Cooperative Extension offers it services for free or a nominal fee. Experts in forestry, livestock and range management, farm and plant science, marine science and 4-H youth development are available. The program is largely funded by the University of California, which pays the advisers' salaries, benefits and training. Some federal and state dollars help fund the program. Today, the landowner base is well educated.
Crop production is no longer the most important issue any more.
Clean air, clean water, soil integrity, endangered species and rural-urban interface are the emerging conflicts that Extension staff must focus on. One role Cooperative Extension plays is acting as a neutral third party in conflicts concerning forestry and agricultural land use, according to Deborah Giraud, plant science adviser. The U.C. Extension is unique because we can provide unbiased information. We are not selling a product and we are not private consultants trying to keep a job. Cooperative also offers workshops where speakers from the University of California present lectures on matters of local economic importance.