Dr. Boyle impressed upon the conferees the need to have a good understanding of the reality of today's political environment. Politicians must know of the good things we are doing before a budget crisis arises. There is less funding available for valuable historical programs. Extension must compete with the entitlement programs and numerous other funding priorities. To survive in the political ring, we must understand the political process.
Every politician has a political philosophy.
We must explain how our programs benefit the constituents of the politician. Building political support requires time, money and commitment. Extension directors and administrators must develop a comprehensive plan for maintaining that support. Although the work may seem to be overwhelming, it is essential to our existence. These and other key leaders from the agriculture industry and the US Department of Agriculture's Extension System are meeting with nearly 1,800 county agricultural agents this week in Nashville as they come together to professionally develop and share the successes of their programming efforts.