Collaboration and cross-county service from neighboring counties allows UC to provide the maximum level of service to rural communities, such as Colusa. The Colusa CE office is a model for conducting applied research and educational programs through inter-county cooperation, and we have been able to successfully leverage the breadth and level of services provided to local residents through this approach.

Agriculture is the major industry in the County, and has grown significantly since the first Colusa farm advisor was hired in 1925. Our 1997 farm-gate production value of in-excess of $333 million ranks 19th among California counties and is among the highest in the north-state. CE is proud to have been a contributing partner in developing and providing agricultural information for the past 73 years.

And yet, the Colusa CE programs are about much more than agriculture. We provide information that can contribute to the quality of life for all County residents, non-agriculturalists as well as those who make their living from the land. Activities related to 4-H clubs, expanded food and nutrition education, mitigation of natural resource degradation and assisting former public assistance recipients make the transition into the workforce are examples of local CE programs that are especially important in rural communities.

The mission of CE is simply stated as "service to California through the creation, development and application of knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources". CE utilizes applied research to help people solve problems and achieve goals. Most of this research takes place in "real-world" commercial farm, business or workplace settings.

Applied research only generates information, however, and much of what CE is about is delivery of that information to the end-user. We do this through newsletters, individual consultations or problem-solving, educational meetings, field days, mass media and publications.

We rely heavily on volunteers to help us accomplish our mission. Volunteer 4-H leaders assume the responsibility for designing and delivering the club activities. Volunteer farmers or ranchers provide on-farm resources to allow us to conduct applied research in commercial production situations. We could not be effective without these dedicated community members.

The Colusa CE office is funded through a unique partnership involving Federal, State and County governments. The total cost of providing the Colusa CE programs in 1998 was $754,000. Of that total, 15 percent ($112,000) was provided by the Federal partner, 60 percent ($456,000) by the University and 25 percent ($186,000) by the county. Federal monies support postage , formula funds and special programs such as Expanded Food and Nutrition Education. University support is in the form of advisor or paraprofessional salaries and benefits, CE campus-based specialists or support staff and laboratory services. The county portion provides clerical support, communications, office space and transportation.

There were several changes in Colusa CE advisor staffing during 1998. The first was the addition of Jerry Schmierer as an agronomy farm advisor. Colusa agronomic crops have not always received the attention they need, due to limited staffing, and this addition is expected to expand the core skills represented by the advisor staff. Jerry assumed the oilseed (sunflower/safflower) responsibilities that were formerly performed by Yolo County advisor Tom Kearney. We appreciate the strong leadership that Tom provided over the years. He has been a valuable resource to the local oilseed industries and Jerry has big shoes to fill.

The cross-county advisor that was presenting personnel management programs, Brian Linhardt, resigned during the year and our statewide administrative made a decision that the position would not be re-filled so that other, higher-priority, positions could be filled (not necessarily assigned to Colusa).

Although not occurring during the 1998 year, we have finally hired a livestock and natural resources advisor to cover Colusa County. Mark Horney will be arriving in late- May and will work out of the Glenn County office. We thank Sutter/Yuba County advisor Glenn Nader for rolling-up his sleeves and "pinch-hitting" in Colusa during the protracted process of hiring Mark.

Our Water Policy Advisor, Bill Richardson, retired in October of the year. Bill has devoted much of his career learning about important water issues in the North state and has effectively kept the other advisors educated about issues that impact their commodities. We appreciate the strong and effective leadership that Bill provided to this key position. We are in the process of recruiting a replacement for Bill, and look forward to bringing that person on- board at the earliest possible time.

The other activity that will impact the Colusa CE office is an internal "re-alignment" and reconfiguration of the counties in the state. Effective July 1, 1999, Colusa will be part of a new CE region called the Central Valley Region. The region runs from Kern to Tehama Counties and takes-in many of the most productive agricultural areas in the state. We had formally been part of the North Region, which ran from Colusa to the Oregon border and encompassed many of the most rural areas of the state. This will be a big change for us, as we compete for advisor positions and other resources with huge agricultural counties such as Fresno and Tulare. However, we view this as an opportunity to form closer collaborations with colleagues from other important agricultural areas. We will miss working with our colleagues in the mountain and coastal counties, which are being formed into a Central Coast and Mountain Region that will focus on natural resources issues such as livestock, timber and fisheries.