky county with leadership from CES

6. Extension Impact by the Numbers $22 million in additional farm income. 48,000 people gained leadership skills. 33,000 people improved their health. 21,000 people reduced their debt or increased savings. 67,000 youth learned new life skills. 22,000 adopted practices to improve Kentucky's water. 478,000 continuing education units taught

7. “Our campus is the Commonwealth” President Lee Todd “Cooperative Extension is the golden key to unlocking community development”

8. County Enhancement Initiative Dean Smith designates increasing Extension Agent salaries as top budgetary priority Average Kentucky Agent salary: $7,849 below benchmark land grant universities Last among benchmark institutions Last of Southern region states Ranks 47 th nationally County agent salaries are well below Vocational Ag and Family Consumer Science Teachers, $6000 on average

9. County Enhancement Initiative Low salaries make it difficult to recruit and retain top Agents In 2002 legislative session: Appropriated $1.6 million for salary bonuses from the Tobacco settlement funds Only a short term fix, since those bonuses were not permanent salary level Request amount of annual bonuses to be made part of recurring base Extension budget each year of the two-year biennium budget

10. County Enhancement Initiative To bring Extension Agent salaries to, but still slightly below, the benchmark average will require an increase of $1.6 million annually for each year of the biennium, for a total of $3.2 million

11. We ask for your support of this initiative Kentucky County Extension Agents are of much greater value to our counties and communities than what they are being paid. In these economic times, the presence of Extension Agents and the educational programs they provide are of more importance than ever in helping improve the lives of all Kentuckians