Caledonia Argus

Extension educator to leave county for new position

Posted: 4/29/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

After three years of dedicated service, Regional Crops Educator Bill Halfman is leaving Houston County in May for a position in Monroe County, Wisconsin. Halfmanís position will remain vacant until issues regarding state budget cuts are resolved.

Since he signed on with the University of Minnesota Extension Service in June 2000, Halfman has been a busy man, leading crop projects, facilitating educational programs, and handling problems farmers encountered while planting and harvesting. He served on a team of four agents that tended to crop problems across Southern Minnesota, and prior to July 2002 he served as the County Ag Agent, switching to Regional Crops Educator due to restructuring in the Extension Service at that time.

Having built strong working relationships with area farmers, he said he will miss the county immensely. ìI really enjoyed working with farmers in Houston County,î Halfman said. ìThey were good people to work with, and we worked and learned together on a lot of the projects. Working with farmers has been a lot of fun.î

Among the highlights of his tenure with the Extension Service, Halfman said, were working with the Dairy Round Table, administering variety trial programs for corn silage and corn grain, and running the Carcass Merit Program, which allowed farmers to gauge how well their feeders performed.

The biggest challenge, though, came in 2001, when aphids threatened to decimate the countyís soybean crop. Excessively dry weather contributed to a aphid population explosion, and at the time little information was available as to how the problem could be curtailed.

ìHouston County had as severe an infestation as anywhere in the state, and we were all scrambling,î Halfman noted. ìWe worked together to come up with preliminary guidelines for dealing with soybean aphids, and research plots were set up in Houston. The aphids didnít come back in 2002, but we were ready, and at least now we have a lot better handle on what to do about it.î

LuAnn Hiniker, Southeast District Director for the U of M Extension Service, said that Halfmanís presence will be greatly missed. ìWeíre sorry that Billís leaving,î she said. ìHeís an excellent educator and he brought a lot of excellent programs to the district. We really will miss Bill, and we wish him well in Wisconsin.î

Position to remain open

Hiniker said that Halfmanís position will not be filled at this time, at least not until the agency gains a better understanding of the effect Governor Pawlentyís proposed budget cuts will have on the Extension Service. Halfman himself cited the likelihood of position cuts as the motivating reason for his departure.

The Extension Service receives funding through the U of Mís state allotment, which means the high potential for cuts in University funding carries with it a similiar potential for cuts in Extension Service funding. Halfmanís position of Regional Crops Educator is important to area agriculture, Hiniker said, but uncertainties regarding funding means the position will remain vacant for now.

ìWe want to address the needs of the county,î Hiniker said, ìbut we first need to see what our budgets will be.î

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