August 2017

“Reaching Out Report” the Greene County Extension Newsletter

2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807 Email: greeneco@missouri.edu * Tel: (417) 881-8909

August 2017 *

Vol. 10, Issue 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Each month read updates and reports on these University of Missouri Extension programs in Greene County:  Nutrition  Community and Human Development  Horticulture  Agriculture  4-H Youth  Local Foods Each “Reaching Out Report” is used by Greene County Extension specialists to concisely communicate activities, impacts and events to members of the Greene County Extension Council, Greene County Commission and Greene County residents.

4-H Report —Page 5

LOCAL EVENTS

See program lists and calendars inside this newsletter for a glimpse of what is coming up.

Subscribe Now!

Become a subscriber and receive a monthly email with the direct link for reading the “Reaching Out Report” online. Subscribe on our website.

Successful Tomato Festival —Page 10

University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/ access/ affirmative action/ pro-disabled and veteran employer.

Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Great Game of Business for Government/Non-Profits 2017 INCOME

YTD #s $16,011.81

Student Fees

Budget #

DIFF

$22,000.00

$5,988.19

County Appropriations

$44,000.00

$44,000.00

$0.00

Gifts/Grants/Contracts

$9,603.05

$16,000.00

$6,396.95

Resales/Fees/Soil Tests

$7,173.76

$11,000.00

$3,826.24

Program Support Fund TOTAL INCOME

$5,755.44 $82,544.06

$7,350.00 $100,350.00

$1,594.56 $17,805.94

YTD #s $25,126.84

Budget # $42,000.00

DIFF $16,765.73

Travel for programs

$4,069.40

$8,000.00

$3,930.60

Office operations

$3,689.34

$8,550.00

$3,931.57

Marketing & Printing

$7,374.94

$15,700.00

$8,325.06

Supplies/Services Extension Council

$8,050.49 $204.00

$13,500.00 $600.00

$5,449.51 $395.65

Endowment

$2,000.00

$0.00

$5,082.00 $55,597.01

$12,000.00 $100,350.00

2017 EXPENSES Personnel Wages/Benefits

Fee Generation to MU TOTAL EXPENSES NET INCOME

$

26,947.05

$

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

-

$6,918.00 $44,752.99 -$26,947.05

Notes for the month

Budget planning for 2018 is underway. A council committee is looking at priorities and projections for the year. In 2018, each specialist/staff member will get their own office budget to manage and to make decisions on income (including sponsors) and expenses related to their programs like an actual business owner.

Drivers for 2017

Soil tests—244 actual, 400 goal, 61% of goal Registrations —809 actual, 750 goal, 108% of goal Donors —56 actual, 80 goal, 70% of goal

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Zone 1 Programs Impacts by MU Extension

Impacting Zone 1 the MU Extension Way

The city of Springfield has an imitative to address poverty in the poorest area of the city — Zone 1 in the northwest portion of the city. Greene County MU Extension specialists and associates with MU Extension’s Family Nutrition Education Program, as well as volunteers with MU Extension’s Master Gardeners program are active in Zone 1 teaching nutrition, gardening and business classes. 

MU Extension specialists Patrick Byers and Kelly McGowan deliver gardening related classes to Zone 1 residents at Fairbanks in addition to working on a high tunnel project.



Regular nutrition programs for children and adults in Zone 1 ar e detailed in this r epor t.



Several Master Gardeners are very involved with teaching and working at the community gardens near the Fairbanks.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

NEW THIS MONTH 

Small Bites Cooking Classes at Fairbanks: Pam Duitsman is wor king with Jenni Nevatt and our Family Nutrition Program Educators to implement nutrition and experiential cooking education to lowincome families.



Patrick Byers will be supporting efforts by Springfield Community Gardens food safety and community garden certification of operating procedures.



Tom Watkins Neighborhood Association partnered with Spr ingfield Par ks and Rec, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, and the Family Nutrition Education Program to offer a series of basic cooking classes to tweens/teens. The five youth par ticipants were given the opportunity to learn basic measuring, knife skills, how to choose healthy foods, how to read a recipe, and how to use kitchen appliances.

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Greene County “Reaching Out� Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

4-H Youth Regional Cake Wars: 14 teams enter ed in the regional 4H cake wars at the Ozark Empire Fair. Teams had 10 minutes to decorate their cake. Everyone had the same supplies and the theme was "Summer's biggest party." Special thanks to Missouri State Representative Sonya Murray Anderson (shown here with other Greene County teams) for joining in the fun.

