WSU Okanogan County Extension urges commissioners to find funding for 4‑H, outlines fair revenue and online pesticide‑testing plans

WSU Okanogan County Extension Director Kayla Wells Yocom told the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 29 that the Extension office is not a statutorily mandated service and that the program faces funding pressures for the coming year. “This is a vital service,” Wells Yocom said, adding that 4‑H programming helps “keep kids out of drugs, crime, just madness.”

The presentation, delivered by Wells Yocom with 4‑H coordinator Angeline Sheppard and office manager Kelly Khan, said commissioners have two months to identify funding options for next year before reserves would have to be drawn. Staff noted the county has been using reserves and that budget choices this cycle may force cuts across non‑mandated services.

Extension staff urged the commissioners to pursue multiple funding streams: local sponsors, state and federal grants, and better use of fair‑scoring funding. Paul Kuber, a WSU faculty member and representative to the state fair commission, told the board that separate showing for 4‑H and FFA at fairs can raise a fair’s score under the commission'rubric and thus increase competitive grant eligibility. Kuber estimated that the scoring pot had reached as much as about $10,000 in favorable years and said the fair commission has been more proactive about communicating how fairs can improve scores.

Extension also described a plan to offer WSDA pesticide license testing online through a vendor called Metro. Under the plan, the office would be able to provide many more test options than paper testing permits today; the office would receive roughly $25 per test routed into a WSU account. Extension staff said the WSU account currently holds about $3,500 that has been used for small purchases (printers, laptops) and could support expansion of online testing equipment. “We are at the point where we're ready to contract with Metro,” Wells Yocom said.

Commissioners asked staff to follow up with additional budget details and to provide contact information for the state fair commission so local organizers could pursue improved scoring and the available grant funds.

Why it matters: Extension and 4‑H programs provide youth development and community education in rural parts of the county. Funding choices at the county level can determine whether those programs continue at current scale, and relatively small revenue streams (testing fees, fair scoring dollars) were presented as potentially meaningful supplements.

What happens next: Extension and county staff agreed to share contact information for the state fair commission and to continue budget follow‑up. Commissioners signaled interest in exploring grant and sponsor options but made no formal funding commitments at the Oct. 29 meeting.