New Announcements:
1. October 15, 2020, 1:00 pm – Leadership development training – Still time to register!
· Programming Pivots: New Program Development during the Pandemic- “Join us to hear about three different programs throughout the state that were developed in the midst of the pandemic and our need for virtual programming. Panelists will share about their programs and lessons they learned along the way. After a Q&A session with our panelists, we invite session participants to share new and innovative programming that their unit took on in the past months (no more than 5 minutes).”
· Register here: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0lcO2rqD0iHtCrvGoyCaiLPpl1YptA2eV3 (Registration link will remain active until the beginning of the session, however please register in advance so we have an accurate headcount)
· Learn more about all of our leadership trainings here: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/current-resources/leadership/
2. October state office webinar:
· October 15, 10:00 am | Urban Agriculture – Join Dr. Leonard Githinji from Virginia State University as he talks about urban agriculture, why it’s important, and where it intersects with volunteerism. Register: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/331193942
3. Call for presentations: Have you created a presentation you’re proud of & would like to share with us? We are creating a presentation repository and need your presentations!
· Repository will be available for EMGs and Agents/Coordinators to draw from for speaking requests, training, etc. Extension Master Gardeners and Agents may submit presentations. Presentations will undergo editing and formatting before being posted for EMG use.
· Email presentations to Kathleen, reedka@vt.edu
4. IMGC 2021 Tee Shirt Design Contest Results! Our winners are:
· Linda Williams – Carroll/Grayson – “Dogwood”
· Pat Machowsky – Greenspring – “Buttonbush”
· Ruby Gardner – Gloucester – “Cardinal and Bee Balm”
5. Send us your COVID photos! If you have photos of EMG volunteer projects during COVID, such as masked volunteers working in a garden, please send them to us! Email them to Devon, dvj@vt.edu
6. Virginia Tech Plant Clinic’s Plant Problem Image Gallery has been resurrected! This useful image gallery contains images of common Virginia plant diseases, provided by the VT Plant Disease clinic. Available at: https://apps.cals.vt.edu/ppig/
7. October is Urban Ag month!
· “Urban Agriculture Month will shine a spotlight on the significant role urban agriculture plays in our regional and local food system. The events will also highlight our local urban agriculture response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Join MGNV and their partners for a variety of different events throughout the month!
· https://mgnv.org/2020/10/01/urban-agriculture-month/
Old October Announcements
8. Registration Now Open for the 2020 Virtual Chesapeake Watershed Forum! https://www.allianceforthebay.org/our-work/key-program-focuses/networking-education/chesapeake-watershed-forum/
Old November Announcements:
9. Accessible Communications Considerations: “This workshop will present participants with tangible ideas to make communication, particularly in marketing, more accessible, how to avoid common accessibility mistakes, and more. The session will cover topics such as using accessibility features on social media, describing different types of images, language to use when describing disability, and more.”
· Opportunity offered by VTEngage: Tuesday, November 10, 12 – 1:15 (Sign up at https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/event/6384364)
Old Announcements:
10. Plant sale guidance available – Extension Leadership has released guidelines for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales in light of the current steps toward reopening. You can find that information on the VCE COVID-19 page (https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates.html) under “Administrative Documents and Updates.” It’s at the bottom of that list under “EMG Plant Sale Guidance.
11. Master Composter online course from Vermont – https://www.uvm.edu/extension/mastergardener/vermont-master-composter-course
12. EMG Coordinator webinar: CE opportunity! Food Safety and Master Gardener Volunteer Programs, before and after COVID-19 webinar recording: https://youtu.be/aK6g8NvpAok
13. VMGA speaker’s bureau list now available, contact Erica Jones 540 544 7359
· More info: http://vmga.net/vmgaspeakersbureau.php
Other Announcements:
1. Send us your announcements! Have you converted educational programs to an online format? You can still submit those announcements for the biweekly email! Submit an item for the biweekly update here.
2. Updated Facebook event guidance – When scheduling Facebook events for your unit symposiums, seminars, talks, etc, please add the state office page as a co-host! More info here: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/current-resources/communications-resources/
3. Follow the State Office on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
4. Subscribe to In Season, our quarterly newsletter
5. View our most recent webinar
a. View a recording of our most recent state office webinar – Jamie King on urban forestry
i. https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/webinar-archive/
- Resources for fertilization of lawns and for those involved with Healthy Virginia Lawns programming
- Do you have questions coming in to your Extension Master Gardener program and need to find some answers? Extension Search Resources for EMG Questions
- Every Kid in a Park Program
- Basil Downy Mildew: Occurrence Monitoring and Info Website for Gardeners
- A new website, created by Margaret McGrath and the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, on monitoring occurrence of downy mildew on basil in the US and Canada:
i. It maps occurrences and replaces them into a GoogleDocs spreadsheet since 2009. There is information about BDM at the website that is geared for gardeners. Gardeners have been the primary and most important reporters in helping with monitoring this disease.
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- A handout for gardeners about reporting occurrences of BDM and 2 other important diseases: late blight and cucurbit downy mildew.