The Texas Legislature made tough budget decisions in 2011. Now state agencies that support agriculture are figuring out how to serve with less and maximize what they do have.

By Larry Stalcup

Because of huge budget cuts virtually across the board, there are fewer livestock specialists, agronomists and others available to Texas ranchers and farmers. But the quality of the services available should remain high, says TSCRA President Joe Parker Jr.

Texas' controversial $170-billion-plus budget, approved in the summer of 2011, after regular and special sessions of the Texas Legislature, cut funds for everything from public education to brucellosis testing. The answer was "no" to nearly every request to House, Senate or Gov. Rick Perry for added funding for nearly any state program.

The only things hotter than the heated battles in the House and Senate chambers in Austin were the woeful wildfires that burned through the fall. Agriculture was certainly no exception in seeing cuts. Texas AgriLife Extension Service (TAES), alone, is seeing about a $22 million cut, says Pete Gibbs, TAES associate director for state programs.

However, AgriLife Extension, Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and other agencies are juggling their programs to provide needed services with less manpower. "AgriLife Extension's state budget for the next biennium (fiscal 2012-2013) is down 15.3 percent from 2 years ago," Gibbs says. "There are fewer people providing the same educational program planning and delivery."

Gibbs says Extension is losing 180 positions across the state's 254-county area. "Some of those positions were vacant, but 123 were occupied," he says. "Even so, our network is still in place. About 80 additional positions are still dependent on the success
of our agency's Partial Cost Recovery Initiative."

Texas AgriLife Extension and Research programs have faced cuts for several years, both in College Station and across the state. The cost-recovery initiative is aimed at compensating for those cuts, Gibbs says. "The recovery initiative is intended to make us more resilient to future budget uncertainties," he says.

Parker says streamlined ag programs are taking some getting used to on ranches and farms. "But I don't really think the quality of services or the quality of information will deteriorate," he says. "I know TAHC and TDA [Texas Department of Agriculture] will be strong. So will AgriLife."

He expects programs with state and federal input, like Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also to remain high in the quality of services provided.

Animal health services hurt
TAHC is seeing major cuts. Quality of services will remain strong, but the amount of services available is being slashed.

"The annual TAHC budget will have been reduced at minimum 46 percent by the end of the 2012-2013 biennium," says Dr. Dee Ellis, TAHC executive director and state veterinarian. "That 46 percent represents $6.1 million, 64 percent of which is accounted for by a reduction in state General Revenue funding, with the remainder of the cut coming from reductions in federal cooperative revenue."

TAHC is evaluating which are the most critical services it provides to the Texas industries. Then TAHC leaders are attempting to match those critical services with the available resources to mitigate the ultimate impact of the cuts. "A complicating factor is that some TAHC activities are federally mandated disease eradication programs, some are voluntary state animal health initiatives and some others are necessary regulatory activities, such as protecting the state's borders," Ellis says.

"Quality assurance is of utmost importance to the Texas industry's long-term economic viability, so the agency must be versatile enough to change paths if a new threat or issue arises."

The need for brucellosis testing was discussed at the fall 2011 TSCRA meeting in Lubbock. Budget cuts forced TAHC to stop thefunding of brucellosis testing cattle at sale barns on Aug. 1, even though it is still considered a high-risk state for the disease. "TAHC is committed, however, to continuing to maintain an inspector presence at all livestock markets on sale day, but they will be at the markets for fewer hours than in the past," Ellis says.

"TAHC veterinarians will stop developing comprehensive epidemiological investigations and the contacting of neighbors when bulls infected with the bovine venereal disease trichomoniasis (trich) are detected."

TAHC has reduced its field inspector numbers in South Texas, who were assisting USDA personnel with cattle fever tick eradication activities. "Also, TAHC will no longer have a workforce sufficient to maintain long-term response capability and surge capacity if a new or emerging disease threat is detected that will require agency employees to be detailed for any length of time," Ellis says.

Examples of other TAHC services cut or reduced include delivery of required ear tags to dairies, reductions in inspections at flea markets and trade days, reduction in verification of compliance with interstate entry rules and road stops, and reduction in all other inspections, including those of feedyards, rodeos, feral swine facilities and slaughter plants.

Parker says the cutback in brucellosis testing puts more pressure on individual producers. "It will be important for producers to voluntarily test their herds for brucellosis to reassure themselves they don't have problems," he says. "There's a price you have to pay for independence. This is going to be one of those prices. We're just going to have to wait and see how it plays out."

Livestock market reporting
Parker says budget cuts are reducing the amount of information available from local and regional auction barns. However, TSCRA's website can help fill part of the void.

"A lot of those marketing communication efforts are going to be terminated," Parker says. "They are trying to locate those efforts centrally to a handful of markets. This is going to be a loss.

"But communications methods have changed. There is more available on the Internet. Cattle Raisers can definitely help in that area. Our website [tscra.org] has market links that go not only to auctions in Texas and Oklahoma, but also to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for grain and livestock commodity prices."

Vacancy — for a while at least
Gibbs says some AgriLife positions that are currently vacant will likely remain vacant for an extended period of time. "Livestock support for cattle and horses are examples," he says. "That support still exists, but with fewer people serving the entire state.

"Producers can still get the direct local support from the county Extension office, but there are cases where specific subject matter support to the agent and producer from a specialist is less than optimum. Bottom line is that there are areas where support will have to come from a different area code, from further away (or through wireless connections).

"Our grassroots network is the county presence and those agents remain committed to working with producers day in and day out," Gibbs says.

"While our total pool of employees is not optimum at this time, the budget is as it is and AgriLife Extension remains focused on educational programming that is in direct support of producers with emphasis on animal wellbeing."

Gibbs says ranchers, farmers and feeders will continue to see solid service from AgriLife Extension, adding that some programs will be fee-based moving ahead. TAES' emphasis is to continue providing education that is relevant and objective.

"This is the information that is designed to meet the issues identified by our constituents. There is every intention for that educational information to have real value for producers and livestock owners."