Illinois Extension Agricultural Association
April, 2008
Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILD)
Washington, D.C.
Current Membership
The Illinois Extension Agricultural Association (IEAA) is an energetic group of committed Extension
professionals who activity participate in association events. IEAA currently has 109 members, composed of 50
active and 60 life members. Our state organization is divided into four districts. Each district meets regularly
and offers professional development opportunities and tours.
IEAA was well represented at the 2007 NACAA AM/PIC (National Association of County Agricultural Agents
Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference) at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Illinois had 17
members and 4 life members in attendance. Illinois members performed well in scholarly activities. Five posters
were submitted from Illinois. Illinois placed first and second in the education division; the winning poster was
submitted by authors Robert Bellm, Dennis Epplin and Greg Clark. The second place poster was submitted by
Dale Baird, Russ Higgins and Joe Toman. A poster submitted by Dennis Bowman was the North Central
winner; Dennis was also a Search for Excellence finalist in the Remote Sensing category. Bill Lindenmier
placed 2nd in the national PRIDE award. At the Thursday night banquet Pete Fandel received the NACAA
Distinguished Service Award in front of his peers.
IEAA Happenings
State association members had opportunities for professional development and social interaction at various
meetings throughout the year. The spring meeting is held in conjunction with Illinois JCEP, usually in
Springfield, Illinois. In 2007, this meeting also included professional development on Planning for Your Future,
Deferred Compensation Plans and What You Need to Know Before Retirement.
The fall 2007 meeting was held in western Illinois at Quincy. Thirty members toured the Quincy Lock and Dam
and an underground warehouse. The second day was devoted to an association meeting.
District events included:
 tour of Ogle County Historic Society museum in April
 tour of Western Illinois University’s alternative agriculture plots
 tour of Aquarance (aquaculture/fish farm/herb production)
State of University of Illinois Extension
Funding Issues
University of Illinois Extension is experiencing unprecedented and severe financial difficulties.
State Funding Cut – On April 1, 2008, three-fourths of the way through Fiscal Year 2008, University of Illinois
Extension was informed that nearly $18 million, appropriated in the State of Illinois fiscal year 2008 budget,
will not be released. Funding in question includes $12.8 million in County Board Match (1:1 match of state
dollars for locally raised funds) and $5.055 million for the Cook County Initiative. Initial estimates are that 450
- Goals of IEAA The Pursuit of excellence in Extension Education by professionals interested in agriculture.
Protect, enhance and promote the interests of Extension Professionals.
IEAA Report – page 2
positions, perhaps more, may be lost statewide. The County Board Match funds represent almost half of all
financial resources available at the local level. Loss of these funds could also impact other funding that requires
state matching funds, such as the Food Stamp Nutritional Education Program (FSNEP).
These staff cuts are in addition to the 29 4-H Youth Development Educators who received terminal contracts in
2007 as a result of $1.7 million in the State of Illinois FY07 budget being reduced to zero dollars for FY08..
Also cut in that budget were funds allocated for AgrAbility ($200,000) and Center and Campus-based
Specialists ($300,000), which is increasing pressure to keep some positions intact.
Extension Partners, an independent, not-for-profit organized created to advance the interests of Extension, and
others are addressing University of Illinois Extension funding issues at this time.
Other Fiscal Issues - Added to the significant losses at the county level, University of Illinois Extension is also
experiencing reductions in State of Illinois General Revenue Funding (GRF) and mostly flat lined Smith-Lever
allocations. These funding decreases directly affect Extension’s ability to maintain center educator and
specialist positions, as well as support for campus and field offices.
A new fiscal plan was released in April 2008 to all Extension employees emphasizing the necessity of revenue
generation and cost recovery. Where possible, user fees are charged to accommodate program costs. For
example, Extension Administration instituted a mandated, uniform user fee ($30.00) for all Private Pesticide
Safety Education (PSEP) training sessions in Illinois, starting September 2006. This fee is distributed to local
units, trainers, and campus using a formula developed from researching the program.
Programming
Fiscal challenges will affect future programming in Illinois. Still, Illinois Extension strives to “Help Put
Knowledge to Work” throughout Illinois in traditional and new ways. More and more programs are delivered
using distance delivery such as video conferencing, phone conferencing, internet, and more. Some top
agricultural issues in the state that Extension helps address includes wind farms, ethanol, alternative crops,
volatile grain markets, agri-tourism, invasive pests, and recreational agriculture.
International Extension efforts enjoyed a boost in 2006. A new International Extension committee is
formulating action items and developing a new International Extension website. International Extension
activities occurred in the Ukraine, South Africa, Kenya, and recently in China. An ACES Global Academy
included three Extension Specialists in 2006 and added field-based Extension Educators in 2007 and 2008. A
new Outreach Initiative Specialist provides assistance and critical input in shaping the strategic agenda for
Internationalizing Extension.
Three pre-proposals were selected from a pool of 21 to be the first to advance for Flagship proposal
development. These include:
 Illinois Master Naturalist Program
 Living Well with Chronic Disease: A holistic self-management program
 Community Assessment and Development Services
These proposals were selected because of their potential to elevate the impact and visibility of University of
Illinois Extension both on campus and in communities in an innovative way. Through innovative and
entrepreneurial approaches, these Flagship Programs feature inclusiveness of different disciplines and crosscampus engagement, substantial inclusion of county directors, new opportunities for teams to work together,
responsiveness to local needs, and financial sustainability. Pilot programs are starting to take shape in each of
these areas around the state.