Extension Service a vital resource

My wife and I live out here in the country.

We are shocked to learn that we are in danger of losing the local Extension Service.

What a shame it would be to let this valuable resource slip away.

Consider what the 4-H program, Master Gardener Program, Master Food Preservers, Forestry and Livestock & Forages Programs bring to the community.

The valuable information they provide is at little or no cost.

I believe it would be a considerable loss to the community if these programs were no longer available.

I've been particularly impressed with the food preserver group.

I was attracted to their classes last fall when they advertised a field dressing day for the hunters.

There were a good number of folks who attended this session, both men and women. With the number of small ranches and farms in the county, the information provided was most valuable.

They followed up with other classes on the proper method of preserving and canning meats and making sausages, again, classes which were attended by both men and women.

I'm impressed with their depth of knowledge and their willingness to thoroughly answer questions and provide useful information.

I believe these classes are an important and an affordable resource for us.

We figured what our own tax increase would be (at 6.5 cents per $1,000 assessed value per year), and it amounts to less than it costs to drive to Roseburg for lunch once a year.

<b>Leonard F. Lanza</b>

<i>Roseburg</i>