Extension
It Starts With Us
McCracken County Horticulture Education Outreach
Horticulture Education
Alsip, Anderson, Dodson, Hank
Master Gardener
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Local Food Systems
Chemical Management
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Horticulture Agent is regularly asked about issues encountered in the landscape and garden.
Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) are needed as community volunteers to help with horticulture education due knowledge gained through training and experiences in the EMG program.
There are needs and demands for locally-grown food.
4. CES is responding to the needs to prevent the misuse of pesticides to protect the environment and the health of the applicators.
Individuals participating in McCracken County CES will apply knowledge gained to benefit themselves, families, and environment. This will have a direct impact on the community.
An increased number of McCracken County residents participate in Cooperative Extension Service programs and services.
Youth and Adults recognize the services offered by McCracken CES.
Long-term Outcome:
Indicator: The number of individuals and families and individuals with Commercial Pesticide Licenses (CPA) report that they have implemented what they have learned from McCracken CES outreach.
Method: Surveys, personal interviews, virtual interaction, reports
Timeline: July to June
Intermediate Outcome:
Indicator: The number of residents and workers with CPA licenses, including active volunteers who participate in or gain information from McCracken CES programs increases.
Method: Personal interviews, interviews of and meetings with volunteers
Timeline: July to June
Initial Outcome:
Indicator: The number of residents, CPA license holders, and schools that contact McCracken County Cooperative Extension for programming needs and education increase.
Method: Call log records, calendars, record of office visits, record of virtual interaction
Timeline: Ongoing
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Consumer questions and answers
Content or Curriculum: Agent training, UK/KSU publications
Inputs: All agents, volunteers and UK Specialists, virtual trainings and meetings
Date: July to June
Audience: McCracken County residents, Paducah/McCracken County Schools (non-commercial), commercial horticulture producers
Project or Activity: Soil-sampling coupons as described by Extension District Board
Content or Curriculum: Soil sampling coupons for McCracken County residents to get up to 7 free basic soil tests with an assigned value limited to $50.00 per resident, soil sample analysis, UK/KSU publications.
Inputs: Agents, UK/KSU Specialists, virtual trainings and meetings
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Adults and Youth
Project or Activity: Educational Programs, including but not limited to: Toolbox Series, Virtual Flower Show
Content or Curriculum: Agent training, UK/KSU publications
Inputs: UK and KSU Agents, volunteers and UK /KSU Specialists
Date: July to June
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Training of EMG of 12 sessions of approximately 2 hours in length. Sessions taught by Agents, Specialists or local experts, EMG
Curriculum:•Cooperative Extension/ Volunteerism •Basic Botany. •Soils and Fertility. •Plant Pathology. •Entomology•Pesticides, IPM and Pesticide safety.
Additional Topics defined by the McCracken County Agent
•Annual & Perennial Flowers
•Woody Plants•Fruits
•Vegetables
•Landscape Design•Interior Plants
•Organic Gardening
•Water Quality
•Turfgrass
•Others; Hands-on activities
•Plant Identification
•Insect and Disease identification
•Field trips as appropriate
Content or Curriculum: County Offices and Ky Cooperative Extension
Inputs: •Staff time – Extension Agents, Specialists
•Extension Master Gardener Volunteers
•Funding – Fees from training and other courses; local grants and in-kind support
•Training materials—KY EMG Training Manual; PowerPoint Presentations; purchased books and resources; Extension publications; Tests and quizzes shared by county agents
•Internet access through eXtension and potential access and use of eXtension’s Ask an Expert
•Social media tools including blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Google Maps; State, regional and national EMG conferences and tour opportunities
Date: Ongoing
Author: Mary Dossett
Major Program: Community Gardens and Horticulture Therapy
The horticulture agent was contacted by the Paducah McCracken Senior Center in McCracken County because they needed more plants for their raised beds. The agent donated a couple trays of tomato and lettuce plants to the Senior Center. The agent has helped them previously with their raised garden beds last summer with serving on their committee as president, watering, and tending to the plants. The plants were donated originally from the UK Horticulture Farm located in Lexington, Kentucky. The pr
Author: Mary Dossett
Major Program: Horticulture, Commercial
The Horticulture Agent hosted a local florist, Lindsay Bowles, at the Extension Service to give a presentation on floral arrangements. The agent saw there was a need when several community members mentioned they wanted to learn more about what types of flowers you can use, how to grow these flowers, where to purchase them, and how to arrange them. On January 2nd, 2024 the florist spoke to about fifty participants and gave them educational information about floral arranging. The participants were
Author: Mary Dossett
Major Program: Master Gardener
The problem we noticed in the community was there was not many homesteading programs offered in the area. The Horticulture agent contacted Miranda Rudolph in Graves County to speak for one of the Master Gardener programs. Miranda did a wonderful job by highlighting the aspects of what homesteading is and how to get started. The participants/target audience was outstanding and is now the record number for Master Gardener Toolbox programs. We had 80 adults and 7 kids attend the program! There
Author: Mary Dossett
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Lakes of Paducah reached out needing to get their residents more involved in hands-on activities that involve gardening. Three master gardener, The Horticulture Agent, Horticulture Assistant, and several office staff of the center volunteered to help. Bud Qualk, Master Gardener president, lead the program and educated the residents about the plants he brought. The volunteers handed out three different types of plants and the residents placed them in the planters. They wore their homemade der
