Baertsche says farewell, but not before touting organization's successes

Teamwork, collaboration and specialization are what define Ohio StateUniversity Extension, aspects of the organization that outgoing OSUExtension assistant director Steve Baertsche attributes to its success andsees as keys to shaping its future.Baertsche, who has held the position for 15 years, will bid farewell tothe College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences with hisretirement on March 31. But during his time at the university, the HardinCounty native says OSU Extension has been successful in aligning itself withthe needs of its clients and sees a bright future ahead.³I¹m honored to have been able to serve in this position and have beenblessed to have worked with so many great administrators, faculty andsupport staff. It has truly been a team within a team here,² said Baertsche.³But it¹s time to move on and allow other new, young minds to come in andrethink how Extension can move forward.²Don Breece, an OSU Extension farm management specialist, will serve asinterim assistant director, effective April 1.Baertsche began his Ohio State University career as an OSU Extensionsheep specialist in animal sciences in 1980 before moving into the assistantdirector position in 1993. It was during that time that the university losta number of experienced and highly respected teachers and researchersthrough a retirement buy-out. Concerns about the viability of Extension soonfollowed.³Commodity groups, agricultural businesses, and farmers were concernedabout our relevance to them. Back then, it was more of a top-down approachto reaching clients,² said Baertsche. ³In response, Extension restructureditself to include more teamwork and less segregation, more communication andmore opportunities to promote Extension educator specializations. That wasseen as a valuable way of relating to farmers and it¹s been verysuccessful.²Part of that success has come from the development of multidisciplinaryteams within Extension that emphasize the specialization of each team.³The Extension Nursery Landscape and Turf Team was used as a model tocreate this synergy of agents working together. The first team formed fromthis model was the Agronomic Crops Team, and the rest is history,² saidBaertsche. Today OSU Extension boasts over 20 teams that address commoditiesand issues ranging from economics to livestock to sustainable agriculture.OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Centerhave also bridged the communications and teamwork gap, allowing for morecross-disciplinary emphasis.³It used to be that OARDC was more research and Extension was moreteaching. Now it¹s transparent. I can¹t think of too many Extensionspecialists now who don¹t have OARDC appointments,² said Baertsche. ³Thestrengthened cohesiveness with OARDC has allowed Extension to get moreinvolved in applied research and that has been a great value to ourclients.²Not only is there teamwork with OARDC, but faculty, county educators,specialists and associates all within Extension, have pulled together toproduce materials, resource tools and programs that have also contributed tothe organization¹s success.Baertsche said that the creation of such resource tools as the CropObservation and Recommendation Network (C.O.R.N.) newsletter, the OSUExtension Beef Team newsletter, and the Ohio Ag Manager newsletter, alongwith programs ranging from aquaculture to Woodland Stewards to the new OhioCertified Volunteer Naturalist program have all proved invaluable to usersacross the state.³With Extension available to provide research-based, educationalinformation, it never ceases to amaze me that some people think that theyshould only be getting their information through the private sector,² saidBaertsche.So what roads should OSU Extension take for the future? Baertsche hassome ideas:Identifying and targeting farm niches. ³Ten percent of the farms willstill produce 90 percent of the products, but the other 90 percent offarmers will still need help with alternative marketing opportunities,² saidBaertsche.Investing in more human resource management opportunities. ³There is ahuge vacuum in training related to farm management, recruitment, retentionand labor,² said Baertsche. ³That¹s a big worry for farmers. Where will theyfind tomorrow¹s labor pool to remain competitive?²Networking with certified crop consultants. ³Crop consultants are goingto have a huge impact on crop production decisions,² said Baertsche.³Extension needs to be there to continue working closely with that group.²Increasing collaborations with other universities. ³Find some way tocost share faculty/staff positions with other universities,² said Baertsche.³We are seeing more families crossing state lines, and public fundingresources are becoming more limited. We¹ve got to find more unique ways toshare our research.²Utilizing more technology, such as geospatial applications. Suchtechnology has implications for positioning Extension for the future.