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Extension agent reports expanded Master Gardener programs, preschool gardening in Tom Green County
Summary
Tom Green County extension services reported 292 in-person horticulture sessions, over 6,000 contacts, a pre-K gardening expansion in SAISD, and more than 5,200 volunteer hours valued at about $166,000.
An extension services representative briefed the Tom Green County Commissioners on the 2024 extension horticulture program, reporting expanded outreach, youth programming and volunteer contributions.
The presenter said county Master Gardener volunteers and a local horticulture committee delivered 292 in-person educational sessions to more than 6,000 total contacts across the county last year. Programs included public workshops (spring Earth-Kind workshop, a fall symposium), a summer water-conservation seminar, monthly “lunch and learn” sessions, and horticulture therapy visits to correctional facilities.
The presenter described a pre-K gardening program that a Master Gardener volunteer expanded from two classrooms to serving every pre-K classroom in the San Angelo Independent School District (SAISD), which the presenter said numbered 14 classes in the most recent school year. The curriculum used is Learn, Grow, Eat & Go (LGEG), which the presenter said is designed to promote vegetable consumption by teaching children to grow and taste produce. The presenter also described a LGEG third-grade program at Goliad Elementary.
Volunteers logged more than 5,200 hours in 2024, the presenter said, and the Texas comptroller’s formula places that volunteer time’s value at about $166,000 for the community. The presenter also said the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at the Tom Green 4‑H Center received a Texas Rain Catcher Award from the Texas Water Development Board.
“We're proud of that,” the presenter said, adding that extension staff use surveys to track participants’ reported changes in behavior, such as reduced water use and greater willingness to try vegetables after the youth programs.
Commissioners thanked the presenter for the report and the county’s Master Gardener volunteers. The item was listed on the agenda as a program review and no formal action was recorded.
