Junior Master Gardener Program Training Offered in October and November

       September 29, 2003---The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is offering two Junior Master 
Gardener training workshops for teachers, Master Gardeners, 4-H volunteers and Extension Agents. The 
first workshop will be Oct. 29 at the C. Beaty Hanna Horticulture and Environmental Center in Birmingham 
and the second one will be Nov. 4 at the South Alabama Electric Cooperative in Troy. 
	Alabama is one of more than 40 states implementing the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) 
Program, an international 4-H youth gardening program. The program engages children in novel, hands-
on group and individual learning experiences that promote a love of gardening, develop an appreciation 
for the environment, and cultivate the mind.  Junior Master Gardeners also inspires youth to be of service 
to others through service learning and leadership development projects and rewards them with 
certification. 
	“Because of the success and popularity of the Junior Master Gardener program in Alabama’s 15 
pilot counties, these workshops are open statewide to anyone interested in the  program, especially 
prospective teachers and leaders who are interested in using  the Junior Master Gardener program in 
their school or community,” said Shane Harris, Extension Junior Master Gardener coordinator. 
	“Ideally, having representatives from many schools would be very effective and would allow us to 
reach more areas.”
       The training workshops are sponsored by Bonnie Plant Farm, a division of Alabama Farmers 
Cooperative., Inc. In addition to funding the workshops and providing snacks and lunches, Bonnie Plant 
Farm is furnishing 100 and teachers and leaders with a set of the Level I JMG curriculum.  The first 50 
teachers who sign up at each location and send in their registration forms will receive a JMG Leader’s 
Guide and a Youth Handbook.  Selection is on a first come, first served basis.  
	Deadline for registration is Oct. 24.  Seating will be limited at each location. For more information 
about the training workshops or registration forms, visit www.aces.edu/jmg or www.aces.edu/junior-
master-gardener, or contact Shane Harris at aharris@aces.edu or (256) 825-1050.  


The terms Junior Master Gardener, JMG, Golden Ray Series, Operation Thistle, and associated logo designs are 
registered service marks of Texas Cooperative Extension, The Texas A&M University System.