Master Gardeners (MGs) have proven to be effective judges for vocational horticulture student demonstrations of industry skills in 1996 Virginia and National FFA competitions. In a survey, the MG judges indicated a wide variety of backgrounds, with many being first-year MGs having no prior experience in judging or youth programs. Overall, they rated the student performance as better than expected and their own judging standard as neither lenient nor rigorous. Training is a critical part of their effectiveness as judges, and it was found that multiple formats are needed. Overall, most rated judging the FFA events as a very appropriate match to the MG educational goals, and there was a 100% affirmative response to the questions would they accept an invitation to judge again and would they encourage other MGs to volunteer as judges for FFA horticulture events.
Most of Nebraska's population resides in the urban centers of eastern Nebraska. Traditionally, how ever, the Cooperative Extension Service has catered to the rural populations of the state. Now, it is imperative that the public and the legislative representatives from these urban areas learn that the research and outreach programs of the University also serve them. A Festival of Color was the vehicle for delivering this information to the urban audience, as well as to Agent Educators and Aides, Natural Resource District personnel, and other professionals, including government officials. Both professionals and the general public responded enthusiastically to the Festival's innovative use of the research site.
The educational objective was to answer the public's questions on the environment, including water quality and conservation in the landscape, and reduction of fertilizers and pesticides. Information was presented by Extension Specialists and Assistants, Master Gardeners, Natural Resource- District personnel, Department of Environmental Quality, State Energy Office, and Nebraska Association of Nurserymen.
A survey of Georgia homeowners provided insights about their use of fertilizers and pesticides. Knowledge of current homeowner practices is needed to develop a best management practices manual to be used by Master Gardeners to train the general public through the existing outreach programs. The objective of the training program is to reduce nutrient runoff and garden chemicals and improve the quality of surface water in urban water-sheds. Results showed three of four homeowners did their own landscaping and, therefore, fully controlled the amount of applied chemicals and the area of application. Fertilizers were primarily applied to lawns, but a high percentage of homeowners also applied them to trees, shrubs, and flowers. Insecticides were applied by a larger percentage of homeowners than herbicides. Control of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) was likely the reason behind the frequent use of insecticides. The desire for a weed free lawn was the plausible motivation behind the use of herbicides, which were used mostly on lawns. Fungicide use was infrequently reported by Georgia homeowners. The pattern of fertilizer and pesticide use suggests that the developed manual should emphasize techniques and cultural practices, which could lower the dependence on chemicals, while ultimately assuring the desired appearance of turf and ornamental plants.
Data supports the success of Colorado Master Gardener sm (MG) of Boulder County outreach beyond the Cooperative Extension office at outlying clinic sites. Initially unique in Colorado, MG plant clinics at area nurseries and garden centers has gained acceptance in other counties of Colorado. Exploration of benefits and investments for programs interested in expanding outreach to the public are discussed to provide a blueprint for clinics start-up. MG clinics are set up to provide answers to questions from the public on Friday through Sundays from April through mid-July. This schedule, coupled with the Monday through Friday MG desk hours, provides seven day per week access to the public during the busiest part of the growing season. Clinics are conveniently located in all county communities at Green Industry locations. Participating businesses consider the clinics a benefit worth investing IN and justification of sites is uniform. Additional single-day clinics have spun off as an addition to fixed clinic schedule. High requirement of staff time, increased sample load and resource investment is offset by the benefits of increased visibility of program in the community leading to increased recruitment of volunteers. Knowledge gained by the public has brought about measurable positive changes in pesticide use and responsible cultural practices. Volunteer retention is favorably affected with increased flexibility of scheduling opportunities and communications. Information on setting up clinic sites, what the sites receive, staff time and services requirements, and refinements as a result of clinic survey will be given.
currently is a professor and extension horticulturist in the Department of Horticultural Science. Meyer has done an outstanding job of advancing the scholarship of Extension, especially the public value of the Extension Master Gardener volunteer program and
The objectives of the project were to design and implement an educational campaign on low-input lawn care, measure its effectiveness, and use the information gained to develop a model education plan that other communities could use. Residents of Edina, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, initiated the project by expressing an interest in reducing the amounts of chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) used on residential lawns. The program's educational goal focused on teaching Edina's residents about proper timing and rate of application of all lawn inputs, as well as cultural techniques for producing a healthy lawn. The educational campaign consisted of informational articles published in Edina's quarterly community magazine; the establishment of 19 demonstration sites in which volunteer homeowners worked with Master Gardener mentors learning low-input lawn care techniques; a WWW page where information about lawn care and the project itself was posted; and a public seminar conducted by a turf specialist. Two surveys (May 1996 and April 1997) were distributed, each to a random sample of 800 Edina residents. The surveys measured lawn care knowledge and current practices, attitudes concerning pesticide use and the environment, as well as the effectiveness of this educational program. Recommendations for other community educational programs will be presented.
