CAFCS News

As a result of the studies of the Farms and Forests Task Force, the following recommendations are offered. The overriding concern behind these recommendations is one of strengthening the academic programs that use the farms and forests as teaching, research and demonstration laboratories. Many of the recommendations will require additional, follow-on studies by College administrators and/or faculty before decisions can be reached as to their feasibility and/or timeliness. Our recommendations fall into seven categories:

1. Improving administration of farms and forests
2. Reducing operating costs
3. Obtaining added financial support.
4. Redirecting, or closing, under-used facilities.
5. Providing for future program needs.
6. Updating farm and forest planning.
7. Increasing recognition of the roles of farms and forests.

Discussion of the recommendations follows.

Improving Administration of Farms and Forests

Administrative

Structure. The Dean charged the Task Force to review the overall administration of farms and forests with a view to recommending a plan for improved administration of the properties.

The Task Force concluded that there are opportunities for increased efficiencies in uses of labor and equipment at the farms and forests. Because the farm and forest staff are Division employees, the present staffing pattern does not easily allow for changes in research labor among divisions to meet requirements that are often unpredictable and weather dependent. For example, there is a often a shortage of labor for research support in the plant sciences during the growing season and at times an excess during winter and early spring. Similar situations arise at the University Forest for short-term needs of field workers during the summer months. This shortage is perhaps less acute on the animal sciences farms because animals need daily tending and farms are staffed accordingly. But in general, there are opportunities for improved coordination of staff as needed across all farms and forests.

Much of the equipment required for field operations is expensive, both to purchase and to operate. Even the best case scenarios for financial conditions for the College paint a bleak picture for the prospects of money to buy or replace such items as tractors, harvesters, skidders, or trucks. Avoiding duplication of purchases, pooling available funds, and prioritizing purchases in order to maximize their benefit to the farms and forests needs to be highly coordinated.

The Task Force concludes that three areas of administration need improvement with respect to the farms and forests:

• Improve the coordination of farm and forest staff to meet changing seasonal and research project needs as well as maintenance.
• Improve coordination of use, maintenance and purchase of equipment.
• Reduce the turf, or territorial, boundaries between Divisions in order to encourage wider use and more cross-disciplinary, cross-divisional teaching and research for all properties.

The Task Force has considered several alternative organizational structures for managing the farms and forests. Some are as follows:

1. To keep the same organizational structure and encourage more cooperation among farm and forest managers. College and division administrators could become more involved and cooperatively exert more control over the issues of labor and equipment sharing. It would also be possible for the Assistant Dean/Assistant Director of Business Affairs and the Division Directors to begin more strict budget control measures that would allow better cost analyses of farm activities.
2. To appoint a farm and forest manager with responsibility for all operations. The manager would be responsible to the Associate Director. College and Experiment Station activities that take place at farms and forests would be coordinated by an advisory committee consisting of the Division Directors.
3. To appoint separate animal, crop and forestry managers to be responsible for their appropriate areas at all farms. Variations of this structure could be that the managers would be responsible to corresponding Division Directors or be responsible to the Associate Director who would be guided by the advisory committee as in 2 above.
4. To appoint a manager to be responsible to the Associate Director and have faculty members serve as animal, plant, and forestry coordinators.

We offer some comments on these alternatives. In one manner or another, alternative 1 has been attempted and changes have not occurred. People tend to rally around the status quo and this alternative has no mechanism for coordination of people and equipment. Alternative 2 seems to us to have the best possibilities. Divisions would still be primarily involved, and the Dean's office, through the Associate Director, will be able to coordinate across Divisions. Alternative 3 has the appeal of bringing more focus to the three research areas. The question of overall coordination still remains with this option. Alternative 4 may be difficult to realize because of the faculty time and commitment that would be involved. The faculty coordinator duties are not envisioned to be mere committee assignments, but instead to be duties where evaluations of, and judgements on, proposed activities are required.

The following arrangement for administering and managing the properties incorporates desirable features (Figure 3).

