“Through extension we are working toward bringing new businesses to Michigan, educating community members across the state and thinking of new ways we can maximize our funding,” Coon said.

MSU Extension began in the early 1900s, and spread to additional counties starting in 1912. Now with a total of about 1,200 employees, Coon said it is doing whatever it can to help benefit the state with its programs.

However, with a statewide budget of $86 million, up 1 percent from the 2007 budget, Coon said not every county can always prosper after taking inflation into account.

While additional funds are issued from outside grants, donors and county governments, Coon said, every year up to four counties have to deal with financial cuts that can disband individual branches all together. This year Eaton County is one branch that is facing that predicament.

Due to the county’s $1.6 million debt from low priority taxes and the state’s struggling economy, Eaton County commissioners are now deciding if their extension will be eliminated, said Mona Ellard, director of the extension.

The extension is researching canola as a diesel fuel alternative, as well as providing community development and youth leadership oriented programs, such as the 4-H program.

While funding may be staying at a constant rate, Coon said there is another issue.

“Our appropriated funds have not changed in the past nine years, but the cost of living has, bringing our buying power down about 34 percent,” Coon said.

MSU’s 4-H program, which offers youth leadership programs, has been forced to look for additional funding from alternative sources, said Erica Tobe, a program leader for the division of Children, Youth, Families & Communities at MSU.

“By networking with other places in Michigan who are trying to get the same message out that we are, we are able to work together,” Tobe said. “We are looking at the needs of the programs and figuring out smarter and more economical ways to deliver them.”

Project GREEN, a division that supports research, teaching and extension at MSU, received $5.5 million this year in state funds, and works with different MSU extensions to allocate funding for different research and educational programs.

While their budget has not decreased for 10 years, Doug Buhler, associate director of the program, said inflation is causing changes within their competitive grant funding.

“We feel very fortunate that the legislation has seen the importance in what we are doing, but the percentage of projects being funded the past few years has dropped slightly,” Buhler said.