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---- — EAST LANSING (AP) — The Michigan State University Extension has started a major overhaul, trimming a layer of management and reorganizing its county-level farm education programs.
Extension Director Tom Coon says the changes started today.
Coon says the extension no longer will have 82 county-level directors in five regions. Instead, local staffers will be part of 13 multi-county districts, each overseen by a coordinator.
The extension says it began to examine its work and structure early last year.
Goals of the overhaul include fielding more specialized educators, improving connections between field staff and campus researchers, and making better use of technology.