| 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
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
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Danville
Master Gardener
Association Danville, VA
Master Gardener
Association Danville, VA