STRENGTHENING LOCAL RELATIONSHIPS IN A "TOUGH COUNTY"
Leadership and Administrative Skills
Kalen Taylor
Extension assistant Professor - Agriculture
Utah State University Extension
Delta
Abstract
The purpose of this presentation is to showcase how to establish a personal network and gain trust within a historically challenging county landscape. Millard County, Utah is characterized by high turnover, a vast geographic area, multiple offices and a population split that often creates political divisions among residents. I built relationships by being responsive to diverse entities including local residents and producers, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In the presentation, I will showcase three main examples of programs or changes that helped strengthen local relationships. 1. Wild Horse Programming 2. Changing how we calculate and report county budgets 3. Division of Wildlife resources GPS study. The end result is shared objectives for agriculture and natural resource projects and collaborative strategies that mitigate historical conflicts that were and are still present in the county. In order to achieve the overall goal, several smaller goals involving inter-agency trust and producer engagement needed to be met despite the frequent turnover in the extension office. I took a multi-faceted approach to relationship building, recognizing that effective Extension work requires both coordination with local politicians and boots-on-the-ground credibility with local producers and government agencies. The work has included many field consultations and numerous collaborative research projects and workshops involving both federal and state personnel. Over the past 5 years, these efforts have resulted in better political relationships between the county and our land grant university, increased county budget, condensing to one office and numerous invitations to participate or lead local research projects. The increase in cross-agency cooperation and uptick in local projects is evidence of the efficacy of relationship building. However, the renewed trust between myself as the county extension agent and the agricultural community, politicians and agencies in general is a more valuable indicator of the program's true success and long-term effectiveness in a difficult geographic and political environment.
Authors: Kalen Taylor
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Kalen Taylor Extension assistant Professor - Agriculture, Utah State University, Utah, 84624