NORWICH – Lawmakers could decide today whether or not to beef up the staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chenango County by adding a full-time grazing specialist.

The soils here are optimal for growing grasses, according to Extension Director Ken Smith. While advocating for the position at government committee meetings this fall, Smith said a grazing expert would encourage new farms, convert existing farms to rotational or other grazing systems, put idle land into pasture, and provide an economic boost for some of the more underdeveloped parts of the county.

“Every town in the county can benefit. It’s a good way to keep open land from going to scrub,” he said.

The position would complement existing services offered to beef and dairy producers, such as the Chenango County Soil and Water Conservation Agency which taps into state and federal funding sources for infrastructure needs on the farm. A grazing specialist would help agribusinesses find wholesale and retail markets for their grazing-based products, recommend grasses and specific care for livestock, and crunch numbers for interested farmers to see if grazing would be profitable for them or not.