BUILDING A MASTER GARDENER-DRIVEN PEST DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC
Extension Education
Patrick Byers
Commercial Horticulture Field Specialist
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION
Marshfield
Abstract
\r\n The Master Gardeners of Greene County, Missouri, staff an outreach education service, the Hotline, for the public, which annually addresses over 2,000 inquiries. Many of these inquiries focus on pest identification and management. A project to develop an effective volunteer-driven diagnostic clinic to meet the needs of the Hotline in a timely fashion was initiated in 2009. Funding was secured from several sources to purchase diagnostic equipment and supplies. We developed educational programming to train volunteers in the use of standard diagnostic techniques. In response to volunteer surveys, we initiated ongoing skills development programming to keep volunteers current with local and regional pest issues. A monthly newsletter was developed to build community among Hotline volunteers, to add value to the volunteer experience, and to attract new volunteers to Hotline service. A database record of Hotline contacts with the public was constructed in 2011, which is proving to be a useful tool for future programming needs. The Hotline efforts were recently recognized when the Springfield/Greene County Botanical Center made the group the institutional representative to the USDA Plant Sentinel Network.
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Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: P.L. Byers
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Byers, P. Regional Horticulture Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, Missouri, 65807