UGA Extension reports program growth, asks Glynn County to consider full-time staff and transportation support

Michelle Quick, family and consumer sciences agent for the McIntosh County Extension and county extension coordinator for Glynn County, told the Glynn County Board of Commissioners at its Feb. 11 special-call meeting that local Extension programs expanded in 2024 and asked the commission to consider making her position full time in Glynn County.

Quick said Cooperative Extension brings University of Georgia research into the community through programs in agriculture, nutrition, youth development and family consumer sciences. She highlighted the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), a federally grant‑funded program, and said EFNEP produced 106 graduates in Glynn County last year — 61 adults and 45 youth — who completed a multi‑session curriculum on food safety, budgeting and healthy cooking.

Quick said she and one other agent (MC Halbrook) now split time between Glynn and neighboring McIntosh County and asked the commission to “highly consider that I would be able to be 100% a Glynn County Extension agent,” so she could increase program visibility and partnerships locally. She described her current salary funding as a mix of EFNEP (federal grant), University of Georgia and county supports and said a move to full‑time Glynn County service would require discussions with UGA and McIntosh County about reassigning or replacing the McIntosh portion of the position.

MC Halbrook, Glynn County agriculture and natural resources agent, said her office processed roughly 500 soil and water samples in 2024, maintains a newsletter (about 204 subscribers) and a blog that draws about 4,000 visits annually. Halbrook described the county Master Gardener volunteer program, saying 10 Master Gardeners were trained and the program expects to add roughly 14 trainees; volunteers contributed more than 1,000 hours last year, which Halbrook estimated as nearly $30,000 in volunteer value, and plant sales raised about $3,000.

Olivia O’Connor, Glynn County 4‑H youth development agent, described rapid growth in 4‑H participation: the office recorded 149 activities in the full 2023–24 school year and had recorded about 200 activities already for the current school year (August–February). Enrollment rose from about 828 students last year to roughly 971 this school year; 4‑H now reaches students in 10 schools and 49 fifth‑grade classrooms, O’Connor said. She confirmed that three Glynn County students will go to state public‑speaking competition and that summer camp registration was filling fast.

O’Connor said transportation is a growing operational constraint and asked the commission to consider county help with vehicles. “For 4‑H, our request for assistance is a van or a bus that would help us to get these students to these events that we’re going to,” she said, and she provided examples of current travel costs: roughly $324 per vehicle for a round trip to Rock Eagle, about $150 per vehicle to Statesboro and a bus rental through the school system at about $512 for a weekend trip.

Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about current staffing splits, how salary funding is allocated, and existing extension facilities and community garden resources. Quick and Halbrook said other Extension staff (Suzanne Walker, Bryce Phillips and Olivia O’Connor) are full time and identified that Quick and Halbrook are the two 50/50 county‑shared positions. Quick said she would be available to provide county finance staff or the commission details on salary cost allocations.

The presentations closed with no formal county action recorded; commissioners said they would consider the requests and that any change to position funding would require coordination with the University of Georgia Extension system and McIntosh County.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Michelle Quick, family and consumer sciences agent and Glynn County extension coordinator (University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, county employee); MC Halbrook, agriculture and natural resources agent (UGA Extension); Olivia O’Connor, 4‑H youth development agent (UGA Extension); Bryce Phillips, 4‑H educator (UGA Extension); Suzanne Walker, EFNEP assistant (UGA Extension).