Helping Others Learn to Grow
Learn about the Missouri Master Gardener Program
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The mission of the Missouri Master Gardener program is: "Helping Others Learn to Grow". As part of the outreach efforts of University of Missouri Extension, Master Gardeners involve people in improving the quality of life, and enhancing the economy and environment through horticultural education, applied research and the resources of the University of Missouri and Lincoln University.
The Master Gardener concept began more than 25 years ago in Washington state in response to a high level of interest in home gardening and numerous requests to county extension offices for horticultural information. The idea was to involve horticulture extension faculty in training knowledgeable gardeners to assist Extension staff in delivering home gardening information to friends, neighbors, and the general public. From that first class of Seattle area Master Gardeners in 1972, the concept has now spread to all 50 states and several Canadian provinces.
The Missouri Master Gardener program began in St. Louis in 1983. The program was offered jointly by the University of Missouri and the Missouri Botanical Garden. This unique partnership continues today. St. Louis Master Gardeners are vital to staffing the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden in addition to serving outreach functions outside the garden gates. Other metropolitan areas of the state soon followed suit, with Master Gardener programs in Kansas City and Springfield beginning a couple of years later. These additional programs were wholly sponsored by University of Missouri Extension and the local county extension centers. Since then, there has been a steady increase in both numbers and locations where Master Gardener training is offered. By 1994, 400 Master Gardener volunteers were serving 12 communities in the state. Currently, over 2,500 active Master Gardeners serve as University of Missouri Extension volunteers in 110 counties around the state.
In 1995, the State Master Gardener Advisory Board was formed. Two Master Gardener representatives from each Extension region of the state, along with four staff members provide guidance and direction to statewide programs. The mission of the Missouri State Master Gardener Advisory Board is "To unify and strengthen the Missouri Master Gardener program".
In its initial year of existence the State Advisory Board functioned as a State Master Gardener Conference Planning Committee. The first statewide Master Gardener Conference was held in Columbia on the campus of the University of Missouri with 100 Master Gardeners in attendance. Public television personality and Mizzou alumnus, Jim Wilson was keynote speaker. Since the initial statewide conference, an annual conference has been held in September each year. The state conference serves as an opportunity for Master Gardeners to receive advanced level training in conference workshops. It's also a time for them to share program successes and management strategies.
Updated 09/28/07