USU Extension tells Utah County commissioners about 70% bee colony loss, conservation studies and local programs

Utah County commissioners heard the Utah State University (USU) Extension annual report and a small budget request tied to agricultural inspections and community programming.

Tuan Bettis, county director for USU Extension, said the county’s bee inspector "said that Utah County has experienced 70% colony loss," and requested $9,000 for 2026 — a $3,000 increase over the $6,000 allocated in 2025 — to cover more inspections and travel related to inspecting many new hives. Bettis also told commissioners USU Extension will hold steady on its operating budget and is coordinating a temporary office relocation with a July 1, 2026 target to vacate current space.

"For the money that we gratefully receive from the county, we are able to bring in grants and in-kind donations," Bettis said, noting extension staff leverage county funding to expand programming.

Horticulture specialist Michael Karen described trials in commercial grape production, rootstock adaptability for stone fruits and monitoring of invasive species. He said the Master Gardener program contributed roughly 3,300 volunteer hours — a value the office estimates at about $146,000 — and that the office is evaluating residential sprinkler and hose-end devices. Karen summarized preliminary efficiency findings: a typical hose-end sprinkler at about 70 psi throwing 15–20 feet can use about seven gallons a minute, or roughly 186 gallons in 27 minutes, a figure extension staff will publish in coming years.

"We will be coming out with published data on that in 2026 or 2027," Karen said.

Jake Hadfield, who runs adult agriculture education, said programs included a sustainable grazing workshop (18 attendees), a farm-and-ranch easement and succession clinic (about 11 families attended), and fall farm field days that hosted about 2,265 students with total attendance above 2,500; volunteer contributions including FFA participation were estimated at nearly 1,000 hours and a volunteer value of about $333,000.

Gabby Mirza presented HEART initiative work on opioid overdose prevention and injury-prevention strength training for older adults. Mirza said a seed grant that funded opioid-overdose response trainings ended in December 2024 but trainings continue on request. She added that treatment costs for combined mental-health and substance-use care can range from about $7,000 to $30,000 and that recovery is possible: "around 75 percent of people with a substance use disorder do eventually recover," she said.

Mirza also said Create Better Health (the state SNAP‑Ed program operating locally) faced funding cuts but that state leadership secured about $300,000 from a private donor to maintain programming in Utah and Cache counties and that classes continue in English and Spanish.

Why it matters: commissioners praised extension staff for leveraging county dollars into grants, volunteers and community impact. The bee-inspection request ties to broader statewide pollinator declines and would add county resources for inspections and travel. The sprinkler-efficiency study and Master Gardener outreach are aimed at water conservation and community education.

What's next: commissioners accepted the presentation and received printed materials. No formal county budget decision on the $9,000 bee-inspection request was recorded in this meeting; the extension said it will continue to coordinate with county staff.