Planned Programs. Planned programs are initiated for several reasons: advisory committees express needs that must be addressed; specialists and researchers identify emerging issues they believe should be discussed with citizens; other states or our federal partner may identify an issue for one part of the country that later becomes an issue in North Dakota; or an agent may observe a situation that calls for him/her to design and deliver a program that addresses the situation at the local level.

Although planned programs can begin at any time during the year, the extension service has an ongoing program planning process that centers around eight program planning areas. All eight program areas are updated annually. However, each year an extensive needs assessment is conducted on two of the program areas, and the information is used to develop a four-year plan for that area. A conceptual framework called "the logic model" is used to guide this process. Extension educators¹ also use the logic model to guide their individual annual plans-of-work.

Programs are derived from "communities of interest" and "communities of place." Communities of place are defined by where people live, work and play, whereas communities of interest emanate from the shared interests of their members.²

Within each program area there are anywhere from three to nine individual program components. While individual program components served as a general guide for county, multicounty and state program planning in the past, the future trend is for each program component to have a highly active team of extension educators responsible for program development and delivery for the entire state. Program components can also be described as communities of interest. Extension agent work around communities of interest replaces the expectation of agents to deliver subject matter competency programming only within their multicounty program unit (MPU).

The eight program planning teams are:

• Community, Economic Development and Leadership
• Competitiveness and Profitability of Animal Systems
• Cropping Systems in the 21^st Century
• Farm and Family Economics
• 4-H Youth Development
• Human Development and Family Science
• Natural Resources and Environmental Management
• Nutrition, Food Safety and Health

All eight program areas continue to be important and require on-going resource support. However, emerging trends indicate a need to enhance resource support to address issues and opportunities that lie within the "community, economic development and leadership" and "natural resources and environmental management" program areas. Extension has always played a vital role in community economic development. This is becoming increasingly important as many North Dakota rural communities are in serious overall decline with shrinking populations and lagging economies. The NDSU Extension Service continues to have a vital role in helping local leaders define and pursue economic opportunities, and creating an environment that fosters entrepreneurship. Increasing needs around "natural resource management" are also apparent as land owners and producers deal with environmental issues and look to additional economic enterprises that can be supported by the natural resource base or current assets on their farm or ranch.

Responsive Programs. Responsive programs are usually not planned in advance and are designed to address an urgent, negative situation that has occurred. Examples include excessive rain, hail, tornados, floods, serious financial problems, child abductions, food borne illnesses, etc. These programs require especially prompt attention, and the NDSU Extension Service has an excellent track record in quickly and effectively addressing these issues by applying the latest land-grant research to the situation. Urgent situations require the organization to be ready for action with little preparation time.

Issue-based Programs. The extension staff is also becoming more involved in public issues. In these situations, the role of the extension staff is to provide accurate information about all sides of issues and lead communities through a process toward resolution. This work is not easy as communities are often very polarized on issues. Extension staff members need to understand the principles and values of delivering public issues education so they can assist citizens in determining appropriate and effective strategies for public decision-making. Extension staff members are not to make decisions for the public.

¹This term applies to extension agents, area and state specialists, and nutrition education agents and assistants.
² Source: The Extension System: A Vision for the 21st Century, February 2002.

Extension is part of a highly competitive information industry. Citizens expect our programs and materials to be of high quality.

Training and technical support on program delivery continues to be very important to extension educators. This training and support is provided by the NDSU agriculture communication department. There is a continued need for training in technology, writing, mass media and curriculum development support.

A high level of organized citizen participation or engagement is needed to build and maintain strong local advocacy and social influence. In the past, this type of organized citizen engagement was, in part, recognized through both county and MPU advisory councils. While the focus on formal advisory councils has diminished on a multi-county level, it is being revitalized on the county level. The importance of having citizens involved in identifying community needs and mobilizing resources to address those needs cannot be overemphasized.

County Staff. County staff members are located in 52 county offices, at Fort Berthold and UTTC. They provide a grass-roots connection with North Dakotans and a professional network that reaches into virtually every community across the state. This network is the reason why many groups and agencies often want to partner with extension on program delivery.

The NDSU Extension Service is committed to having a full-time extension presence in every county as long as that is what the county wants and they provide financial support. County extension staff are currently funded on a 50/50 basis between the NDSU Extension Service and county government.

The 52 county extension offices are grouped into ten MPUs for primarily administrative and communication purposes.

Extension agents carry a subject matter competency; plan, deliver, teach and market programs in their communities of interest; and spend 30% of their time delivering communities-of-interest programs. The level of staff resources committed to a particular program area reflects the level of need in the region and state.

Also located in county offices, Fort Berthold and UTTC are nutrition educators who deliver the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Family Nutrition Program (FNP). These two programs are financed with federal dollars through USDA and in-kind county match contributions.

Area Staff. Area staff are located at research extension centers in Carrington, Dickinson, Minot and Williston, and in area and county offices in Devils Lake, Dickinson, East Grand Forks, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Mandan. Their purpose is to provide a higher level of knowledge and skill to the programs developed by county staff, and to extend the expertise of specialists at NDSU.

State Staff. Located on the NDSU campus, state specialists are either departmental faculty or extension specialists. Those who are departmental faculty are in tenure-track positions and, in some cases, have joint appointments with the N.D. Agricultural Experiment Station and/or the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources, or the College of Human Development and Education. Their purpose is to conduct research, analyze and disseminate research results, and provide subject-matter expertise for extension programs.

Support Staff. All of these positions within the extension service are greatly enhanced by an effective group of support staff. The support staff is usually the first point of contact to NDSU for office callers and visitors. They maintain coordinated, yet flexible, office environments and help deliver high-quality materials to the public. Technical staff help prepare and deliver educational materials through print, audio, video, graphic and computer technology.

New budgets are built with counties each year with the fiscal year beginning January 1. State biennial budgets, which are guided by the legislature and the State Board of Higher Education, operate on a July 1 fiscal year. The federal fiscal year starts October 1, and the federal budget is contingent upon our federal plan of work, funding proposals and accomplishment reports. Dollars are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and leverage in all of these sources.

To continue to address issues in the future, the NDSU Extension Service will need to maintain current avenues of funding, become more aggressive in seeking grant funds, find new funding partners, generate revenue, and find new ways to become even more efficient. All possibilities need to be considered.