Master Gardener Grants Available!

• Do you or your organization have a project that you want to undertake but lack sufficient funding?
  
• Are you a high school student looking for a college scholarship?
  
• Is there an advance training or educational class you would take but for the money?   
  

The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation has launched a new grant, scholarship and training assistance program to financially support organizations or individuals who intend to educate the Jefferson County community in the fields of sustainable horticulture, environmental stewardship or other related fields. 

Are these your goals too?  If so read on to learn more about the criteria and guidelines associated with each type of award, and download the appropriate application form below.
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Our Program

The purpose of the Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation (JCMGF) is to enhance and supplement the community educational efforts of the Washington State University Master Gardener Program and thereby to provide education and information on horticulture and environmental stewardship to all citizens of Jefferson County.  JCMGF programs are available to all without discrimination.

The JCMGF intends to award grants, scholarships and training assistance to those organizations and individuals whose proposals are judged to be most compatible with the purposes of JCMGF. 

GRANTS

• Awards may range from $100 to $1,500 each.
• There are two application deadlines per year. Applications must be received by either April 1 or October 1.   Awards will be announced May 10 or November 10 respectively.
• Salaries and administrative costs are not funded
• Site visits will be made prior to consideration of your proposal

Awards will be made based upon the following elements in your proposal. The written narrative of your proposal must include:

• A brief description of the organization/group and its purpose.
• A description of the project, which includes the environmentally safe horticulture and sustainable practices you plan to use.
• The plan to share information to others in the community.
• The estimate of persons in Jefferson County who will benefit.
• A detailed budget of costs, supplies, and the potential suppliers
• The timeline of activities to be followed to accomplish the project and who will be responsible for these activities.
• An evaluation plan that includes measurable outcomes of the project and how the project will be sustained in the future.
• If your request for funding is for part of a larger project, please specify the part of the project you are requesting JCMGF funds and the other sources of income.

Download a Grant Application.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation (JCMGF) and the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State (MGFWS) each offer one scholarship annually to promote education in the areas of horticulture, agriculture, agriculture and food systems, environmental stewardship or related fields. Currently, Jefferson County MGF offers one scholarship of fifteen hundred dollars ($1500). The recipient of the Jefferson County scholarship is automatically forwarded to the state Washington Master Gardener Foundation for an additional scholarship of one thousand dollars, ($1000).
These scholarships are offered to high school seniors or to students entering a college/university for the first time as a full time student. A person must meet the following requirements. The county scholarship may be renewable if the recipient is still in the field of horticulture, botany, environmental stewardship or related majors.
Applicant must be:

1. A resident of Jefferson County, Washington
2. Accepted by a recognized accredited college/university.
3. Planning a course of study in horticulture, agriculture, environmental stewardship entomology, botany or a strongly related field.

Applicants can apply for both scholarships concurrently by submitting the following documents:

1. A completed 2012 Application
2. An official copy of your grade transcript. (Only one copy will be needed of this document)
3. A one or two page essay on your choice of vocation or profession, how you have planned for the future, and how your education will influence that future.
4. A summary of your activities and service to your family, your school and your community. This summary should include any awards or honors received and may be submitted as résumé.
5. At least two (2) letters of recommendation (one preferably from an instructor).

Download a Scholarship Application
 
TRAINING ASSISTANCE

JCMGF is committed to educating the community on environmentally safe, sustainable gardening practices. If plan to hold classes or write articles for local community newsletters, newspapers and need training, this is the opportunity to obtain funding.

Criteria and Guidelines  

• Applicant must be a resident of Jefferson County, Washington.
• Training curricula provides information on sustainable horticulture and safe environmental stewardship.
• Applicant provides a plan for sharing information, i.e. classes, newsletter articles.
• If funding is received, applicant will submit a written report of the training experience to the JCMGF Committee for Grants/Scholarships.
• Training assistance is a one time monetary award.   Awards may range from under $100 to $1,500 each.
• There are two application deadlines per year.  Applications must be received by either April 1 or October 1.   Awards will be announced May 10 or November 10 respectively.

Download a Training Assistance Application
 

9th Annual WSU FARM TOUR - September 18, 2011

Check out the "Farm Truck"!!!