We believe this structure offers several advantages of efficiency and effectiveness not present in the current administrative and management structure (Figure 1):

1. Removal of turf, or territorial, barriers.
2. Improved utilization of farm personnel.
3. Improved coordination of farm and forest equipment uses and purchases.
4. Increased awareness of opportunities for interdisciplinary research on the farms and forests.
5. No increase in number of farm and forest staff.
6. Elevate the needs for maintenance, repair and improvements from the Division to the Dean's Office-level where coordination of resources to meet the needs may be more likely to occur.
7. Increased dialogue and coordination of operating and program needs among Division Directors

Under this proposal, all development and planning for research and teaching activities would remain, as currently, in the respective Divisions. Administration of the properties in the Associate Director's office has two features; operations and planning. Operations consists of the current arrangement of staffing at the farms and forests, with the addition of the Farms and Forests Operator as an overall coordinator of operations. Planning consists of advise and input to the Associate Director from the Directors and the Assistant Director about needed operations and their costs, as well as coordination of activities as needed.

The Farms and Forests Operator's role with regard to research, teaching and outreach is to facilitate those activities of the faculty on the farms and forests that have been approved by the appropriate Director and by the Associate Director. It is anticipated that faculty will, as now, work directly with Managers and the Operator to obtain assistance for their scheduled activities. The Operator's role also includes coordination of staff and equipment.

An annual operating budget for farm and forest operations would be developed by the Associate Director and the Advisory Committee of Division Directors. The budgeting process would begin with Division Directors working with their faculty to determine the work or activities needed each year to support proposed research, teaching and outreach activities on the properties. Upon receiving these plans of work from the Divisions, the Associate Director will work with the Farms and Forests Operator to estimate the cost of the proposed Division work. Some negotiations of costs would, no doubt, be required. After agreement on annual work and costs, appropriate funds will be transferred to the Farms and Forests Operating budget. The budget would, therefore, be composed of funds from sales income, appropriate grant funds, and reallocations from Divisional teaching, research, or other funds. An additional component would be from the College's annual Capital Improvement allocation for off-campus repair and maintenance of structures. Sales income from farm and forest operations would remain, as currently, attributable to specific farms or forests. Budgeting for salaries and wages of permanent farm and forest staff would be handled through the Associate Director's office.

An important feature of this plan is that each Division decides how much of its funds it wishes to spend on farm or forest operations. Divisions would, in effect, "buy" support for their work on the farms and forests using their allocations for teaching, research, or other funds as appropriate. These elements of planning and accountability, along with the increased capability to track actual on-farm expenses should lead to overall improvement of operations.

The advisory committee would consist of the Division Directors and the Assistant Director, and would be chaired by the Associate Director. It's functions are to review farm and forest operations, provide input to the development of the annual farm and forest operating budget and review proposed activities and uses that may require coordination among projects and research areas.

Identifying costs. Knowing the operating costs of activities is central to making accurate plans. The Task Force has found it impossible to determine accurate costs of operations for individual properties. Various combinations of funds from state and federal appropriations, sales and grants are expended at the properties. The traditional accounting and bookkeeping systems have not had the capability to track total expenditures at the forest or farm level. Some of the difficulty in tracing costs will be alleviated with the administrative plan proposed here. In addition, it is our understanding that the new Oracle system being put into service for the University on July 1, 1999 will allow College Administration to do such cost accounting, and we urge that an improved farm and forest accounting system be implemented as early as possible.

Reducing Operating Costs.

Examine Needs for herd and flock sizes. Herds and flocks are maintained for both teaching and research needs. In WV, livestock and poultry account for 85% of all farm sales. Large fixed costs are associated with maintaining herds and flocks for teaching and research. Poultry houses and dairy barns are not easily converted to other uses. In the case of dairy, the University is committed to maintaining the Ayrshire dairy herd as a condition of acceptance of the Reymann Memorial Farm. The 1997 WV Census of Agriculture indicates increases of 20-25% in the number of beef cows and poultry over the previous five years. During the same time period, milk cows, hogs and pigs and sheep and lambs decreased 20-40%.

Are the numbers of animals maintained on the University Farms reflective of the relative importance of animal herds and flocks to the teaching and research needs of the State? Given the fixed costs of farm facilities, can savings be made in adjustments of relative herd and flock sizes? How many animals of each species are required to support undergraduate teaching needs? The questions require forward-looking planning of future teaching and research programs before the questions can be answered. The Task Force recommends that curriculum studies in animal sciences as well as research strategic planning for animal sciences research give strong consideration to future needs for herd and flock sizes.

