Helping Build a "Stronger, Healthier Community"

Bruce Bosley knows the value of mixing new techniques with proven, traditional approaches. This Colorado State University Extension agent's work is to help Morgan County residents tackle issues such as the impacts of growth and other quality-of-life concerns.

Bosley has served as director of the Extension office in Morgan County since 1991, and he's lived in eastern Colorado for the past 17 years. Before he was appointed to his current position, Bosley worked as a Extension agronomist in Sterling and as an agricultural consultant in Wray. As a member of the community where he works, Bosley–and his wife, Catherine--are currently active in helping to bring arts and musical events to the Brush and Fort Morgan communities.

Like many other counties in Colorado, Morgan County is growing and changing. Fort Morgan, the county's largest community with a population of about 15,000, has experienced annual growth of about three percent. Included in that growth is a steady increase in the Hispanic population, attracted to Fort Morgan by permanent jobs in heavy industry, the city's fresh-tomato greenhouse and production of other agricultural Crops.

Morgan County is growing slowly as compared with the accelerated pace of growth along the Front Range or in mountain counties. But as Bosley points out, "Change, even if it comes slowly, is inevitable."

He said he and his staff put a priority on helping Morgan County's communities adjust to change by emphasizing issue-based programming. That means focusing on the most significant issues that impact Morgan County. "We don't take sides, we don't have an agenda, and we take a long-term perspective," Bosley stressed. "Our role is to help initiate and facilitate discussion and to provide expertise from Extension and the university when it's needed."

Bosley explained that it's important to encourage discussion among Morgan County residents and leaders because individuals who have different interests can share common goals. That fact became apparent during round-table discussions that Bosley organized to bring together farmers, ranchers and environmentalists.

"Environmentalists as well as farmers and ranchers say they want to preserve open space. That's not surprising," Bosley said. "Farmers were among this country's first environmentalists. They have a rich history as stewards of water and land resources."

In another environmentally related effort, Bosley and his staff have established a program to help Morgan County residents regularly evaluate the quality of their water supply. "Water quality is a priority for Extension throughout Colorado," Bosley pointed out. "It's an especially high-profile issue in eastern Colorado where our ‘hard' water contains significant amounts of mineral salts and other elements."

While farmers and ranchers want to preserve a high quality of life in Morgan County, they also need to increase their incomes, Bosley said. This presents a definite challenge because like many areas in Colorado--and across the nation-- Morgan County's growth one day could reduce the importance of agriculture to its economy.

"Our issue-based approach doesn't necessarily focus on ways to totally preserve the county's current agricultural base," Bosley said. "Agriculture always will be important to this area, but the industry undoubtedly will have to adapt. I think it's accurate to compare agriculture to American industries that once were dominant but had to adapt to stay profitable, the steel industry, for example."

Bosley said one way that Morgan County farmers and ranchers are coping with change is by working with Extension specialists at Colorado State to evaluate the merits of new equipment, techniques that involve computer and satellite technology, and Crops they haven't grown before.

Another promising development in Bosley's estimation is the effort that community groups, Extension representatives, agricultural researchers and farm industries in Morgan County are putting forth to work together. He said by providing Extension education and training of community professionals and consultants on such topics as pest management and marketing, local agricultural producers have reliable, research-based information available.

Bosley gets especially enthusiastic when he talks about what he considers one of his office's most important long-term goals--broadening the appeal of 4-H programs to attract Hispanic youth. "We've organized after-school programs, and we expect to take our youth Like many other counties in Colorado, Morgan County is growing and changing. Fort Morgan, the county's largest community with a population of about 15,000, has experienced annual growth of about three percent. Included in that growth is a steady increase in the Hispanic population, attracted to Fort Morgan by permanent jobs in heavy industry, the city's fresh-tomato greenhouse and production of other agricultural Crops.

Morgan County is growing slowly as compared with the accelerated pace of growth along the Front Range or in mountain counties. But as Bosley points out, "Change, even if it comes slowly, is inevitable."

He said he and his staff put a priority on helping Morgan County's communities adjust to change by emphasizing issue-based programming. That means focusing on the most significant issues that impact Morgan County. "We don't take sides, we don't have an agenda, and we take a long-term perspective," Bosley stressed. "Our role is to help initiate and facilitate discussion and to provide expertise from Extension and the university when it's needed."

Bosley explained that it's important to encourage discussion among Morgan County residents and leaders because individuals who have different interests can share common goals. That fact became apparent during round-table discussions that Bosley organized to bring together farmers, ranchers and environmentalists.

"Environmentalists as well as farmers and ranchers say they want to preserve open space. That's not surprising," Bosley said. "Farmers were among this country's first environmentalists. They have a rich history as stewards of water and land resources."

In another environmentally related effort, Bosley and his staff have established a program to help Morgan County residents regularly evaluate the quality of their water supply. "Water quality is a priority for Extension throughout Colorado," Bosley pointed out. "It's an especially high-profile issue in eastern Colorado where our ‘hard' water contains significant amounts of mineral salts and other elements."

While farmers and ranchers want to preserve a high quality of life in Morgan County, they also need to increase their incomes, Bosley said. This presents a definite challenge because like many areas in Colorado--and across the nation-- Morgan County's growth one day could reduce the importance of agriculture to its economy.

"Our issue-based approach doesn't necessarily focus on ways to totally preserve the county's current agricultural base," Bosley said. "Agriculture always will be important to this area, but the industry undoubtedly will have to adapt. I think it's accurate to compare agriculture to American industries that once were dominant but had to adapt to stay profitable, the steel industry, for example."

Bosley said one way that Morgan County farmers and ranchers are coping with change is by working with Extension specialists at Colorado State to evaluate the merits of new equipment, techniques that involve computer and satellite technology, and Crops they haven't grown before.

Another promising development in Bosley's estimation is the effort that community groups, Extension representatives, agricultural researchers and farm industries in Morgan County are putting forth to work together. He said by providing Extension education and training of community professionals and consultants on such topics as pest management and marketing, local agricultural producers have reliable, research-based information available.

Bosley gets especially enthusiastic when he talks about what he considers one of his office's most important long-term goals--broadening the appeal of 4-H programs to attract Hispanic youth. "We've organized after-school programs, and we expect to take our youth programs out to housing complexes and the county's small communities," he said.

"Our office as a whole puts a priority on outreach efforts in youth development," he said. "We apply the latest research from family and youth-development studies to our county's youth programs. We also recognize that the traditional 4-H model can be extremely effective in helping modern youth," he emphasized. "It's actually the approach a lot of people are looking for today. It encourages family involvement, adult volunteers working with youth, and older kids helping younger ones."

Bosley said the Morgan County Extension staff's efforts include helping citizens broaden their perspective of what a community is. "Our Consumer and family efforts, our youth development programs and our ag and natural resource efforts work together toward our goal of helping build a stronger, healthier sense of community in everyone," he said.

"We look beyond individual needs," said Bosley about Extension's programs in Morgan County. "In light of today's headlines, it's critical for us to help develop strong communities that can meet current and future challenges."

Photo Cutline: Bruce Bosley, director of the Extension office in Morgan County, said his staff's efforts include helping citizens broaden their perspective of what a community is. "Our Consumer and family efforts, our youth development programs and our ag and natural resource efforts work together toward our goal of helping build a stronger, healthier sense of community in everyone."

For more information, contact your local Colorado State University Extension office.

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