Learn about how you can reconnect with where your food comes from by filling a Dodge pickup truck with wood chips and dirt and then planting a garden in the bed of the truck! This urban gardening movement is so entertaining! Check it out!

$1 Million Grant Funds WSU Extension ‘Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth’ Project

WSU Extension is the lead institution on a new “Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth” project funded by a $1 million grant from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. The grant was announced today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving nutrition, the pilot project spans four states, will serve an estimated 2,800 students at 70 elementary schools, and will engage low-income students in the physical activity involved in growing food and learning life skills. The Cooperative Extension Services of Iowa State University, Cornell University, and the University of Arkansas are collaborating with WSU Extension on the project.

“School gardens hold great promise for educating our kids about food production and nutrition,” said Vilsack. “Learning where food comes from and what fresh food tastes like, and the pride of growing and serving your own fruits and vegetables, are life-changing experiences. Engaging kids in our efforts to end childhood hunger and curb childhood obesity is critical if we are going to succeed.”

“Across the nation, communities are facing the interrelated problems of obesity and chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, which are often linked to poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to or utilization of open or green spaces, and limited understanding of the role of nutrition and physical activity play in overall health,” said Brad Gaolach, the project’s lead scientist and director of Pierce and King County Extension.

The project will utilize WSU Extension educators’ expertise in 4-H, gardening, and nutrition programs. Additionally, Extension researchers in all four states will assess both the process of implementing gardens in low-income schools and the nutritional outcomes of the project. King County is a nationally recognized nexus of efforts to improve local nutrition and confront health problems through gardening and other outdoor activities.

“We’ve been working in this arena for at least 10 years,” said Gaolach. “To me, the exciting thing is that this grant validates the value of the land-grant university system. We are, I think, the only organization that has programs in gardening, youth development, and nutrition; is capable of disseminating and implementing this project on a national scale; and can also conduct the outcome assessment.”

Ingenious Diagnostics Combat Global Plant Disease

Plant pathologist, Dr. Naidu Rayapati, is using a deceptively simple technology to help diagnose crop diseases in developing countries.
Small FTA Classic cards are used in the field to obtain plant samples, which can be easily transported to Washington State University for diagnosis using state-of-the-art lab equipment. His work offers hope for millions of people for whom crop failure can mean poverty and starvation.

My strawberries started a revolution!

Kamari Stallworth is a devoted and enthusiastic member of the Cedar Tree Performers 4-H club led by Linda Gately. The "Aroma" strawberries she is showing above provide an abundance of berries for jam, dehydrating and eating. Kamari's favorite is the yellow "Pineapple Alpine" strawberry and she looks forward to propagating more and find hiding places for them in the club garden! Kamari is also an expert at collecting and identifying bugs - her genuine excitement about her 4-H club activities has inspired others to appreciate the value of organic gardening and local food production More Than They Could Ever Imagine.

(Click on image for larger format)

Cedar Tree Performers 4-H gardening club in Port Hadlock, Washington - led by Linda Gately, 4-H club leader - has distinguished itself not only as a vital educational program for young children, but as a research-based partner with university agricultural researchers. This group of youth have volunteered on multiple projects to grow seeds and plants in the micro-climate of their neighborhood to give researchers more information about the resiliency and response of certain plants and seed populations.

Cedartree Performers' garden is located at the Cedarbrook Seventh Day Adventist School and Daycare. These youth grow edible plants of all kinds including weeds, flowers, vegetables and fruit. The garden is completely cultivated by the 4-H'ers with heavy soil prep work help from adults. Many varieties are trialed for taste approval by kids and resistance to disease because it is an organic garden. Science, math, geography, history, and Latin are all integrated into the garden experience. There has been an ongoing Haskap berry trial to help Professor Maxine Thompson from Oregon State University with her research. 

Their annual spring plant sale provides needed funds for the garden, foods, sewing 

and other 4-H projects that the Cedartree Performers pursue.

LIKE Jefferson County 4-H on Facebook today!

Field Report: A Michigan Teen Farms Her Backyard

Alexandra Reau, of Petersburg, Mich., tended to her rainbow chard.