On the Cover: 4-H'ers from the Horsin' Around and Sac River Stablemates 4-H club proudly sharing their honors from the 2017 Missouri State Fair 4-H Horse Show.

More About 4-H

Contact 4-H Youth Development Specialist Karla Deaver at Lawrence County Extension by telephone at 417/466-3102 or email at deaverk@missouri.edu.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

As the largest out-of-school youth organization in the world, 4-H is open to all boys and girls, ages 5 to18. Children who are five to seven years old are eligible for 4-H Clover Kids, an introductory program. Youths who are 8 to 18 years of age can select from a variety of 4-H projects and activities that stress social and life skills in areas like decision making, communication, social interaction, civic responsibility and physical skills.

Children do not have to live on a farm to join 4H. Pr oject oppor tunities include computer s, robotics, foods and nutrition, horticulture, large and small animals and more. Missouri 4-H is University of Missouri Extension's youth development program. Learn more online.

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Civic Communication Specialist & County Program Director Increasing Newsletter Readership Began efforts in July to promote our newsletter online and increase our monthly readership (which had been staying around 250 for several years).

Mailing printed copies of the newsletter is too expensive (although we do mail them to legislators during the summer months). For the July issue I spent $50 with Facebook to create an online promotion for the digital newsletter which was:  Seen by 4,271 people (who had demographic breakdown of 71% women, 41% ages 55-64)  Our Facebook page following increased by 23 during this promotional effort.  Our newsletter post received 14 post shares and 62 post likes  216 people clicked on the link to read our digital newsletter!

This online promotion nearly doubled the readership of our newsletter during the month.

Wendy’s Fundraiser Generates $176 Thanks to Supporters On July 11, all Wendy’s Restaurants in Springfield and Republic contributed 30 percent of their food purchases back to the Greene County Extension Council when an approved flyer was shown at the time of the purchase.

This is a program developed by Hamra Enterprises which owns the area Wendy’s Restaurants.

The Greene County Extension Council promoted the program widely with media announcements, free and paid social media boosts, a mailing supporters, and copies of flyers to 4-H families and members in the Master Gardener program.

Total sales were $589.27 which generated $176.78. The extension council and is splitting pro-

ceeds evenly with the Greene County 4-H Leader’s Council and Master Gardeners of Greene County.

“Master Gardeners and 4-H are the largest extension programs in the county and we are all part of the same extenDavid Burton sion family so council Civic communication wanted to do a fundraiser burtond@missouri.edu that was jointly beneficial,” said Burton.

Readership Survey for SW Regional News Service Results from my annual survey of the readership for the Southwest Region News Service are coming in but there is still time to give your input (and possibly win a gift card). To date, the results have revealed some trends.

Number of About 92% of followers of extension-related readers say they have Facebook pages that read an article that has I administer caused them to do something different.

Over 98% of readers say the news serOn average, number vice is one of the key of “views” of ways they engage with Extension MU Extension. information on these same Links to the survey Facebook pages can be found on our every week. website.

82,456

88,408

David Burton’s focus of work as civic communication specialist: Community engagement thr ough communication and media relations, leading and moderating focus groups, non-profit education, social media in support of disaster recovery, marketing extension regionally, heritage tourism; and engaging council members with media relations efforts like the Southwest Region News Service.

As county program director: David also works with the elected council to operate, fund and administer the local Greene County Extension office and to plan local programs, to engage council members in this and other work, and to generate local revenue to support programs in Greene County.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out� Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

COUNTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR REPORT

Online Advertising Helps to Drive Attendance to Tomato Festival Although traditional forms of advertising remain powerful, and the weekly email blast originating from Greene County Extension has over 10,000 subscribers and results in news stories statewide, Facebook ads are proving to drive traffic to events.

For the tomato festival our office did two television interviews, one radio spot, email

blasts, website information, one print out and $100 for a Facebook boost to the ticket link.

That Facebook boost had a total reach of 7,518 individuals. Among those, 227 marked that they were interested in the event and 12 indicted they would go. We had 28 comments on the post and 42 shares. Online stats show that 152 actually clicked on our link to purchase tickets for the event with 136 of those being women.

Our tomato festival ended up with an attendance of over 50 and we now have several ideas about how to expand it for next year.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene

Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

COUNTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR REPORT

List of Remaining 2017 Projects and Programs

In late December of 2016, staff with Greene County Extension met to set goals for 2017 and to map out these events for the year.

