​​​​June 11-13, 2020 TEMG State Conference hosted by Northeast TN Master Gardeners (NETMGA)

Printable handout- 2020 TEMG Conference Promo.details

Printable flyer- 2020 TEMG Conference simple flyer

Our Locations and Host
The conference will showcase great sites around northeast Tennessee including Bays Mountain and Roan Mountain Parks. Most of the main conference will take place at the new Ron Ramsey Ag Center in Blountville where our NEWTMGA host group is centered. The main overnight accommodations for attendees will be at Meadowview conference center and will provide a central hub for networking and connecting with other attendees. 

Schedule Overview
Thursday the 11th will kick off the conference with afternoon herb and fly fishing workshops and events at beautiful Bays Mountain Park. Dinner will be provided at Bays Mountain and the evening will conclude with our opening sessions and Search for Excellence awards held right at the park in the outdoor amphitheater. 

Friday the 12th will be a fairly traditional conference day held at Ron Ramsey Ag Center. There will be lecture sessions along with hands-on workshops and interactive sessions with all three meals provided. The bounty of Appalachia will be the main theme of the day with fruit, vegetable, woodland plants, and herbs as session topics. The day will end with a local farm to fork dinner featuring local growers and chefs along with some local music!

Saturday the 13th will feature a new type of conference event. All attendees will be able to pick an in-depth topic for the day. Options for these deep dive sessions will include daylilies, local horticulture and history, home fruit, local trees and native plants, a local garden tour. Each of these topics will feature some lecture or workshop as well as an tour or off-site element to be practical and enjoyable.

Conference Highlights
  • Statewide Search for Excellence Awards
  • Heirloom fruit and vegetable sessions
  • Hands-on herb and pollinator workshops
  • Appalachian woodland plant session
  • Farm to fork dinner 
  • Tours to local fruit and daylily farms
  • TN tree and native plant session at Steele Creek Park
  • History and horticulture and Rocky Mount
  • Networking and project sharing with MGs from around the state and much more!
​The 2020 Master Gardener Statewide Digital Networking Series- 4 Fridays at 11est/10 cst across the year

Why should you attend??
These quarterly zoom meetings focus on our Master Gardener programs at the local level- they are designed to connect sis 4 part interactive series will feature presentations by UT Extension personnel, discussion of FAQs along with providing useful resources for you to better understand these topics and educate the public through the MG program.

February 14th- Recruiting new folks to intern training and our MG groups. We'll focus on how traditional media, social media, community events, educational series and many other outreach can help bring in new folks to your group.

April 3rd-The vital communication links in our local programs- we are going to take a look at all the crucial communication tools for local MG groups. From in person, to email to newsletters and social media- how can it all fit together for a strong functioning local group?

September 11th- This session is going to be a highlight of some great positive impacts in our communities. We are going to showcase some of our Search for Excellence winners and learn how we can take those ideas back to our own local groups.   

November 13th-Focusing on the people in our MG groups. With this last session of the year, we are going to spend some time talking about how we can improve the connections and value the people even better in our local groups. 

 
The 2020 Master Gardener In-Depth Video-Conference Training Series- Fridays in March at 11est/10cst

What is the purpose of this series??
This 4 part interactive series will feature presentations by UT Extension personnel, discussion of FAQs along with providing useful resources for you to better understand these topics and educate the public through the MG program.

March 6th- What do we really mean by research based and why should our stakeholders care? How do we as MGs take this research to the public and discuss potentially controversial topics?- led by Dr. Natalie Bumgarner

March 13th-What has been going on with honey bees lately? What might be causing these issues? What are some concerns and realities of common pesticides and how they affect pollinators? - led by Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda (UT Extension apiculture specialist)

March 20th- Demystifying herbicides-How do some of the most familiar herbicides work in plants? How long do they stay in the environment? What do researchers really know about their safety? How do we share this information with others? - led by Dr. Scott Senseman (UTIA Plant Sciences Dept. Head and weed scientist)  

March 27th-What do we really mean by native? What place do introduced species have in agriculture and landscapes? How can we balance the value of native and introduced species in our teaching and our own landscapes? - led by Carol Reese

                         
      

2021 Regional Conferences

Dates and locations coming soon!


 

 
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