| About Master Gardeners |
History of Cooperative Extension
Prior to the Civil War, very few college curricula addressed agricultural problems that affected farmers. In 1862, Congress
passed the Morrill Act that provided for "land-grant universities" to educate citizens in agricultural and mechanical fields. In
1887, Congress passed the Hatch Act to provide facilities to the land grant universities to conduct agricultural research. In
order to disseminate this new information, Congress passed the Smith Lever Act of 1914 for the establishment of
Cooperative Extension offices. In Virginia, there are Extension offices in every county to "extend" to the public this research.
Extension units are closely linked to Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. The role of Extension agents is primarily
educational. The Master Gardening Associations work in coordination with the Extension Agent in helping people solve their
own problems though educational programs.
Danville Master Gardeners
The first class graduated from the Danville Master Gardener program in June 1988. January 8, 1990 marked the charter of
the Danville Master Gardener Association. The DMGA allows the graduates of the Master Gardener program to coordinate
the activities of their mandate, continue adding to their knowledge base with lectures/seminars and socialize together. To
date, over 240 of our local citizens have participated in the Master Gardener training program.
Becoming a Certified Master Gardener
Individuals who are interested in the Virginia Cooperative Extension-Master Gardening training program should contact the
local Extension office.
The training classes are held once a year, usually in January and consist of 50 hours of classroom training. After completion
of the classroom training, the student becomes a Master Gardener Intern. Once an intern, one must spend a minimum of 50
volunteer hours performing hands-on horticulture-based, educational programs that are arranged through the Extension office
and/or the local Danville/Pittsylvania County Master Gardener Association.
Upon completion of these steps, a certificate is issued from the Cooperative Extension to become a Certified VCE-Master
Gardener.
In order to maintain certified status, one must contribute 20 volunteer hours and 8 hours of ongoing education yearly through
the variety of activities that are made available.
Podcast about Master Gardeners with David Close
Danville Master Gardener
Association
Danville, VA
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |