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From the Director's Desk

By: William H. Maddison, Executive Director

Articles below were taken from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wyoming County Annual Report 2006. To view the entire Annual Report, click here.

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.

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
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wyoming County experienced its share of transitions during the 2006 calendar year. When a key leader, such as Barbara Boyer retires, a leadership void is left, creating uncertainty about new directions or philosophical changes in mission. This void was immediately filled under the direction of the seasoned and very competent interim extension administrator J. C. Shaver. We areall-indebted to him and to Board President David Bojanowski for doing an excellent job in administering the daily routine of this office and transitioning to a new director.


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.


The Wyoming County 4-H Youth Development program continues to attract a large number of Wyoming County youth. They are drawn to 4-H due to the multiplicity of programs offered by a knowledgeable, dedicated and hard working staff. This staff, combined with a large and energetic volunteer organization, makes for a top-quality program. The programs offered provide in-depth content, as well as a nurturing environment that paves a path to success for future citizens of the county.


An added attraction to this vibrant 4-H program is Camp Wyomoco, a camp where the values and ideals of 4-H can be subtly reinforced in a laid-back camping atmosphere. We are fortunate this year that the camp, with assistance from the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors, hired a new camp manager, Shawn Tiede. Shawn is an individual who comes to us with an extensive background in camping administration. We look forward to a revised camping program and the addition of new groups coming to the camp.


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.


Under the direction of Megan Hoffman, the successful NYS Department of Health-funded program Reality Check, functions through the county’s schools and community organizations to educate youth on the marketing techniques the tobacco industry uses to try and get teens to smoke. This program continues the fight to keep the Madison Avenue advertising approach of the major tobacco companies out of the minds of our county’s youth.

Looking Ahead into 2007
One of the first documents that was placed on my desk when I took this job was “Target Tomorrow”, a Plan for Wyoming County’s Future developed by the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors and the Office of Planning and Development (2001). A key recommendation is that “the county develop an educational and research center that would become a symbol of its state-wide leadership in agricultural activities.” In an attempt to facilitate this proposal, CCE in collaboration with Quality Milk Services and Alfred State College has begun the process of developing the Wyoming County Dairy Institute. Initially the purpose of this institute will be to offer certificate programs in dairy industry. Ultimately, its intended purpose will be to offer an AAS in this same discipline. This program facilitated by the agriculture program and the aforementioned collaborators will be offered at Genesee Community College (GCC). Alfred State faculty and other agriculture professionals will offer the dairy-focused courses, and GCC will offer the General Education requirements for the degree.

The Master Gardener program and the garden series workshops under the direction of Lutie Batt will again be offered due to the great response and reviews received in 2006. A favorite of county residents are the seminars in maple syrup production. This program benefits the numerous producers in Wyoming County, as well as statewide producers who flock to these local seminars.

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.

Camp Wyomoco, under the direction of Shawn Tiede, has already signed on a substantial number of new and different camping programs that will have added appeal for our 4-H’ers and other organizations that have camping interests. This facility has great potential and I can foresee a huge expansion in camping opportunities not only for Wyoming County residents and 4-H clientele, but for the entire New York State population.

Our 4-H program remains strong in all areas. The unique program schedule and the multiplicity of disciplines dealt with by an active staff and volunteers will continue to attract our county’s youth. The county fair will continue to be the showcase for our youth involved in these programs. When analyzing the statistics for the past decade I find it utterly amazing that the numbers of participants in all youth programs at the fair has remained constant and has actually increased in some areas.

The CCE grant funded programs such as Eat Smart NY and Reality Check have demonstrated continued growth and expansion by reaching out to community organizations. Their plan is to continue to develop relationships and remain connected to school, community, and family-focused organizations for 2007.

Next year should be an exciting year for all programs in the CCE organization. Please contact us at (585) 786-2251 for any information you may wish to receive, and please get involved.