Examine possibilities of short-term buying and selling of animals. Some colleges similar to ours have reduced permanent herd numbers by purchasing animals on an as-needed basis. Research projects with live animal needs are required to include animal costs, and revenues, in the project budgets. Class needs are met by purchasing and reselling animals as needed for classes. There are some drawbacks to this approach, such as the dangers of introducing disease brought by the purchased animals. And buying new animals for short-term needs may not always be the most cost efficient way to meet animal number requirements, particularly with long-term research programs. And more planning for needed animal numbers is required. Nevertheless, the Task Force concludes that short-term buying and selling may be a viable option for balancing short-term animal needs with long-term needs. We recommend that Animal Sciences look at these possibilities as ways of lowering costs of maintaining herds and flocks.

Obtaining added financial support.

Extension Service support for ongoing programs. The College's Extension partners are active and welcome users of all of the farms and forests. In particular, Extension activities at the Kearneysville Farm, Reymann Farm, the Morgantown farms, and the Willow Bend Farm are highly visible and benefit not only the College, but the University as a whole. In some cases, however, the College incurs significant costs that are paid from its research and/or operating funds in support of those activities. Scientists at the Kearneysville Farm are split evenly in time between research and extension. However, there are no Extension funds allocated to the farm to help support expenses of maintenance, upkeep, utilities, etc. The Bull Test Facility at the Reymann Farm is an Extension program with high visibility in the State's livestock industry. It is supported, in part, by an annual contribution from the Cattlemen's Association to the Experiment Station. A study is needed to determine whether the annual support meets the entire cost of operating the Bull Test Facility.

The Task Force recommends that the College and the Cooperative Extension Service address the topic of Extension's financial support for certain farm operations where on-going Extension programs occur.

Consider alternative management arrangements. The level of state appropriations, personnel policies, and purchasing regulations may not provide the best situation for developing dynamic farm and forest teaching, research and outreach programs to meet the needs of West Virginia. Following the model of the West Virginia University Hospital Corporation, a private West Virginia University Farm and Forest Corporation may be a viable alternative to managing the farm and forest properties. This Corporation would be chartered, as with the WVU Research Corporation, solely to serve and benefit the programs of the University related to agriculture and forestry.

Redirecting, or closing, under-used facilities.

The Task Force has heard that three facilities are not well utilized: Tygart Valley Forest, the Food Animal Research Facility at the Animal Sciences Farm and the Willow Bend Farm. In the case of both the Tygart Valley Forest and the Willow Bend Farm, remoteness from the campus is a major factor in their low use.

The Tygart Valley Forest has had an almost non-existent level of use for any of the natural resources programs. It has, however, provided income from operational timber harvesting. The last timber sale income was in 1978. The property was obtained from the U.S. Government. Terms of the deed to the University do not seem to prohibit sale or exchange of the property. The University pays no taxes on the land, there are no personnel assigned to the property, and annual operating and maintenance costs have been nil.

The Willow Bend Farm is a demonstration farm for beef cattle and sheep research and extension. In recent years, the level of activity has been low. Deed for the Willow Bend Farm is in the name of the WVU Foundation. Annual expenses for the farm include the salary and wages of two persons ($65,000) plus operating expenses that are derived solely from the farm's annual sales income of $29,000. There appear to be no restrictions on sale of the property.

In 1998 discussions were initiated between the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, USDA/Agricultural Research Service and Virginia Tech on the prospects of using Willow Bend as a research location. ARS is seeking funding that would help support a 10-year project on forage-based livestock systems. This project, if funded, offers good prospects of improving the utilization of Willow Bend.

The idea of selling Willow Bend has surfaced from time-to-time. Political resistance in Monroe County has discouraged the progress of such discussions.

The Food Animal Research Facility (FARF) is located on the Animal Sciences Farm. The purpose of this 11,700 square foot facility is to provide capabilities for surgery and treatment of large animals used for research purposes. It includes animal research rooms for cattle, sheep and swine, as well as two surgical rooms and three research laboratories. It was completed in 1992 using $1.5 million of appropriated University building funds. The facility receives light use. Medical School faculty have used it for animal research. Maintenance expenses are not high for the new facility. Annual utility and maintenance expenses are now $17,000. Two technicians are assigned full time to FARF, with an annual cost of $55,000.

In the case of Tygart Valley and Willow Bend, one could easily conclude that the long-term interests of College programs is best served by selling the properties and converting the proceeds of sale to support for the other farms and forests. The difficulty with this course is that there is no certainty that the proceeds of such sales would accrue to the College since there is no specific language in the deeds that spells out the fate of proceeds from sales.

