4-H Strafford County will once again have a home! From The Weekly Market Bulletin, via New Hampshire Farms Network:
Some good news comes from Strafford County’s budget deliberations. On Saturday the county legislative delegation approved the County Commissioners’ recommended funding levels for UNH Cooperative Extension and Strafford County Conservation District. The budget includes funding to run scaled-back programs for cooperative extension, the domestic violence program and the soil conservation district, all of which have reorganized to gain efficiencies and reduce costs. Among the many county residents who have communicated their concerns about the zeroing out of these programs in last year’s budget, were 4-H Club members who attended the public hearing before legislators from the county delegation to speak of the importance and value of the 4-H program and its services.
In an email, John Pike, dean and director of UNH Cooperative Extension, said he was very pleased that $103,515—in addition to office space provided by the county—has been included in the budget for Strafford County/UNHCE. “This is indeed great news for UNH Cooperative Extension and a return to all 10 counties providing support.” He said this level of funding is in keeping with the new Re-Extension county funding model. The appropriation will support the hiring of an administrative assistant, 4-H program coordinator and a field specialist. The specific field specialty area will be finalized in consultation with county officials and others.
— Lorraine Merrill, Commissioner