Virginia Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station (229)

Authority: § 23-132.1 through § 23-132.11, Code of Virginia.

A. Appropriations for this agency shall include operating expenses for research and investigations, and the several regional and county agricultural experiment stations under its control, in accordance with law.

B.1. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Cooperative Extension Service give highest priority to programs and services which comprised the original mission of the Extension Service, especially agricultural programs at the local level. The University shall ensure that the service utilizes information technology to the extent possible in the delivery of programs.

2. The budget of this agency shall include and separately account for local payments. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, in conjunction with Virginia State University, shall report, by fund source, actual expenditures for each program area and total actual expenditures for the agency, annually, by September 1, to the Department of Planning and Budget and the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees. The report shall include all expenditures from local support funds.

C. The Virginia Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station shall not charge a fee for testing the soil on property used for commercial farming.

D. The appropriation for the fund source Higher Education Operating in this Item shall be considered a sum sufficient appropriation, which is an estimate of the amount of revenues to be collected for the educational and general program under the terms of the management agreement between Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Commonwealth, as set forth in Chapters 933 and 943, of the 2006 Acts of Assembly.

E. Out of this appropriation, $4,756,374$4,905,773 the first year from nongeneral funds is provided to support educational and general programs.  The source of the nongeneral funds is the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  This funding is intended to moderate the general fund reductions to the institution.  The institution is authorized to spend this funding in either the first year or the first quarter of the second year.  Prior to release of this funding, the institution shall provide a plan to the Governor delineating the use of this funding to be used for educational and general program funding and the year it will be spent.  In addition, the plan shall include anticipated tuition and fee increases for the first and second year of the biennium.  The amounts appropriated are an estimate, and may be modified by the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, depending on final budget reduction actions taken to higher education and public education in the final budget bill enacted for the 2008-10 biennium.

F. Virginia Cooperative Extension shall report to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, Chairmen of the Agriculture and Natural Resource Committees of the House and Senate,§ the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry and to the Secretary of Education on the results of its strategic planning process that is based on consultation with relevant industries and organizations, and that (1) places priority on the historic mission of extension to fulfill the land-grant mission in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, (2) defines programming, locations, and funding sources, (3) addresses potential duplication of effort with state and local agencies, (4) eliminates low-priority programs, and (5) seeks to restructure and consolidate local offices in a manner that is financially and logistically beneficial while preserving delivery of critical programs in high priority areas.

G. Virginia Cooperative Extension shall not implement the Virginia Cooperative Extension Restructuring Plan dated October 2010. Any revision to the Virginia Cooperative Extension restructuring plan shall include input and collaboration with agricultural industry stakeholders, local governments and local agents which reflect geographical balance across the Commonwealth.  Any revised plan must examine strengthening Cooperative Extension's historical mission regarding local delivery of pertinent research information to the agriculture industry, youth leadership development, and family and community viability.  Any revised plan shall present the cost of implementation of any options and staffing levels for consideration provided that extension also presents an option that reflects no increase in the existing level of resources.  The plan committee shall establish criteria for determination of need for any staffing recommendation, which may include population served, number of farmers, diversity of farmers and agricultural products, agricultural sales volume, number of youth served, travel distance of extension clients served, availability of consumer services and any other criteria that may be relevant.

H. Out of this appropriation, $1,000,000 the second year from the general fund is designated to support 25 extension agent positions.