A small program with an almost entirely local net cost
Kern County’s Farm and Home Advisor budget rises from $509,186 actually spent in 2024–25 to $550,731 in 2025–26, an increase of $41,545, or 8.2%.
The adopted revenue line is $100 in miscellaneous revenue. That leaves a $550,631 net cost—99.98% of total appropriations—compared with $509,081 in the latest actual year.
Salary and benefit costs rise 9.2% to $316,865. Services and supplies rise 6.8% to $233,866. The two categories account for the entire adopted appropriation.
| Measure | 2024–25 actual | 2025–26 adopted | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $105 | $100 | −4.8% |
| Salary and benefits | $290,111 | $316,865 | +9.2% |
| Services and supplies | $219,075 | $233,866 | +6.8% |
| Net county cost | $509,081 | $550,631 | +8.2% |
The summary does not price the service delivered
The finding does not mean the county receives no outside value. Cooperative-extension programs can involve university staff, research and in-kind support that do not appear as revenue in this budget unit. The page alone cannot allocate those contributions.
It also provides no farm visits, workshops, participants, publications or measured outcomes. The 99.98% calculation describes the county budget’s listed financing, not every resource behind the service.
The public-interest test is therefore straightforward: pair the half-million-dollar local contribution with a public workload and outcomes report. This analysis establishes the financing baseline against which that performance can be measured.
Sources and further reading
Kern County FY2025–26 Adopted Budget — Farm and Home Advisor, printed p314 ↗