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>> From the Director's Desk From the Director's Desk Articles below were taken from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wyoming County Annual Report 2006. To view the entire Annual Report, click here.
My time in academia focused on strategic planning for staffing, curriculum and facility development, and funding in equine and large animal science programs. The high costs of animal science programs necessitated additional resource development outside of direct state funding lines. Clichés such as “innovative funding” and “creative financing” were essential phrases that were used to convince senior administration to launch a new or expanded program. These expansions were all done during an era when SUNY went from being state funded to state aided. Thus, my small claim to fame soon became one of developing entrepreneurial activities within a beaucratically structured system. Examples of such activities were a commercial breeding program with syndicated stallions and the development of a college owned broodmare band. An equine auction that sold offspring from college owned mares as well as yearlings from privately owned farms from across the northeastern United States was then implemented. It is with these experiences that I come to your beautiful and agriculturally-rich county. I thank the CCE Search Team, the CCE Board of Directors and the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors for giving me this opportunity to serve your county. My transition to this position and area has certainly been made more enjoyable by my association with such a knowledgeable, hardworking, and dedicated staff at the CCE office in Warsaw. With a strong spirit of teamwork and continued development of collaborations, we can create an extension organization that will meet the needs of the county and prosper well into the twenty-first century.
State
of Extension
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As
the new Executive Director for Cornell Cooperative Extension of
Wyoming County, I believe it necessary to update the residents
of this county with a brief autobiography of my previous work
experiences. For the past twenty four years I have been the director
of the Equine Racing Management program at Morrisville State College,
as well as serving as Department Chairman of the Equine and Animal
Science Department at various times in my tenure at Morrisville.
Prior to that I served as coordinator for Large Animal science
for Orange County BOCES. My first job after graduate school was
in higher education as an instructor in Animal Science at SUNY
Cobleskill. 
As
the new director for CCE of Wyoming County since July 2006, my
first impressions of the county reveal an untapped synergy and
a huge reserve of intellectual capital in the dairy industry.
The fact that Wyoming County is the leading dairy-producing county
in New York State speaks to the aggressive nature and management
skills of the county’s producers. The net result is a prolific,
vibrant industry that leads the curve in dairy production in New
York and is ranked nationally. However, this is an industry that
is presently suffering from depressed milk prices and the lack
of an ample supply of technically trained workers. The CCE agriculture
program is working to address the worker shortage problem.
Our
grant-funded “Eat Smart New York” program is now under
the coordination of Elisha Jines. Her focus is to attract more
client participation by reaching out to more local organizations.
Additionally, she and her staff have initiated such programs as
“Just For Men” cooking class and developed workshops
that focus on cost effective ways to create nutritionally balanced
meals. Recent success stories from research tested nutritional
programs have introduced many healthier meal options that helped
to lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels in many Wyoming
County residents.
Another
project for 2007 will be the incorporation of a revised grant
proposal, Wyoming Initiative for Student Health (WISH). This is
an elementary and middle school focused dietary and exercise program
that was previously used in the county with great success. The
State Attorney General’s office requested that we strongly
consider doing another year of collecting data for the WISH program
by utilizing the Student Health Index. The WISH program will be
under the direction of Megan Hoffman.401 North Main Street in Warsaw, New York - Phone: (585) 786-2251 - FAX: (585) 786-5148