AUGUST  Horticulture Twilight Tour at Millsap Farm on pizza night. —Duitsman, McGowan, and Byers  Regional Master Gardening training SEPTEMBER  Garlic Festival — at Botanical Center, Duitsman, McGowan, and Byers  Commission Farm Tour—Annual event in partnership with other organizations.  Salute to Century Farm — afternoon educational session to help keep families on the farm and an evening fundraiser and awards dinner — council and staff

 

Study Group 1: Aging Successfully — 10week program by Jeff Barber.

Stay Strong/ Stay Healthy program kicks off at senior centers - Renettee Wardlow

OCTOBER  Beef production on small acreage workshop—McCorkill and Schnakenberg  Food Safety Class—Pat Byers, Pam Duitsman, Sarah Denkler, Shon Bishop, Robert Balek  4-H enrollment kickoff  Excel Leadership program begins Sept. 14  Garlic Festival  Tour at Moo Juice Dairy Farm with Jeff Barber and Regan Bleul—still pending  Fall Food Preservation class NOVEMBER  Holiday food preservation event—Lindsey Stevenson  Annual fundraising campaign

Donating to Greene County Extension is as Easy As: 1. Donate online at extension.missouri.edu/greene by mail or in person.

2. Stay connected with

Greene County Extension on social media, by email and/ or in service as a volunteer.

3. Enjoy making a difference in the lives of 45,000 county residents annually.

Helping Greene County Extension Do More, Reach More, Be More!

University of Missouri Extension in Greene County

Located inside the Botanical Center at 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807 Tel: (417) 881-8909 | Email: greeneco@missouri.edu | Online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Agriculture

Get Tickets Now for Salute to Century Farms Event Held on Sept. 25 at Round Barn This year’s “Salute to Century Farms” should be a fun event with a record-breaking attendance thanks to having five families to recognize with Century Farm status.

The evening will include food from Maggie Maes, music from Judy Domney and a benefit auction.

There will also be a pre-dinner educational event from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. taught by Jim Spencer Jr, agribusiness specialist with MU Extension. The focus of the “Planning for your Farm's future” is the steps for succession planning to help keep family on the farm.

Thanks to donors during the Give Ozarks campaign, individuals that own a Century Farm can attend at a reduced rate and all honored families are getting four free tickets.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

For more information or to order tickets call the extension office or visit the Greene County Extension website.

HONORED FARMS IN 2017 Farms in Greene County being recognized as Century Farms at this year’s dinner:  Jesse and Margaret Abney of Willard, farm started by George W. Kime, grandfather in 1902, 52 acres.  Wesley and Annette Corlett of Willard, farm started by Joseph A. Renshaw, great -grandfather in 1846, 40 acres.  Wayne and Crystal Fortner of Willard, farm started by Sidney Fortner, grandfather in 1915, 205 acres.  Jim Killingsworth of Ash Grove, far m started by John K. Miller, grandfather in 1917, 80 acres.  Lewis and Shelly Smith of Willard, farm started by Luther Wiley, greatgrandfather, in 1895, 120 acres.

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Horticulture Educator and Master Gardeners

McGowan Leads Butterfly House Tours for Season

Through a partnership with Friends of the Garden, Parks and the Botanical Center, and MU Extension, Kelly McGowan, horticulture educator in Greene County will be leading tours of the Dr. Bill Roston Native Butterfly House in 2017. These tours are mainly for school age children and help to facilitate a love and appreciation of nature, compliment classroom science curriculum and get kids outdoors.

Southwest Regional Master Gardener Field Day Aug. 19

Kelly McGowan, horticulture educator in Greene County and Robert Balek, horticulture specialist in Jasper County are hosting a regional Master Gardener field day on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Springfield Botanical Gardens. The Kelly McGowan purpose of this field day is Horticulture Educator to provide education and mcgowank@missouri.edu networking for Master Gardeners in southwest Missouri. See website for more information and online registration.

Prepping for Tomato Festival The Master Gardener Program is a popular and successful statewide volunteer community-service organization administered through University of Missouri Extension. The organization’s goal is to train gardeners who are willing to share their knowledge with others. Master Gardeners become volunteers of University of Missouri Extension and donate hours for community educational projects in horticulture. Volunteer activities include working with non-profit organizations, maintaining community gardens, conducting workshops, participating in a Master Gardener speakers’ bureau and staffing the Master Gardener “Hotline.” The Master Gardeners of Greene County boasts of over 275 members. For more information visit the chapter website at http://www.mggreene.org.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Horticulture Specialist Community Contact:  Interview with Anna Brett, reporter with the Columbia Missourian  Farm site visits – 5 for advisement Programs Presented:  “All About Tomatoes,” Tomato Festival, Springfield (7.18.17) (See photos below)  “Blackberry Season Management,” Fall Blackberry Production Workshop, MU SWREC, Mount Vernon (7.26.17)  “Blackberry Irrigation,” Fall Blackberry Production Workshop, MU SWREC, Mount Vernon (7.26.17)  “Primocane Blackberry Management,” Fall Blackberry Production Workshop, MU SWREC, Mount Vernon (7.26.17) Coordinated:  Springfield Plateau Master Naturalists board meeting, Springfield (7.12.17)  Springfield Plateau Master Naturalists chapter meeting, Springfield (7.17.17)  Tomato Festival, Springfield (7.18.17)  Garlic research study activities – garlic data collection, planning for 2018  Horticulture soil test reports - recommenda-

