RADIO TRANSCRIPT
January 20, 2025
Matt Rodriguez

This is Matt Rodriguez, horticulture agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Burke Center.

I am looking forward to our Extension Master Gardener Training in the Fall. We are holding information sessions in the coming months to provide those interested with all the details of our EMG program. The main takeaways are: The class length of about 15 weeks starting in August and the most important: This is a training course to become a volunteer educator. Meaning it's a lot more than people expect. Our EMG’s are a valuable resource to the community in the sense that they learn, train, share the knowledge and skills they gather in the program. In truth, if you're looking for information on gardening and wanting to take classes on that, then by all means keep an eye for any workshops I will be advertising. I want to provide the county with the knowledge it needs. The EMG’s are just one way of doing that, but it's a lot more than people expect. Once graduating from the training, you must complete a 40 hour internship and then you are Certified. Afterwards it's 20 hours of volunteer work and 10 hours of continuing education hours annually to remain certified as a Master Gardener. Overall, it's a fun interactive way to learn about sustainable gardening practices and give back to your community. If you enjoy educating others and sharing your knowledge to develop the skillsets of your community then the Burke County Master Gardener program is for you.

This has been Matt Rodriguez, horticulture agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Burke Center. For more information, call us at 828-764-9480.