After more than 25 years of helping others plan for success ontheir farms and ranches, Alcorn State Cooperative Extension ServiceAgent Mike Byrne has decided to retire and put his knowledge to useon his own ranch.

“I’m going to start working on my place and, perhaps, go backinto the cattle business,” Byrne said. “I’ve been in it all mylife, but I sold out about three years ago and I miss it. I’mlooking forward to rebuilding it.”

Wednesday will be Byrne’s last day in office. He will officiallyretire March 1.

Byrne said Alcorn State will not hire another full-time agenthere. Instead, Lincoln County will become part of the five-countycoverage area of Audrey Wilson, who is stationed in McComb.

Byrne will continue to represent District Two as its electioncommissioner and says he intends to seek the office again in the2008 election cycle.

The Brookhaven native’s loss means the county will have lost awealth of agricultural knowledge in the past few months, saidRebecca Bates, director of the Mississippi State UniversityCooperative Extension Service. Perry Brumfield, the former MSUdirector, retired last fall.

Bates, who started in her position Jan. 3, said Byrne would bemissed.

“He’s been a bright light to me. In the short time I’ve workedwith Mike he’s been very gracious,” she said. “He’s introduced meto so many people.”

Extension Agent Natasha Haynes, who has worked with Byrne formore than 11 years, called his retirement a “happy, but sad,occasion. He’s a good friend. It’s like losing a member of thefamily.”

Byrne graduated from Brookhaven Academy in 1973 and attendedCopiah-Lincoln Community College before entering the work force. Heworked on a dairy farm for four years and for an electricalwholesale company for six years before becoming an agriculturalprogram assistant at Alcorn State’s extension office here. Hereceived his bachelor’s degree in general agriculture from AlcornState in 1982.

Byrne said what he is most proud of during his career was thefriendships he made and the bonds of camaraderie formed with hisco-workers.

“The extension service and the public have been extremelygracious to me and I’ll always cherish those friendships,” hesaid.

Of regrets, he said he has only one.

“I always wanted a farmer’s market,” he admitted. “I just feltBrookhaven and Lincoln County needed one, where people could getfresh produce that was locally grown by area farmers.”

Unfortunately, Byrne said, his efforts to establish one nevergenerated enough interest among farmers and participation was toolow to move forward with the project.

After Wednesday, Byrne may not be the fixture in the extensionoffice that he was for more than two decades, but Bates said hewould always be welcome.

“I’ll miss my coffee break buddy. The coffeepot in this officewill always be on for Mike Byrne,” she said.