History of the Master Gardener Program
The rapid urban growth in many areas of the United States coupled with increased interest in the environment and home gardening have prompted ever-increasing numbers of homeowner questions to County Extension Service Agents. Many of these questions are seasonal in nature and are relatively easily answered assuming that one has horticultural training.
In 1972, an innovative County Extension Agent in the State of Washington reasoned that well-trained volunteers could respond to many of the everyday homeowner questions, freeing him and his colleagues for more technical and difficult problems. Volunteers, such as Extension Homemakers and 4-H Leaders, had always been a part of the Extension Service but never in the area of homeowner horticulture. The Extension Agent selected, trained, and certified volunteers as Master Gardeners. They soon succeeded in meeting his desired objectives - in fact they exceeded his expectations. And so it was the Master Gardener Program began.
Since that time, the Master Gardener Program has grown and is now active in 45 states; Florida's program began in 1979. The program has been a tremendous success and is now active in over half of Florida's counties. The Florida Master Gardener Program is sponsored by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) of which the Cooperative Extension Service is part.
Just what is the Cooperative Extension Service?
For a more complete understanding of this unique organization, we must go back to 1862 when the U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Act which established colleges in each state to be financed through grants of land from the Federal government. They became known as "land grant colleges," a name which persists today. These colleges emphasize teaching practical subjects such as agriculture and home economics. The 1887 Hatch Act provided for experimental stations at Land Grant Colleges to conduct research on agricultural problems.
Then, in 1914, the Smith-Lever Act created the Extension Service as a part of these colleges to disseminate the practical knowledge gained through agricultural research. The University of Florida at Gainesville is Florida's Land Grant College; The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is that part of the University which has responsibility for the Cooperative Extension Service.
The term "cooperative" refers to the method by which extension services are funded. In Florida, three cooperating tax sources provide funds: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the State through legislative appropriations and the counties through appropriations by county governments. The word "cooperative" also implies a sharing of information generated through sound research programs at the federal and state levels. The term "extension" defines this organization's purpose: to extend the information generated at the state and federal level to people at the county level in the form of a "service." The Cooperative Extension Service provides information in three main areas: Agriculture, Home Economics and 4-H Youth. Community development, Marine biology, and Energy are associated programs.
The motto and goal of the Cooperative Extension Service is "Helping People Help Themselves." Thus, you can see how well the volunteer Master Gardener concept fits into the ultimate objectives and goals of the Extension Service.
In Sumter County, the Master Gardener Program began in October, 1995 and to date has provided several training classes to qualify trainees as Master Gardeners. They were selected and trained and have committed themselves to contributing 50 hours of volunteer service each year to remain active in the program.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity - Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, disability or national origin. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A.& M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.