The Task Force recommends that:

• the Tygart Valley Forest be sold, traded, or leased only on the condition that proceeds of the transaction accrue to the College for support of its operations of the University Forest.
• the Willow Bend Farm be retained in College management on the prospect that the pending research partnership will materially improve the property's use. If those prospects do not pan out in the near future, then the farm should be sold, traded, or leased only on the condition that proceeds of the transaction accrue to the College for support of its operations of the Animal Sciences and Reedsville Farms.
• the Animal and Veterinary Sciences faculty and the College Administration seek partnerships, agreements, or leasing arrangements with professional associations, academic units, or agencies for expanded uses of FARF that will result in cost-sharing of operating expenses and improve utilization of the facility.

Providing for future program needs.

The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences has responded to changing needs of society. In recent years curricula have been developed or significantly revised to meet these changing needs. Some of these new and revised curricula that require the outdoor laboratories of the farms and forests are: environmental protection, biochemistry, agribusiness management and rural development, environmental and resource economics, forest resources management, recreation, parks, and tourism resources, and wood industries.

Likewise in research, new directions have been initiated in aquaculture, mine reclamation, geographic information systems, sustainable agricultural systems, animal health and care and rural youth to name a few. We believe the future for the College will continue to demand changes in directions and initiatives.

The farms and forests will continue to have a significant place in support of teaching and research. Sustainable agriculture and forestry, waste management, outdoor recreation, water quality, wildlife habitat, and food safety — some of the vital areas of knowledge to healthy societies — are all dependent on research in places like our farms and forests.

Some points from the Task Force's work that are related to maintaining the capability of the College to respond to the future are:

Maintain flexibility for future programs. Diversity of soil conditions, plant cover and microclimate are needed for field experiments. A reduction in the acreage available for teaching and experimentation results in a reduction of the possible future experiments, field class offerings or outreach demonstrations.

Consider accessibility and security. The rise in urbanization around the farms and forests will create conditions both of public safety concern and of experimental integrity. Chemical treatments of crops and animals require restricted access. Visitors cannot pick plants, fruits, or vegetables, or cut trees that are parts of ongoing experiments. Animals should not be harassed by pets or people. Unsanctioned recreational uses by ATV's and mountain bikes can damage fields and forest trails. These concerns, already mounting in occurrence, speak to greater need for the ability to control access to portions of farms and forests. The day may come when regular patrols of area properties will be necessary to prevent damages and personal injuries.

Consider ramifications and impacts of future property gifts. Gifts with certain restrictions can result in a loss of flexibility for future management. The College must not be saddled with gifts that require perpetual expenditures, maintenance of specified herds, flocks, or crops, or that prohibit sale of the property if it is no longer in the interests of the College. Proceeds from the sale of gift property should be clearly specified to accrue to the programs of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.

Pursue purchase or transfer of property in the interests of improving security and/or continuity of programs. Opportunity may present itself for the College/University to acquire adjacent lands that would secure access and serve as buffer for farms and forests. The Task Force was made aware of such a situation on the southeast corner of the Agronomy Farm. A 15-acre tract of land had been leased by the College for forage/livestock research purposes. The tract, which is no longer leased, would provide a good buffer to housing development that is likely to occur in that area.

Another example of needed land tenure change relates to the University Forest. This tract is under long-term lease from the WV Department of Natural Resources. The lease has provided considerable leeway in using the Forest over the years. As State forest land, however, the area is subject to laws and regulations that apply to State-owned forests. These include allowing for public hunting and fishing. Conflicts between educational uses and public hunting uses have occurred. Future laws that restrict uses of State forests, such as harvesting practices, will apply to the University Forest as well. Research flexibility will be reduced. The College and University should pursue the transfer of the University Forest to University control.

Updating farm and forest planning.

Management plans for individual forests or farms are valuable in determining courses of action necessary to reach goals that are held for the properties. Management planning involves determining goals, allocating resources and selecting alternatives for allocation. Teaching, research and outreach are general goals for all of the farms and forests. For planning purposes, however, the goals for individual properties should be more specific. Resources to be allocated include both the physical characteristics of the land and the available human, equipment, and capital resources. Alternatives for allocation result from the combination of various mixes of resources and may suggest priorities for type of research, cropping systems, reserve areas, community uses, or class exercises. Management plans may also incorporate special features such as conservation plans, best management practices and fire protection plans.

