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Horticulture outreach reports farmers‑market presence and robust online engagement
Summary
Horticulture outreach specialist Julie described weekly master gardener staffing at the Lake Geneva Farmers Market, about 125 county gardening inquiries to date, cicada‑focused outreach and recorded online programs with more than 56,100 cumulative views noted in the packet.
Julie, the horticulture outreach specialist, updated the committee on in‑person and virtual outreach, emphasizing local engagement and environment‑friendly practices.
She said master gardeners staffed the Lake Geneva Farmers Market weekly from May through September to answer gardening questions and distribute educational handouts. The office also supported volunteers at the Walworth County Fair and hosted public events about cicadas, attracting strong local interest. Julie said Extension has handled roughly 125 gardening inquiries for Walworth County so far (the presenter described that number as approximate because callers do not always indicate their county).
Julie described Extension’s online programming efforts: recorded, closed‑captioned presentations on topics such as the role of moths in ecosystems, pollinators, soil testing and weed control that are available on YouTube. She said cumulative views for recorded programs appear in the meeting packet (reported in the meeting as "over 56,100 views") and highlighted a July program on moths that exceeded 1,000 views.
She emphasized messaging around reducing overuse of horticultural chemicals to protect lake and water resources important to the county.
Next steps: ongoing virtual programming and several fall presentations (including a houseplant session) are scheduled; staff will continue to report program engagement metrics.