By CHRISTINE MUHLKE
Published: July 12, 2010

Lawn mowing and baby-sitting are standard summer jobs for the enterprising teenager. Alexandra Reau, who is 14, combines a little bit of each: last year, she asked her dad to dig up a half acre of their lawn in rural Petersburg, Mich., so she could farm. Now in its second season, her Garden to Go C.S.A. (community-supported agriculture) grows for 14 members, who pay $100 to $175 for two months of just-picked vegetables and herbs. While her peers are hanging out at Molly’s Mystic Freeze and working out the moves to that Miley Cyrus video, she’s flicking potato-beetle larvae off of leaves in her V-neck T-shirt and denim capris, a barrette keeping her hair out of her demurely made-up eyes. Who says the face of American farming is a 57-year-old man with a John Deere cap?

Read More

Sunfield Farm and Waldorf School

Sunfield Farm and Waldorf School (a 4-H club and sponsor of a variety of 4-H projects in Jefferson County) are featured in this video produced by 4-H Network News. You can access their website at:

http://sunfieldfarm.org

Sunfield is a pioneering nonprofit organization with a broad community-building mission. Inspired by the ideas of the early twentieth-century philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner, Sunfield offers a Waldorf school and educational programs in sustainable land stewardship that take place on our eighty-one acres of fields, forest, and wetlands. We also provide healthy, organic food for the local community.

Our farm is located in Port Hadlock on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, an area renowned for its majestic natural beauty, mild temperatures, and outdoor opportunities. Nearby is Port Townsend, a Victorian seaport with a thriving cultural and arts community.

Sunfield is a unique and formative environment, making a difference for people of all ages in our local community and beyond. Visit us and experience firsthand how our programs engage the hands, awaken the mind, and nurture connections between the earth and its inhabitants.

Jefferson County Master Gardeners Graduate - ONLINE!

4-H Network News and the Jefferson County 4-H staff congratulate the Jefferson County Master Gardeners in their recent graduation from the Washington State Master Gardeners Program! We are proud of you and your recent achievement and we look forward to working with you to serve youth, families and the community of Jefferson County!

4-H was instrumental in assisting these new Master Gardeners as they navigated their new online instructional program. The graduates shown in the photo above are among the most recent graduates of this new computer-based online program. From what we have heard they really enjoyed the program, the videos and the ease of access to information and resources through the new online system!

Atul Gawande shares historical successes in Extension

Atul Gawande became a staff writer at The New Yorker in 1998. Also a surgeon, he completed his surgical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, in 2003, and joined the faculty as a general and endocrine surgeon. He is also an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the associate director of the B.W.H. Center for Surgery and Public Health.

Gawande’s essays have been selected twice for the annual “Best American Essays” collection and six times for the “Best American Science Writing,” and he was the editor of the “Best American Science Writing” for 2006. 

In the essay link below, he shares some important information about the success of Extension educational initiatives in the early 1900s - check it out!

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/12/14/091214fa_fact_gawande

Tour de Coop!

Quimper Grange is sponsoring a
Tour de Coop
this coming Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009.
Click here for details.

4-H Family Gardening provides healthy food!

Kayla Shimizu proudly displays her giant radishes grown at the 4-H Garden at Cedarbrook Adventist Christian School in Port Hadlock, WA. Kayla is a member of the 4-H Cedar Tree Performers club led by Linda Gately. The club has distinguished itself in the 4-H gardening project, clowning project, and in public presentations.

Jefferson County 4-H is emphasizing the skills needed for successful 4-H Family Gardening. To help community members learn the basics of successful gardening, Linda Gately is hosting a series of workshops at the Chimacum Grange. The first one is scheduled for March 1 from 1:30 - 3 pm. Join us - it's FREE!

4-H Family Gardening builds self-sufficiency

Playing in the dirt is something all kids have enjoyed at one time or another, but through 4-H Family Gardening it can be transformed into serious food production. On Sunday, March 1 from 1:30 pm to 3 pm at the Chimacum Grange Hall (across the street from the Chimacum School District), 4-H is providing a free 4-H Family Gardening workshop . The Grange and 4-H are collaborating on this initiative to encourage families in Jefferson County to grow their own food for fun, frugality and family self sufficiency. 4-H is the youth program of WSU Extension. It started in the early 1900’s, utilizing young people to learn through experimentation and then demonstrate that learning to their families and communities. As a partner to this learning process, the Grange has historically supported family self reliance and community involvement.