In addition to individual plans, a need is seen for strategic planning, especially relating to the Morgantown area farms. A Farm Master Plan that details long-term goals and needs would be most useful for relating the farms to one another and to other community and campus needs. This would be similar in approach to the Campus Master Plan and would examine:

• current and future university requirements for land and facilities to protect and enhance the farms and forests as major State research environments for agriculture and natural resources.
• consolidation of agricultural uses in order to increase the efficiency of operations.
• plan for the improvement of a network of open spaces and community uses.
• plan for improvement of the landscape quality of the farms while recognizing the functional requirements of agricultural uses.
• recognize and be responsive to community needs, and to establish a means for communication and cooperation in the development of university and community interests.
• develop a land use pattern that recognizes requirements relative to environmental quality.

The Task Force recommends that appropriate Experiment Station and College resources be allocated for completing individual management plans for all farms and forests by the year 2003. In addition, necessary resources should be obtained to prepare a Farm Master Plan by the year 2004.

Increasing recognition of the roles of farms and forests.

Enhance community involvement. Beyond the obvious teaching and research contributions that the farms and forests make, they also contribute directly and indirectly to the surrounding community in some obvious, and not-so-obvious, ways. The Morgantown area farms provide the only real opportunity for kids of all ages across Morgantown to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a farm. Today, school- and college-age students increasingly come from an urban, non-farm setting. It is important to maintain the functionality and use-value of farms and forests to society.

The green spaces and scenic values that the farms and forests afford to the community are important to the overall livability of the communities where they are located. This is especially true in the Morgantown area. Like the region's infrastructure of roads, schools and utilities, the farms and forests serve to connect across economic and cultural boundaries. Protecting farm and forest resources on the urban fringe, while accommodating growth through compact, resource-conserving development is one of the most difficult challenges we face with regard to the properties. The Task Force affirms that the future of our farm and forest areas depends, to a significant degree, on our success in developing a vision for the farms and forests that is shared with the Morgantown community.

To this end, the Task Force suggests that the College faculty and administration consider:

• creating a citizen's advisory committees for the purpose of identifying priority projects of public interest such as a botanical garden, nature trails, petting zoo, and demonstration activities (e.g. beekeeping, gardening).
• seeking financial and in-kind support from civic organizations and citizen groups to underwrite public interest projects.
• preparing, with community involvement, a Farm Master Plan (see 6 above).

Position Statement. The following position statement is recommended for consideration and adoption by the faculty of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences. Having a position statement on the farm and forest properties will convey clearly the importance of these properties to the College, the University, and the State of West Virginia.

The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences manages several farms and forests both in the Morgantown area and at other locations around the State. These properties are outdoor laboratories and are essential components of the College's academic programs.

In recent years, the farms and forests have come under increasing scrutiny by the University Administration and various community interest groups as potential sites for development. This is particularly true of the Morgantown area properties, but the pressures are taking place on every University farm and forest property. Their locations, once well-removed from city and the campus, are in the path of development as the city and the campus expand. They are viewed as vacant areas ripe for development The properties are in jeopardy of becoming fragmented and bounded by developments that may be in direct conflict with agricultural and forest practices necessary for the continuation of the academic programs in agriculture and natural resources.

In April, 1999, the Farms and Forests Task Force of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences completed a study of the staffing, uses and issues related to the farm and forest properties managed by the College. The Task Force concluded that the future and long-term needs of the agriculture and natural resources programs of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences require that farms and forests in the Morgantown area be maintained in essentially the locations and land areas currently occupied. Of particular note, ongoing long-term studies (regarding land use, sustainable agriculture, and forest succession) would be compromised by further fragmentation of these facilities. They also concluded that the farm and forest areas managed by the College serve an increasingly important role as greenspace areas for the community. Pastoral and forest landscapes add considerably to the ambience of the Morgantown area and will do so increasingly in the future.

In this regard, the Task Force noted that College administration and faculty have not always been consulted to help weigh the impacts of, or propose alternatives to, proposed development. Planning for the future needs of the College's programs cannot be properly carried out where there is lack of consideration and foresight given to the impacts of proposed developments on the College's programs.

In view of their strong concern about the role of the farms and forests in its academic programs, the faculty of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences adopt this position statement and the following resolutions pertaining to the use and management of its existing farms and forests:

1. The College faculty will not support any proposal for construction, development, or sale of any lands currently managed by the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences that has not been presented to, and deliberated by, the faculty and the College administration.
2. The general area and location of farms and forests managed by the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences are well situated to support current and future teaching, research, service and community outreach programs. The uses of these lands cannot, therefore, be displaced without measures to mitigate damage to the agricultural and natural resources programs of West Virginia University.

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