tions and distribution for SW region – 29 reports during reporting period Upcoming events  Garlic research study activities  Garlic research project meeting, Springfield (8.7.17)  Hops project planning meeting, CoPatrick Byers lumbia (8.10.17) Horticulture  “Growing Blackber- byerspl@missouri.edu ries in Missouri,” Regional Master Gardener Conference, Springfield (8.19.17)  “Seed Saving,” Greene County Library Seed Saving Library Program, Springfield (8.28.17)  “Twilight Garden Tour,” Springfield (8.31.17)

To learn more about local commercial horticulture programs, contact Horticulture Development Specialist Patrick Byers at (417) 859-2044 or by email at byerspl@missouri.edu.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Nutrition and Food Policy

Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s porch Aug 8 August 8th is national "Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night.” This holiday was started by Pennsylvanian Tom Roy as a positive way to get rid of all the zucchini you have grown but cannot use.

“Everyone who has grown zucchini knows it can be difficult to keep up with the yield. The gourds grow quickly and do not freeze or can well,” said Dr. Pam Duitsman, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Since you can only bake so many loaves of zucchini bread, many folks find giving their zucchini to neighbors is a great solution.”

Zucchini is a summer squash, which comes in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Most summer squash have similar flavor profiles and can be used interchangeably.

There are many varieties, including Yellow squash: either straight or crook-necked; and Scallop varieties: which include the favorite Patty-Pan type, Peter Pan, Scallopini, Sunburst, and other summer squash that are disc-shaped with scalloped edges.

Then there is zucchini, which has varieties that are medium to dark green, looking much like a cucumber in its size, shape, and color. Some are even golden.

“Zucchini are generally harvested when six to eight inches long and about 2 inches in diameter when they are most flavorful,” said Duitsman.

Summer squash differs from winter squash, which has hard skins and includes: pumpkin, acorn, buttercup, and banana squash. Unlike winter squash, summer squash should be harvested while the gourd is still tender, ideally no bigger than 8-10 inches in length.

Any over 12 inches will likely be too hard and should be recycled. Patty-pan squash should be harvested when about 3-4” in diameter.

The skin of the summer squash is thin and easily damaged, and should be handled with care.

One cup of raw sliced zucchini contains 16 calories; 1.31 grams of protein; 3.27 grams of carbohydrates; and 1.36 grams of dietary fiber.

“Summer squash contains vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber, and carotenoids, which are plant elements known as phytonutrients, which have been shown to promote health and Pam Duitsman help prevent Nutrition Specialist chronic diseases duitsmanp@missouri.edu such as cancer,” said Duitsman.

Summer squash is 95% water and contains only about 20 calories per cup.

Squash is a great choice for the beginning gardener because it is easy to grow and prolific. If you have limited space, squash plants can be grown in large containers.

During hot weather, the fruit is usually ready to pick 4 to 8 days after flowering.

The plants should be checked every 1 to 2 days to ensure the squash do not grow too big, overmature, and become tough.

Store summer squash unwashed in the refrigerator crisper in a plastic bag left open or with a few holes poked in it for airflow. If the squash is fresh, it will keep like this for about one week.

Before preparation, wash squash well by scrubbing gently with a soft vegetable brush under running cold water. There is no need to remove the skin unless the squash is oversized and tough.

Program Calendar Online

The most up-to-date list of reported upcoming MU Extension programs in Greene County is available online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene Calendar visible on right side of page.

