SITUATION:

Demand for home horticulture information continues to increase for Kentucky county Extension offices. The Kentucky Extension Master Gardener (EMG) Program develops trained volunteers to assist county Extension staff in meeting this need for research-based information and public outreach.
 LONG-TERM OUTCOMES:

The public has a positive perception of EMG volunteers as reliable sources for home horticulture information.

EMG Volunteers extend the educational outreach of the Cooperative Extension Service in areas such as community gardens, youth gardening, environmentally sustaining lawn and garden practices, and other topics.

 LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:

Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Training of EMG of 12-15 wks, 2-3 hrs. per week. 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

Success Story:

There is a need in McCracken County to help the residents to better understand the environment and how they grow trees, shrubs, lawns and gardens. To help with the many requests received by the Extension office, McCracken County has a dedicated group of about 30 volunteers who have become trained and certified by the University of Kentucky as Extension Master Gardeners. 

Horticulture Agent is advisor for the McCracken County Extension Master Gardeners (MCEMG) DBA Purchase Area Master Gardeners Association. The MCEMG volunteers work throughout the year to hold educational programs on gardening, food safety, and horticulture education. Each year the MCEMG volunteers are responsible for 1) the McCracken County Fair Flower Show including both horticulture entries and a Standard Flower Show 2) Farmers Market Celebration Saturday events 3) Herb Appeal luncheon/fundraiser 4) teach Toolbox series of free gardening classes for the general public 5) help McCracken County Extension Service as needed with special projects.

This program is now 20 years old. Each year the members are recognized for their volunteer time in intervals of 100 hours, 200 hours and so forth. There are 4 MCEMG who are 20-year members. Their efforts are recognized through the awarding of a charm to represent the various levels of accomplishment at the regular business meeting held each March of the calendar year. Hours of volunteer service are turned in on designated time sheets that list hours of service and the action carried out. In the calendar year of 2018, the MCEMG volunteers worked for an overall total of 3347 hours. This represents an in-kind contribution at $22 per hour of $73,634.00 in volunteer labor.