State cuts to the MSU Extension program and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station could decimate the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, officials said Tuesday.
With the state facing a $920 million budget deficit, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has presented possible areas in the budget to cut, including funding for both programs.
While cuts to the programs have been proposed, Granholm said she doesn't officially endorse the idea but wanted to "put a face on the budget."
Both programs are a significant part of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which already was affected by cuts to the university's budget, said Margaret Bethel, director of MSU Extension.
"(Cuts) would really paralyze this college, let alone be a disaster for the state's No. 2 industry," Bethel said.
MSU Extension offices, located throughout the state, supply research and development for the agriculture industry, offer educational programs for youth and children and provide research of food security and threats including bovine tuberculosis, West Nile virus and chronic wasting disease, Bethel said.
MSU Extension pays all or portions of salaries for about 286 campus-based specialists.
The state spends about $28.6 million on the extension programs, which is matched by $10 million in federal funds, $18 million in county funds and more than $21 million in other grants.
But without the state funding, all the match funding will be eliminated, too, Bethel said.
The Washtenaw County branch works with about 50,000 people, including a master gardeners program and a 4-H Youth Development program that helps children learn about food and nutrition, among other skills.
"We touch so many people and help them improve the quality of their lives," said Nancy Thelen, director of the Washtenaw County MSU Extension.
The MSU Extension program already eliminated 120 positions in the past year as cuts of more than 10 percent in state funding affected the programs partly housed in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources budget.
"This will be a much bigger cut for MSU than any other school," Bethel said of additional state cuts expected in December.
The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station also faces funding cuts of about $36 million, which could eliminate the network of 15 field stations throughout the state.
The station also receives match funding from federal funds and millions from other public and private research organizations. MSU officials argue that the $65 million in state funding leverages about $94 million additional funding.
The station has about 350 faculty members researching food safety, water quality and livestock.
Granholm said she met with legislative leaders Tuesday to present a budget proposal that would balance the budget. She would not discuss details of the plan but said there were no tax increases and a "vast majority of cuts."
She said halting the income tax increase was still on the table.
"Everybody has to understand that there will be cuts, even to programs that have organized opposition," Granholm said. "We expect in a democracy there will be protests."
The governor had the public vote on proposed areas in the budget during her budget tour stops, where elimination of funding to the MSU Extension program ranked third in a list of five cuts in one of the categories, said Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Granholm.
The House Republicans also are examining options, said Matt Resch, spokesman for House Speaker Rick Johnson, R-LeRoy.
State Rep. David Woodward, D-Royal Oak, said while the programs are key to Oakland County, proposed cuts must be examined.
"For long term economic stability, we must invest," Woodward said. "This program is critical to that. But in the current budget situation, everything must be put on the table and looked at."
