2012-08 Minutes

MINUTES

August 7, 2012

The August meeting of the Hill ‘n Hollow Master Gardeners was held at 6:30 PM at the Newton County Extension Office. The meeting was called to order at 6:36 PM by President Gordon Spencer. There were 26 members and one guest present.  Our speakers were club members, John Wrigley and Ron Hoyez.   Both men worked as representatives for Bayer, a company that sells lawn and garden products at Lowe’s.  John talked about his experiences with the Bayer company, helping customers, and learning about Bayer products.  He also shared some information on weed and pest management products.  Ron told us how we was able to use his gardening experience to tell people which products work and help them develop good gardening practices.  He also shared some recommendations for pest and weed management.

SECRETARY’S REPORT:  July minutes were e-mailed to members and posted on the website.  A motion was M/S/C to approve the July minutes.                                   

TREASURER’S REPORT: The bank balance as of August 7, 2012 was $3,815.41, excluding outstanding receipts. A motion was M/S/C to accept the treasurer’s report.

OLD BUSINESS

COUNTY FAIRS:  Names were drawn from those who entered the gift certificate drawings at county fairs over the summer.  Gift certificates will be mailed to winners by club members.

MASTER GARDENER STATE CONFERENCE:  Gordon reminded everyone who intends to attend the conference to register using the information that was emailed to club members earlier in the week.

NEW BUSINESS

PRAIRIE DAYS:  Sherry McBride, chairperson for the Prairie Days event, asked for donations of native plants and seeds for our booth.  This event is taking place September 8 at George Washington Carver Park.

YOUTH IN GARDENING INITIATIVES:  We learned that the local 4-H Specialist is working to develop a plan for incorporating Master Gardeners into their youth gardening programs.  Beth Persons, Mary Ellen Mitchell, and Ron Hoyez are assisting in the effort.  They expect to report at the September meeting with more concrete proposals.

NEW BANNER:  A motion was M/S/C to buy another banner for the club, since there are so many events in the summer and some of them overlap.   After further discussion, the consensus of the club seemed to be that if we don’t already own two banners, one more should be purchased, but if we already have two, that should be enough.  It was also recommended that club members continue to be conscientious about returning banners after events in a timely manner. 

SCHOLARSHIP:   Copies of a letter to high school Ag departments were sent around for club members to read.  The letter described a scholarship that will be made available to one high school Ag student to participate in a Master Gardener training course.

EXTENSION COUNCIL UPDATE

APPRECIATION BANQUET:  The annual Ag Appreciation Banquet will take place either November 9 or 10 (date TBA).  If anyone would like to help, please contact John Hobbs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MO MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION:   Gordon told the club about this organization, which all Missouri Master Gardeners can join for $2 per year.  Most club members felt that they were not interested in joining the organization at this time and several suggested that we wait until we learn more about the benefits of joining before making a decision.

MASTER GARDENER QUESTIONNAIRES:  A questionnaire was sent by email to all Missouri Master Gardeners, and Gordon reminded us to complete it at our earliest convenience.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Hill ‘N Hollow Master Gardeners will take place at the home of Jutta McCormack at 5 PM on Saturday, September 8.  We’re having a BBQ, and Bill has graciously offered to cook barbecued chicken and baked beans.  Club members are asked to bring side dishes or desserts, plus a lawn chair.   Jutta’s address is 101 Harper Drive in Anderson, MO, and directions are as follows:

From Hwy 71 & 76, go west on 76 to the T where Hwy 59 & 76 intersect.  Go right (north) on Hwy 59 about 1/2 a mile.  Take the next right, which is Industrial Drive.  Industrial Drive becomes Harper Drive.  Jutta’s house is the first house on the left, and it is partial brick.

A motion was M/S/C to adjourn the meeting at 7:57 PM. 

Submitted by:

Lynn Fleshman

Lynn Fleshman, Secretary