Interest in horticulture in Wyoming increases each year. The vast size of the state, coupled with its low population, make travel to individual sites around the state difficult. Distance education and communication are keys to a successful horticulture Extension education program. Every summer since 2000, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service has sponsored a series of horticulture question and answer sessions. These sessions are carried out using the Wyoming compressed video system, linking campus-based specialists with Extension educators, Master Gardeners, industry, and occasionally the public, around the state. The number of sites linked with campus has varied from six to 11, depending on the year. The number of sessions held each summer has also varied, from the current six to a high of nine in 2000. Each session is 50 minutes long. The objective of these sessions is to allow personnel off-campus to show samples, ask questions, and get assistance from campus-based specialists in diagnosing various plant problems. Evaluations are done annually to determine several things: if the programs should be run again the next year, which days of the week and time of the day are best, if attendees are utilizing the information learned in the sessions, and if they feel more comfortable with their own diagnoses after the sessions. Responses vary with year, but typically 100% say the programs should continue, and greater than 75% use the information they learn and are more comfortable with their responses and their abilities to solve plant problems.
A hypermedia information system was developed to recommend trees for landscaping and to obtain information on these individual trees. Using the software HyperCard on the Macintosh computer, we developed a system that uses the idea of index cards with information being stored on separate screens called “cards.” Using a mouse, the user navigates from one card to another by click on a “button” on the card. The user may select from several criteria including tree type, tree height, soil type, drought tolerance, wind tolerance, shade tolerance, salt tolerance, and growth rate. The program then finds which trees meet the desired criteria and provides information on these trees. This easy-to-use system requires no typing except to enter a word to search for. The user can quickly browse for the desired information and save it as a text file or print it. The Farmer's Bookshelf provides a tool for extension agents, growers, and homeowners to easily obtain vitally needed information. The program has further application for landscape companies, Master Gardener programs, and in horticultural courses.
Hawaii has had a large growth in housing, and with the reduced lot sizes of single family dwellings has come interest in using ground covers to landscape limited areas. As residential areas are being located on less desirable lands, there is a need to select ground covers that do well in these areas. The objective of this study was to develop a hypermedia information system to recommend ground covers and to obtain information on individual ground covers. Using the software HyperCard® on the Macintosh® computer, we developed a system that uses the idea of index cards with information being stored on separate screens called “cards.” Using a mouse, the user navigates from one card to another by clicking on a “button” on the card. The user may select up to four criteria from 33 criteria including plant height, elevation, soil moisture, flower color, erosion control, and shade. The program then finds which of 48 ground covers meet the desired criteria and provides information on these ground covers. This easy-to-use system requires no typing except to enter a word to search for. The user can quickly browse for the desired information and save it as a text file or print it. The Farmer's Bookshelf™ provides a tool for extension agents and growers to obtain easily vitally needed information. The program has further application for landscape companies, Master Gardener programs, and in horticultural courses.
A proposed Center for Horticulture within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of The University of Georgia will target both Environmental Horticulture professionals and homeowners. To be headquartered at the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin, Ga., with satellite units in Atlanta, Athens, Tifton, and Savannah, the Center will utilize advanced communications technology in developing and delivering educational outreach programs for clientele. Distance learning via fiber optics telecommunications will be used to provide educational short courses and seminars to clientele across the state. Distance imaging will be used for plant problem solving and plant identification. Newsletters, pest alerts, program announcements and other information will be sent electronically to clients via fax, e-mail, or the World Wide Web. Marketing of Georgia-grown crops will be a major thrust of the Center. A second component of the Center will be a public outreach unit, staffed by trained Master Gardeners, professional coordinator, and computer technician housed at the various satellite units. Citizens throughout the state will be able to phone one of the satellite units to get their gardening questions answered. Information will be sent directly to clients via fax, e-mail, or from the local county Extension agent when prompted via the computer to send the client an informational bulletin. A central server and database of information to support the Center will be maintained at the Georgia Experiment Station. The Center will utilize an interdisciplinary approach, involving teaching, research, and Extension personnel in responding to industry and consumer needs.