Meetings To Focus On Future Direction Of Agriculture

AUBURN, Jan. 6, 2004 — Alabama residents will have the opportunity to offer their input on the 
future direction of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Alabama Agricultural 
Experiment Station and six regional agricultural research and extension centers located across 
the state during an upcoming series of public meetings.
	
Dr. Paul Mask, assistant director for agriculture, forestry and natural resources with the Extension 
System, says the meetings will allow leaders from both organizations to hear the concerns and 
needs of their constituents.
	
“These meetings offer all Alabamians, but especially farmers and others in agribusiness, an 
opportunity to tell us what they need in terms of Extension outreach programs as well as 
research,” said Mask.
	
Each of the six meetings will last two hours and each will begin at 6 p.m.  

*	Jan. 26 	Wiregrass Research and Extension Center,	Headland
*	Jan. 27	Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center, Fairhope
*	Jan. 28 	Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center, 
			Belle Mina
*	Jan. 29 	Bevill Enrichment Center in Rainsville, regarding the Sand 		
	Mountain Research and Extension Center in Crossville 
*	Feb. 3 		Alabama Power Company in Clanton, regarding the 		
	Chilton Area Research and Extension Center 
*	Feb. 4 		Black Belt Research and Extension Center, 
			Marion Junction
	
The AAES is developing a long-range strategic plan that includes establishing research priorities 
for these six centers. Interim AAES Director John Jensen said the regional public meetings are 
critical to that process.
	 
“Our goal is to make these centers most relevant to the regions they serve, and stakeholder input 
on current and future issues and on opportunities that exist in their areas of the state is essential 
if we are to achieve that goal,” Jensen said.  
	Draft proposals call for future AAES research and Extension education activities at the 
centers to focus on the following:
*	economic growth through agriculture in west Alabama (Black Belt center)
*	emerging agricultural enterprises in the rural-urban interface (Gulf Coast center)
*	adaptation of Wiregrass agriculture to a new peanut program (Wiregrass center)
*	sustainable production and marketing of family farm foods (Chilton area center)
*	environmental and nutrient management systems (Sand Mountain center)
*	enhancement of production with precision agriculture and other new technologies 
(Tennessee Valley center)
	The regional meetings will give AAES and Extension stakeholders and the general public 
the opportunity to offer insight and input on these proposed initiatives as well as on other matters.
	For more information about the regional sessions, contact Jim Bannon at (334) 844-5611 
or bannojs@auburn.edu.
# # #