The local farm store in Marshall County, Marshall County Co-op, wanted to expand the expertise of their sales team. The Co-op partnered with Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Nikki Bell, and the Marshall Master Gardener Association to provide employees the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of Horticulture topics. Their employees participated in the 18 week Master Gardener Class which covered everything from plant diagnostics to landscape design.

Today, the MG class participants from the Co-op are almost 2 years into their MG careers. They are active members in the Master Gardener Association and have proven to be unique assets to the association by bringing diversity to the group with their agriculture backgrounds. When looking back on the experience so far one of participants said, "It has helped me professionally with my position at the Co-op. I can now proudly and knowingly assist our customers with agriculture & horticulture related questions, including; plant diseases, plant identification (weeds), insects and damage, soil amendments, and more...I am very happy that I decided to join the program and there are probably many more ways it has positively affected my job performance."

The participants supervisor said, "I believe that getting their Master Gardener certification benefitted my staff in several ways. It increased their confidence when making recommendations and helped them organize their existing knowledge and experience in a more useful and relevant way. Obviously they increased their knowledge base overall. In addition, they became part of a community that they can continue to work with and learn from. All of these factors contribute to their overall ability to assist Co-op customers. Thank you for making the Master Gardener program available in Marshall County!"

This experience and other collaborations between the Marshall County Extension Office and the Marshall County Coop over the last 4 years, has improved the quality of service delivered by both entities.. Customers are at ease when they take the Extension Office's unbiased/research based recommendations to the store. At the store, they are met with staff who not only want to sell the appropriate/best product to meet the customer's needs but are also educated on the topics and genuinely believe in the mission of the Extension service.