We gratefully thank the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service for funding the training described here. In addition, we would like
1 Extension Postharvest Specialist; to whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail address: micantwell@ucdavis.edu 2 Visiting Scientist. 3 Extension Postharvest Specialist. This study was partially supported by a Korea Science and
all ages, education levels, income levels, marital statuses, household sizes, genders, and regional locations. Consumer horticulture stakeholders also include Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers. There were ≈95,000 active volunteers in the
An enhanced appreciation and need for peer review of teaching and extension scholarship has become apparent in recent years in higher education ( Bernstein et al., 2006 ; Fincher et al., 2000 ; Sachs and Parsell, 2013 ). Peer review of teaching
, but that social media is most effective when posts are shared by accounts with large numbers of followers or subscribers. This online outreach campaign was unique in that we used extension specialist expertise to provide extension agents with a toolkit
Management changes brought about by 1996 budgetary action shifted local Master Gardener (MG) program management from state-funded local agents to a structure of coordinators consisting of locally funded agents, locally funded nonagent coordinators, and volunteers willing to take on additional responsibilities. The Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) MG volunteer program is currently available in 76 unit offices. The unit programs are managed by 46 MG coordinators, including 8 locally funded agents, 8 locally funded technicians, and 30 volunteers. Currently, there are 2747 MG volunteers (trainees, interns, and MGs). To provide consistent, state-level direction and leadership to this less experienced group of local coordinators and to prepare them for their jobs as MG program managers, current management materials were extensively revised and expanded and new resources were developed. These efforts to ensure that everyone understood the purpose and focus of the VCE MG program resulted in revision of MG program policies, development of new volunteer training materials, establishment of a state-level MG planning and work team, new management guidelines, in-service training for coordinators, an administrative website and electronic discussion listserv available only internally to agents and coordinators, and a state MG newsletter focused on the role of MGs as community leaders and educators.
Extension Master Gardener volunteer programs have been in existence in the United States since 1972, in Canada since 1985, and in South Korea since 2011 ( Wonsuk and Durham, 2015 ). There are active programs in 49 states (Massachusetts does not have
because increasing reports of Bt resistance indicate a limited lifespan for one of their main management tools ( Reisig and Reay-Jones, 2015 ; Tabashnik and Carriere, 2015 ; Tabashnik et al., 2009 ). Husk traits (e.g., husk extension past the ear tip
A Community of Practice (CoP) for consumer horticulture has been formed as part of the eXtension system. The CoP was organized at the National Consumer Horticulture Forum held Nov. 2005 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The meeting was attended by representatives of 24 states from all four Extension geographical regions. The attendees discussed project priorities and began to build a framework for working together across state lines on eXtension-sponsored activities and other efforts. Initial plans from the meeting include constructing a National Consumer Horticulture FAQ database, developing online learning modules that can be used for Master Gardener training, and developing marketing tools to better identify consumer horticulture resources available through local as well as national Extension activities. This presentation will provide additional details regarding the Consumer Horticulture Forum, an update regarding consumer horticulture activities within eXtension, and an opportunity for members of ASHS to learn how they can get involved in eXtension. Information regarding eXtension CoPs (including Consumer Horticulture) is continually being updated on the eXtension CoP Web site (cop.extension.org) and information regarding the Consumer Horticulture Forum has been posted on the Consumer Horticulture CoP Community Home page (cop.extension.org/wiki/Consumer_Horticulture_Community).
( Evans et al., 1997 ). Plant growth regulators that limit shoot length extension are used most often to improve the light environment in the canopy for better fruit color development and quality. P-Ca (Apogee ® ) is a primary plant bioregulator in pome