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Impact Report

For plan Urban Horticulture (Valencia County)
Date October 28, 2010, 8:30 pm
For Objective Short-term Show short-term objectives
Impact Report 2010 Program Year: Due to an influx of new residents to the county and a large interest in home gardening and landscaping, the demand for site-specific and reliable horticultural educational programs in Valencia County has continued to rise to meet the challenges of gardening in the arid southwest. As a result, the agriculture agent’s objectives have been to maintain a strong group of certified Valencia County Extension Master Gardener (VCEMG) volunteers, maintain personal consultation, site visits, NMSU lab testing services and interpretation, and provide relevant programs and workshops to non-commercial gardeners as needs arise. Valencia County Extension Master Gardener Program: The 12 week VCEMG training program yielded 7 new trainees and retained 24 veteran members, of which the average exam score was 88%, well above the 70% minimum. Of the class of 2010, 90% of the volunteers were retained by meeting training requirements and the 40 hour/individual volunteer time requirement for certification for the upcoming 2011 program year. Volunteers provide an enormous value to our county by dedicating their time, talents, and energy to the Master Gardener program. Based on total numbers submitted to the agent, VCEMG gave 1,435 hours of volunteer service worth $23,650 in 2010. A figure that doubled the short-term objective set by the agent, and exceeds the 3 year objective of the VCEMG program by 50%. Notable 2010 VCEMG activities included weekly outreach information booths at local Farmer’s Markets, where residents and growers were able to ask questions and bring in sick or dying plants for diagnosis. These efforts alone yielded hundreds of personal consultations and maintained a high visibility of NMSU Extension programs in the county. Another activity in which VCEMG volunteers served their community was through the development of site-specific publications and materials, which complimented and summarized numerous NMSU publications that covered topics important to the area. Additional events sponsored by the Valencia Extension Office and the VCEMG include an annual free pruning seminar which invites NMSU-CES specialists to speak, and several seminars on bees, honey, and apples offered to school groups, and the general public throughout the year, sponsored by a longstanding VCEMG volunteer, local expert and apple/honey producer. Over 400 residents and students have attended these events. Program participants expressed a high level of interest in future workshops and were satisfied with the quality of information provided at these workshops. In summary, this volunteer program has provided a relevant service and contributed significant impacts to the general public who have attended a VCEMG function, interacted with a trained volunteer or agriculture agent, through a variety of public outreach educational programs. Urban Horticulture: The most notable impact realized by the general public is the ability to attain free research-based information on area-specific horticultural topics necessary for successful gardening in the varied and challenging central New Mexico environment. This includes the capacity to gain knowledge in proven gardening practices for the area, the development of alternative water supplies, efficient irrigation techniques, and other urban water conservation practices. Additional educational services include water-wise plant selection and proper landscaping, fruit and vegetable production, pest and weed control, plant disease identification, and many other related topics. Approximately 60% of the agriculture agent phone calls, emails, and office visits are related to urban horticulture. Season extension is a program that has received increasing interest from small-scale fruit, vegetable, and ornamental growers. In collaboration with NMSU-RAIPAP staff, the agent coordinated and implemented a 1-day Hoop house Construction Workshop intended to generate interest in season extension and provide an example of a cost effective blueprint to follow. Participants (100%) stated they gained knowledge and thought they would be able to construct a similar structure. Additionally, district NRCS staff expressed interest in collaboration, as certain federal programs have recently included cost-share opportunities for qualified agricultural producers. The most constant service the agent has offered non-commercial clientele is individual consultation, phone and email correspondence, and field visits typically on specific problems, concerns, or questions associated with urban horticulture. Clientele often seek information from the extension agriculture agent or VCEMG volunteers on a variety of soil and plant science related topics, as well as main campus lab services such as soil testing and disease diagnostics. Both urban and commercial growers consistently seek free extension agriculture services including weed identification and control, insect identification and control, pesticide application, organic and/or natural production methods, and plant disease prevention. The agent documented over 400 requests for horticultural assistance over the past year.