PalmBeachCounty Cooperative Extension Service
■The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners is considering the completeelimination of Extension in Palm Beach County, as of October 1, 2007. This includes all program areas.
■The FY 2008 CountyExtension budget submitted in May 2007 already reflects a 12% reduction from FY 2007 amounting to $376,000. This percentage was requested of every county department; Extension complied.
■UF/IFAS has been a financially contributing partner to Palm BeachCounty through the Cooperative Extension Service for the last 88 years.
■Extension represents 0.0908% (9/100 of 1%) of the FY 2008 Palm BeachCounty budget of 3.4 billion dollars.
Agriculture
■Serves producers of nearly 500,000 acres with an economic impact of over $2 billion.
■The largest agricultural county in the state and the fourth largest in the nation.
■Agricultural programs provide Worker Protection Standard Training for farming and nursery establishments throughout the county reaching more than 3,000 individuals; to comply with EPA regulations.
■Pesticide license certification is required by FDACS for those individuals applying for restricted use pesticide on farms, nurseries and greenhouses. At least 1,500 pesticide applicators have received this training annually in Palm BeachCounty.
■Over 300 elementary school children in the Glades participated in the 2007 Farm Safety Day Camp.
■Safety Awareness on Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) to 860 first responders and other Public Safety employees including other county departments.
■Spray calibration training for Agricultural Tractor drivers in the Everglades Agricultural Area.
■Weed identification workshops held for more than 100 farmers and pest control operators.
■Sugarcane pest update for farmers and their employees and crop consultants.
■Sugarcane variety field day for more than 100 growers.
■Field trials throughout Palm BeachCounty in rice, bell pepper, squash and other vegetables.
Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS)
■The family is the smallest and basic unit of society.
■Family and Consumer Sciences addresses those issues that significantly contribute to sustaining families.
■Programs conducted by Family and Consumer Sciences are preventative in nature.
▪Helping seniors understand their Medicare benefits, teaching individuals considering parenthood, caring for their children and parents – balancing work, family and personal life.
▪In Palm BeachCounty, Extension is one of 5 agencies approved by the 15th Judicial Circuit to teach Pre-Marital Preparation classes.
▪FCS teaches families how to rent or buy a house and how to maintain it, manage money and other resources wisely – living within one’s means.
▪Nutrition, health and food safety programs save families money and contribute to personal and community well-being.
■FCS programs contribute to the economic well-being of individuals and the community by:
▪Food safety education for food service employees.
■Ongoing education for child care providers, housing and property managers requiring CEUs for continued employment.
4-H Youth Development Program
■Is available to all youth 5-18 years of age.
■Is a measurable program extending proven learning methods and current topics delivered through UF/IFAS Extension faculty.
■Is youth impacting the community with service activities, participating as citizens, and learning leadership.
■Is a comprehensive educational experience that begins with the selection of annual project areas and progressing through “hands on” investigation.
■Youth participate in learning a specific area through construction and evaluation of exhibits and competitive public speaking.
■Learning activities are structured with clear benchmarks that guide youth in their learning, providing competitive learning opportunities at district, state and national levels.
Environmental Horticulture/Mounts Botanical Garden
■MountsBotanical Garden represents the “outdoor living classroom” of researched horticultural practices consistent with the educational mission of UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Service.
■MountsBotanical Garden is the only teaching botanical garden in Palm BeachCounty.
■A recent poll by the Palm Beach Post found 52% of County residents indicated gardening as a favorite past time.
■More than 14 different plant societies are involved in Extension programs and meet at Extension facilities monthly.
■The ashes of many deceased County residents have been spread in this peaceful garden as have trees been planted in their memory.
■Master Gardeners have installed butterfly gardens in several schools throughout the County.
■Over 200 active Master Gardeners volunteers extend County resources reaching more than 10,000 residents.
■Palm BeachCounty has 600 nurseries covering 6,600 acres with a total sales of nursery and landscape businesses totaling $1.183 billion annually. This industry employs 24,000 in the County.
■There are 150 golf courses in the County that employs 13,000 people. Annual sales for the golf course is $600 million.
Agricultural Economic Development Program
■Represents the Palm BeachCounty Agricultural Enhancement Council. Board of CountyCommissioner’s advisory board on agriculture.
■Oversees grant funding. Over $2 million in grant assistance to both large and small agricultural growers has been secured over 10 years.
■Is instrumental in establishing and supporting the Palm BeachCounty’s GreenMarkets. Currently 5 markets operate with 240 vendors.
■Was responsible for the agricultural section of the Ag Reserve Master Plan. Staff representative on the Conservation Land Acquisition Selection Committee in the acquisition of process.
■Agricultural representative to the Western Community Sector Plan process. Insured that agricultural issues were addressed during the process.
■Involved in the Agribusiness and Equestrian section of the 2005 Palm Beach County Economic Summit. This resulted in a number of important issues currently being proposed for consideration.
■County contact for all equestrian issues, including long-term equestrian needs, and emerging issues such as the Equine Herpes emergency in December and January of last year.
■Currently working on agricultural-based alternative fuels options in Palm BeachCounty.
■Provides assistance to new farmers in crop selection, financial planning and permitting issues.
■Generates all acreage and economic reports for agriculture in Palm BeachCounty.
Soil and Water Conservation District
■Palm BeachCounty supports the Soil and Water Conservation District to provide conservation education and the Water Conservation Mobile Irrigation Lab.