U of M Extension service seeks pay boost to stem staff exodus

Facing high turnover that has left key positions vacant, the University of Minnesota Extension is asking Morrison County and its partners to significantly increase educator salaries in order to stem the exodus of talent from rural areas.

At the Tuesday, June 11 County Board of Commissioners planning session, Extension Regional Director Lori Vicich presented data showing the difficult position the Extension finds itself in. With some agricultural employers and other counties able to offer wages twice as high, the Extension has struggled to attract and retain qualified employees.

“The Morrison County Extension is going to be significantly under budget this year, but that is not good news,” Vicich said. “And that’s why I’m here, because we are having, like everyone else, an impossible time attracting and retaining talent.”

Two local positions serving the Morrison County area are currently open after educators departed within a year to accept higher-paying jobs elsewhere. Without action, Vicich warned more could follow, weakening vital services that farmers, families and communities have come to rely on.

“This is something that I view as being inevitable, that at some point in time, we’re going to have to help the Extension be competitive in the marketplace,” said Commissioner Greg Blaine. “The cost of hiring employees and backgrounding them for core large-scale agriculture to benefit from can’t go on. We’ve had superior talent and we don’t have a compensation program that is competitive to keep staff here.”

The proposed increase would cost the county around an additional $25,000 in 2025, which would be enough to raise the price per position to $100,000 per local educator, $75,000 for administrative support and $22.56 per hour for interns. An additional 3% cost of living adjustment was also proposed for 2026 and 2027. Vivich said the price per position did not equal the employee’s salary, as additional expenses included travel costs, fringe benefits and professional development.

Vicich said this proposed increase would bring salaries more in line with comparable roles, addressing a gap that has widened over years as the Extension’s contracts with counties failed to keep pace with rising costs of living and private sector wages.

Although some commissioners expressed concern over exceeding their standard 3% cost-of-living adjustment, others recognized the importance of supporting the Extension and investing in its future amid rapid changes in agriculture.

“As far as I’m personally concerned, my struggle through this is not going to be, ‘Do our Extension people do a good job? Are they important? Et cetera, et cetera.’ That’s not going to be part of my discussion, because I think the Board would agree and say, of course, they’re important. And then I have to say, in parentheses, which employee in Morrison County isn’t important? Because they all are,” said Commissioner Jeffrey Jelinski. “I’ll be very honest and open with the Board and certainly with the Extension. I’m going to have a real struggle this time around … going up above 3% versus the 300 or thereabout employees that we have in Morrison County that are going to get a 3% increase in pay. Whether this increase is 3.25% or whether this increase is 7.5%, I could care less … If it’s over 3%, I’m going to have a real struggle with it.”

The University of Minnesota Extension’s work goes beyond agriculture. Its 4-H youth programs build skills and confidence in young people, making them less likely to require social services later in life. And Master Gardeners provide horticulture expertise to homeowners.

The estimated $25,000 budget impact gave some commissioners pause. But Vicich noted a partnership with neighboring counties could help share rising costs, and delaying action risks losing more staff, requiring even higher salaries to later rebuild expertise.

Although no decision was made, commissioners seemed open to working with the Extension on viable options. A revised budget proposal is expected, where the Board will make the difficult decision to either support keeping rural Minnesota’s most experienced advisors from being lured away or to save money to prevent spending more taxpayer dollars.