Farm bureau VP supports ANR restructuring plan

An article about ANR's restructuring plan in the California Farm Bureau Federation newspaper AgAlert concludes with words of support from the federation's first vice president, Paul Wenger.

He said that in the past, Cooperative Extension and research stations have borne the brunt of university budget cuts, but the current restructuring "seems fair."

"Challenging times call for challenging solutions," Wenger was quoted. "But at the same time, you want to make sure that somebody is not carrying the heavier burden of these budget cuts. I think agriculture can rest assured that we're not going to bear a disproportionate burden as it relates to the services we're used to receiving."

The comments appeared in an article written by AgAlert assistant editor Ching Lee, which was published in the Oct. 14 issue. Ching said AgAlert doesn't post all its stories on the Web; this one is not online.

For the article, Ching spoke to UC ANR vice president Dan Dooley. He noted that cuts were guided by the ANR Strategic Vision, a long-range plan developed earlier this year to focus division priorities.

"Even though this is a difficult budget time, we're using it as an opportunity to organize around these future demands that everybody has identified as the high priorities," Dooley was quoted.

Dooley told the reporter there will be many administrative and program-support positions eliminated, but the changes would not affect farmers and ranchers.

"In fact, it should improve services," Dooley said. "We haven't cut a single advisor or specialist position, so the people they interact with on a daily basis are still going to be there. I think as we move forward to implement (the changes), all of our stakeholders - not just the farmers and ranchers - will see a more responsive organization."

More about the ANR restructuring plan is in Dooley's most recent letter to the ANR community and in a list of frequently asked questions.

Quoted in AgAlert article.

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