Linda Gately will lead the teaching team of 4-H volunteers, including her husband, Glenn Gately, from the Jefferson County Conservation District. Linda has been a 4-H leader for over 20 years in the gardening project and is also a Chimacum Grange member. She volunteers at the Cedarbrook Adventist Christian School and Daycare with the 4-H Gardening Project. With encouragement from Gately, youth at the school have explored somewhat exotic plants for the Pacific Northwest, growning everything from artichokes to watermelons. Smiling about the fun of it, she stated, “Brussels sprouts and Sheep Sorrel, a common edible weed, are favorite edibles in our garden. A fun garden for families might also include flowers, fruits and carnivorous plants."

The March 1 workshop will introduce 4-H Family Gardening through many "hands in the dirt" activities and experiments. Anyone can grow food - either in a small area of a yard, a larger community garden, or even in containers. It all starts with the soil. Jefferson County soil is unusual because of much variation over small areas. Participants should bring a quart of dried soil sample from their gardens or yards and an empty clear pint-sized container with a lid.

All families wanting to learn about backyard food production and how 4-H and Grange can help are welcome to attend. Call Linda if you have questions or need information at 385-5774.

Louisiana 4-H: Ag Magic!

Do you think food, clothing, lumber and other products only come from a store? Come to AgMagic to see and learn where your food and fiber really come from! The LSU AgCenter's Parker Coliseum will be transformed this spring to show "AgMagic," which will take children and adults through a journey of Louisiana agriculture and economically beneficial commodities they use every day.
Check it out at http://www.lsuagcenter.com/agmagic

Kitchen Gardeners International has some ideas for the White House lawn!

Growing local food helps save energy costs and decreases pollution!

WSU in Seattle 2008: A Taste of WSU - featuring WSU President Elson Floyd

Watch A Taste of WSU 2008 in How to Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
WSU in Seattle 2008: A Taste of WSU
WSU researchers and their community partners enjoy an evening at Benaroya Hall, sharing the bounty of their research related to food, farming, crops, and more!

Featured are 4-H Network News reporters, Jesaint Baril and Sophie Gilbert, as well as WSU President Elson Floyd. Luke Turner and Tyrus Wilcox, cameras.

WSU staff, researchers and community partners featured include: Linda Fox (WSU Extension Director), Pat BoyEs (Washington State 4-H Director), Alison Kutz-Troutman (Cascade Cuts and Sound Horticulture), Dr. Lynn Carpenter-Boggs (WSU BIO-Ag Coordinator), Caitlin Price (WSU Graduate), John Winder (Associate Dean, WSU Extension), Dr. Juana Royster (WSU King County Extension), Willie Austin (Now is Fitness), Dr. Richard Dougherty (WSU Extension Food Science Specialist), Dr. Karen Killinger (WSU Consumer Food Safety Specialist), Dr. Amit Dhingra (WSU Genomics and Biotechnology), Kevin Wright (4-H Military Kids Program), Tim Woods (Waskowitz Outdoor Education Center), Prof. Holly Neibergs (WSU Department of Animal Sciences), Tim Water (Pasco WSU Extension), and Steven Price (Washington Farmer).

This video is dedicated to the memory of Ed McMichael, "The Tuba Man," 1955-2008.

2007 Jefferson County Fair: Carrot Exhibit

2007 Jefferson County Fair: Cabbage Exhibit

That is a big one!

2007 Jefferson County Fair: Eggplant Exhibit

Farm, Food and Forest Day Camp

Join Stacey Larsen Stafki as she leads youth through exciting hands-on educational activities this summer in Port Townsend.

Farm, Food and Forest Day Camp
Become an explorer, farmer, chef, and actor in the community with SeedSpring, Corona Farm and Jefferson County 4-H. We will find life in the forest, help grow food, and make and eat a local-grown dish.

We will tour a local bakery and cheese factory. We will explore the connections between forest, farmland and our local community during this 5-day day-camp. Now that we have put-on a skit at the Port Townsend Farmer’s Market and met some of our local farmers, let’s put on a pot-luck party with your new friends and family members on the last evening.

Dates: July 17-21 & August 7- 11, 8:30a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Ages: 8- 12
Cost for the five days-$200

To register contact Stacey Larsen Stafki at 360-510-2424 or stacey@SeedSpring.org. For more information view www.SeedSpring.org.