March 30, 2011
www.gfb.org
Vol. 29 No. 12
ANGLE CONFIDENT WEATHER NETWORK WILL BE FUNDED
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Dean Dr. Scott Angle said he has seen signs that an end to the CAES budget cuts may be near and he is optimistic that the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN) could be kept open. He also lauded the establishment of the tiered system of services for the UGA Cooperative Extension, which was made necessary by severe budget cuts over the past two years. “It’s pretty clear that the public wants smaller government,” Angle said. “Whether that’s state or federal level, everyone wants government to be downsized. We’re a part of government. We are downsizing not just as a temporary cutback. Some of these cuts will become permanent. “We need to ‘right-size’ ourselves with the new budget realities. I think we’ve probably been cut a little too far, so we don’t want to be as small as we are right now. We need some growth, but in the end, when the budgets are finalized a couple of years from now, we are going to be a smaller college than we were five years ago.” An infusion of funds from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and from CAES’ Horticulture Department will extend by two months the operation of the AEMN, and Angle expressed confidence that the school would find funding to keep it open. The dismantling of the AEMN was to begin April 15 and completed by July 1, but the funding from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the UGA Horticulture Department, which totaled $50,000, delayed its shutdown and allowed the university time to garner continuing financial support. “We’ve gotten tremendous support for the weather network around the state,” Angle said. “I feel pretty confident we’re going to find a way to keep it open. Today I can’t tell you where we’re going to find the money to do that, but there’s enough interest and enough positive buzz out there right now that I’m 99 percent sure it’ll stay open.” While the data generated by the AEMN is vital for agricultural producers, according to Angle, the largest users of the AEMN are energy utility companies, which use the information in their decisions about power generation and distribution. And, he said he has been contacted by attorneys who use the network’s data to help establish timelines for court cases. “We’ve got people who have lined up to provide more money. I just haven’t gotten them the answer yet about exactly how much they need to provide,” he said. “Many people have offered, it’s just a matter of getting it organized at this point.”