President's Message

Happy New Year, Master Gardeners –

I hope this message finds you well, and you are having a great start to 2022. As I write this message the snow is gently falling, and the forecast is for 4-6 inch accumulation that is expected to melt quickly. Already the nurseries and catalogs are providing motivation for the growing season. There are rumors once again of supply issues so I hope everyone is prepared to get their orders in early.

The MGAFRC Executive Board held our first meeting of the year on January 10th.  We have a lot of planning to do.  All Master Gardeners are welcome to attend any of the Board meetings.  We have set the meeting schedule for the year, however if you wish to attend an upcoming meeting, we recommend getting in touch with one of the Board Members the week before to confirm location and timing.  Adjustments have been necessary during the pandemic, and we have had to remain flexible.

There is a new project being discussed for this year. We are proposing a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to provide garden educational support for some of their locations.  The proposal is still in early stages, but we will keep you informed as it progresses.

We are reviewing the 2021 fiscal year and will soon begin the financial audit.  In general, we are in a healthy financial position which we will review with the membership in the next general meeting. This gives the association opportunities to either expand programs and/or look for opportunities to optimize our processes. Our volunteers are our most important resource. Each project leader should look at where the hours are being spent and identify improvements to do work more efficiently.  For example, at the Rady Park Arboretum a lot of time was spent carrying buckets of water from the creek to the newly planted trees until a battery-operated water transfer pump was purchased. This not only saved time, but it is also a significant safety improvement. There may be many other areas where irrigation systems could help. By working smarter the volunteers can focus more on gardening and teaching skills.

Along the same line of thinking we are looking at the administrative efforts.  Most of us became Master Gardeners to spend time in the garden and teach others about gardening.  We are in the process of identifying opportunities for outsourcing some of the tedious work.  For the longevity of the Association there would be a benefit towards setting the goal of eventually having an employee instead of being 100% volunteer based.  For example, the Ed Farm has seen a significant increase in growth and stability since they hired full time support that offered the continuity and follow through.

The highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 has increased the risk in our area, especially to the unvaccinated.  Please take precautions for yourself and others.  We are hoping this year will be closer to normal, but we will remain flexible.  Any updates or modifications to our plans will be communicated by the website, newsletter and/or email so please stay in touch.

Thanks,

Terri