Burnet County Extension agent Wade Hibler retiring after three decades

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

BURNET — After more than three decades of serving communities as an agriculture extension agent, Wade Hibler is making a change. It’s one he says is good for him and his family as well as for Burnet County.

“Change is good,” Hibler said.

On Aug. 31, Hibler officially retires from the Texas A&M Extension Service. He has been an agriculture and education advocate in Burnet County since 1992. But even though he’s retiring, Hibler isn’t going away.

“I’m not going to disappear,” he said. “Well, I’ll disappear for a little bit because my wife and I are going to go on vacation … New Mexico. But then, I’ll be back and I’ll be around. I’m not going anywhere.”

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture credits Hibler with more than 34 years of service thanks to work he did prior to joining the extension service, Hibler will mark 33 years and three months as an extension agent upon his retirement. During those three decades of service, Hibler has witnessed quite a bit of change.

Though many people associate agriculture extension agents with gardeners and public programs, Hibler said one of his biggest roles over the years serving Burnet, Bastrop, Travis and Lee counties involved working with farmers and ranchers. While the general public doesn’t necessarily see this interaction, it’s one Hibler cherished.

“(Extension agents are) really the eyes of the producers,” he said. “We let them know what’s coming. Right now, it’s army worms and grasshoppers. We try to stay out in front of things so we can help the producers get ready for things, whether its an uptick in a particular pest, new regulations or new techniques.”

When Hibler started his career in the extension service, Texas A&M University’s program classified him as an agriculture extension agent. Sometime during the years, the service realized the changing role of agriculture extension agents and added “natural resources” to the moniker. For Hibler, it seemed a natural transition.

“As ag agents, we really deal with community issues,” he said. “And a lot of those are about natural resources.”

One of the most pressing natural resource-related issues for Burnet County has been and remains water. Even though the recent drought pushed the topic to the forefront over the past couple of years, Hibler and other local officials have been working on it for more than a decade. To illustrate this, he pulled a book from his shelf. It’s a several hundred-page handbook Hibler received while attending a weeklong water symposium in the 1990s.

“The extension service understood water was an issue then, and it still is,” he said.

While some issues remain the same, Hibler has witnessed major changes in Burnet County, especially regarding land use. As the Highland Lakes and the Hill Country in general drew people from outside the area, the number of larger landholdings decreased. Hibler received fewer calls from large property owners, while the number from those with smaller property holdings exploded.

“Burnet County has grown by leaps and bounds,” he said. “Pastureland has gone to smaller landowners with 10, 20 or 40 acres. I love helping those people. When they come to me and say, ‘I worked for IBM for 30 years, and I just bought this land. What can I do with this 40 acres?’ I love to help get them heading in the right direction.”

Over the years, Hibler has been involved in youth education and 4-H programs. Attend any county, district and even larger livestock shows, and there’s a good chance Hibler will be out their among the kids and their parents, offering advice, organizing programs and making sure exhibitors are where they should be. But, he pointed out, 4-H isn’t just about livestock. In fact, the top Burnet County 4-H program is shooting sports. And following it are several other non-livestock activities, including the growing Outdoor Challenge. Livestock, Hibler said, is probably No. 4 or No. 5 on the list.

“The thing I love about 4-H, whether it’s livestock or one of the other programs, we’re giving the kids an opportunity to develop their leadership skills,” he said. “We’re just using livestock or one of these other programs for a vehicle for that.”

Even though he’s retiring, Hibler plans to remain a presence at livestock shows.

“If there’s a kid with a show pig or lamb who needs some help, I’ll still sit in the pen with them and share ideas,” he said. “And I hope when the new agent comes here, I hope I can ride along with him or her sometimes.”

Then he laughed and added, “The only thing is when we get back here (to the office), he or she will have to come in here and do the paperwork. I’ll get to go home.”

With 30-plus years as an extension agent (more than two decades of that in Burnet County), Hibler views his retirement as an opportunity for himself and the county. The Texas A&M AgriLife district official will review applicants for the Burnet County position and make a recommendation to the commissioners court for Hibler’s replacement.

“I feel like it’s time for a new person to come in here with new ideas and new approaches,” Hibler said.

After a vacation with his wife, Ellen, Hibler plans to volunteer with some of the organizations that interest him such as the Friends of Inks Lake State Park and the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists as well as other events and programs. He’s considering offering consulting services for landowners.

His future mornings will need a different approach then his current ones.

“I look forward to getting up early in the morning, and me and the dog will take a walk,” Hibler said. “Then, about 9 o’clock, I’ll decide what I’m going to do today. There won’t be any rush or pressure.”

Looking back over his three-decade career, Hibler described it with one word.

“I use the word ‘blessed’ to sum it up,” he said.

Officials have set up a 4-H scholarship fund to honor Hibler’s dedication and service to Burnet County. People may make donations to the fund by sending contributions to: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 1701 E. Polk St., Burnet, TX 78611 (attention Linda or Debbie.)

daniel@thepicayune.com