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UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences seeks breeder technicians, REC investment and hay/forage extension support
Summary
University of Georgia officials told the subcommittee they seek funding for five breeder/technician positions, a hay-and-forage specialist in North Georgia and one-time research & education center (REC) capital to modernize facilities; the college cited an $899.3 million statewide economic impact figure.
Leaders from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences briefed the Senate subcommittee on March 18 about faculty, technical staff and research‑center needs tied to crop breeding, extension and research facilities.
What was requested: the House included funding to support five technician/technical support positions (peach & citrus breeder technician, blueberry breeder technician, turfgrass breeder technician, turfgrass extension specialist and a soybean/corn/small-grains technician) at approximately $90,000 each (salary + benefits). The college also requested a North Georgia hay-and-forage extension specialist to complement the existing South‑Georgia specialist, and one‑time REC (Research & Education Center) infrastructure funding; the university system approved $5,000,000 of one-time REC investment and $3,460,000 in maintenance/operations increases within that package.
Why it matters: technicians free faculty to write grants and deliver extension services, and the hay/forage and breeder positions directly affect production systems (peach, blueberry, turf, soybean) that are commercially significant to Georgia. The dean also highlighted an economic-impact study showing the college’s statewide economic impact at about $899.3 million.
Discussion and follow-up: senators asked about open extension agent vacancies (the college reported ~334 extension agents in the base budget with ~29 open positions) and about historical reasons some positions were unfilled. The dean said a prior budget cut and retirements left certain regional roles unfilled and that restoring them would support localized extension work.
Ending: the college requested that the committee consider the technician positions and REC investment as part of FY26 appropriations to maintain research capacity and extension services that support Georgia agriculture.
