USU Extension tells commissioners about water‑saving crops, fenceless cattle tests, SNAP‑Ed outreach and 4‑H activity

Utah State University (USU) Extension staff updated the Utah County Commission on May 28 on several pilot projects and outreach programs aimed at water conservation, agricultural diversification and community health.

The Extension presentation covered trials of satellite‑ and GPS‑guided cattle collars, research into cold‑hardy seedless table grapes, monitoring of hybrid bermudagrass varieties that use less water and fertilizer, SNAP‑Ed nutrition education partnerships, and growth in 4‑H programming and fundraising.

The report was presented by Tom Bettis, who identified himself as a county resident and USU Extension employee. "Extension tries to fill roles that traditional government does not," Bettis said, adding that the program prioritizes "research‑based information so that people can make decisions economically." He told commissioners the program can show at least a "5 to 1 return" on county funding, a conservative estimate of economic impact from Extension work.

Bettis outlined three agricultural initiatives. He said staff are piloting "fenceless management" for cattle, where animals wear collars controlled by satellite, GPS or cell towers that can keep livestock in specified areas or move them to new water or forage to avoid overgrazing. He described the effort as early stage and said it could reduce labor and environmental impacts once deployed.

He also described a grape research project in the Genoa area testing seedless table grapes and cold‑hardy hybrid wine grapes. Bettis said preliminary local market sales ranged from "$3.75 to $4 a pound" at gardeners' markets and farm stands and that, at those prices, an acre could yield about "$20,000 per acre," noting grapes use roughly "50% less water per acre than alfalfa." He said four local growers could be reaching local markets if trials proceed as planned.

On turf, Bettis said the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food recently cleared hybrid bermudagrass varieties that are sterile and spread only vegetatively. He said monitored plantings are showing the hybrids can remain green on about "50% of the water" used by traditional lawn grass and require about "half the fertilizer," a potential to reduce runoff and help limit algal blooms in Utah Lake and other water bodies.

Cindy Jenkins, from USU Extension's home and community department, briefed commissioners on community programming and SNAP‑Ed (Create Better Health), a USDA‑funded nutrition education grant. Jenkins said volunteers provided about "$50,000" in in‑kind support last year, and that an event with about 60 attendees yielded 27 post‑event surveys, of which "97% of them agreed and said this event helped me feel connected to my community." She said Extension aims to expand participation from roughly 200 people last year to about 300 in 2025 and to continue partnerships with Community Action Food Bank, Tabitha's Way and the South Franklin Community Center to provide recipes, demonstrations and bilingual classes.

Heather Thompson, a Utah County 4‑H coordinator, described youth programming and a new national 4‑H initiative called "Beyond Ready" meant to prepare young people for evolving careers. Thompson said the county 4‑H program raised about "$19,000" in donations last year and recently awarded $2,500 in scholarships and project support to local 4‑H youth. She spoke about Cowboy Camp, which showcased Utah youth agriculture programs in Washington, D.C., and said more than 100 4‑H youth from several states and Canadian provinces participated in the March event.

Commissioners asked questions during the session; staff said some work is early stage and additional monitoring and outreach are planned. No formal votes were taken on program funding during the presentations.

The Extension staff left the commission with a request to continue support for research translation to local growers and community partners, and commissioners indicated interest in seeing follow‑up results and implementation details for pilot projects.

Looking ahead, Bettis and colleagues said they will continue trials, report monitoring data to the county and pursue additional grower and community partnerships to scale successes where feasible.