Contact Nutrition and Health Education Specialist Dr. Pam Duitsman at (417) 881-8909 or by email at duitsmanp@missouri.edu.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

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Family Nutrition Education Program Becky Roark

Nutrition Program Associate Classes taught 

 

Becky Mills and I are teaching a series of “Eating from the Garden” lessons at the four Boys and Girls Clubs in Springfield: Musgrave (Zone 1), Henderson (Zone 1), Stalnaker and Sertoma Madison and South Towers— 14 adults Rogersville Senior Center—10 adults

Displays 

Family Nutrition Education Program

2160 W. Chesterfield Blvd. Suite F200 Chesterfield Village, Springfield, Mo. Tel: 417-886-2059 * http://missourifamilies.org

Nevatt

 

Well of Life Food Pantry— over 300 families Farmers’ Market of the Ozarks Holland Back to School Fair on 7/29



Attended FNEP conference, Columbia

Other

Sherri Hull

Nutrition Program Associate

Marty Wood

Nutrition Program Associate  People Helping People-15  Pregnancy Care Center-14  Crosslines-1665

Roark

Hull

Wood

service. On the second day of the conference the NPAs were trained on the updated adult curriculum, Eating Smart, Being Active, which will now offer hands-on cooking skills and a much larger physical activity component. On the last day of conference NPAs were given guidance on their new SNAP Outreach endeavor where NPAs will work with seniors and part-time workers in their local population to assist them in completing the food stamp application. All 20 NPAs were then to appear in the FNEP regional office in Springfield on July 24 for more specific guidance on SNAP Outreach.

Jennifer Nevatt

Family Nutrition Program Manager Southwest Region The Family Nutrition Education Program (FNEP) held its annual conference July 1113 in Columbia. At this conference Myrna Stark, Nutrition Program Associate (NPA) housed in Douglas county, was awarded the Mentoring Award for her outstanding support to her peers in her more than 9 years of

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

Last Updated August 1, 2017

Family Nutrition Education Program

Nutrition Outreach Effort at Ozark Empire Fair Showcases MU Extension’s New “Eat Smart on the Go Food Demo Truck” Nutrition Program Associates from both the Southwest and West Central regions have been out at the Ozark Empire Fair with their new Eat Smart on the Go food demo truck.

This truck moves across the state providing people the opportunity to watch a demonstration of and then sample healthy recipes.

In addition to the food demo truck, NPAs will be having cooking demonstrations on the Ozark Empire Fair cooking stage every weekday throughout the duration of the fair.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

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Human Development Specialist

Program in Stafford is Leading to Improvements Among Participants Pictured are some of the participants of the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy class held at the Strafford Senior Center. The group is small, eight participants, but the women love being in the class and beginning to report positive changes after just 6 sessions.

The participants said that they decided to join the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy  “Because my arms are so weak.”  “I need to build more strength in my body.”  “To spend time with the other ladies and to better myself.”  “My doctor said that I need more exercises,”  “I need to work on becoming more limber,” and  “I see improvement in my strength already.

Some of the responses on how they feel since the beginning the course include:  “I seem to have more stamina.”  “I feel a little stronger.”  “I had a hard time with some of the exercises at first but now Renette Wardlow they are much Human Development easier.” wardlowr@missouri.edu  “I am gaining more confidence and I’m not as afraid that I might fall.”  “I now have more energy to get things done around the house.”  “My legs do not feel as stiff as they did when I wasn’t exercising.

The classes in Strafford and Republic are being funded through the Senior Citizen Fund approved by and paid for by Greene County taxpayers several years ago.

To learn more about local programs impacting children and families, contact Human Development Specialist Renette Wardlow at (417) 881-8909 or by email at wardlowr@missouri.edu.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu

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Greene County “Reaching Out” Report

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Office Management / Assorted Direct Phone Lines for Extension Staff Maggie Black, Office Manager - 874-2953 David Burton, Civic Communication/CPD - 874-2954 Jeff Barber, Housing & Environ. Design -- 874-2955 Dr. Pam Duitsman, Nutrition Specialist -- 874-2957 Kelly McGowan, Horticulture Educator -- 874-2965 Renette Wardlow, Human Development -- 874-2966 Master Gardeners Hotline -- 874-2963 Family Nutrition Education Program-417-886-2059

Extension Council Officers    

Joe Crim, chair Jason Whitesell, vice-chair Lisa Bakerink, treasurer Morgan Ash, secretary

Our Major Sponsors Greene County Commission 933 N. Robberson Ave., Springfield, MO http://www.greenecountymo.org/

Springfield-Greene County Park Board Ph 417-864-1049, www.parkboard.org Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District Ph.417-831-5246 http://swcd.mo.gov/greene/index.html Greene County Farm Bureau

Greene County Extension

Office located inside the SpringfieldGreene County Botanical Center 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807 Tel: (417) 881-8909 greeneco@missouri.edu Office hours: Monday - Friday * 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Key Contact for Greene County Extension

Maggie can help with soil tests, schedule dates for renewing pesticide licenses, enroll individuals in any of our various programs and a variety of other things to help our clients connect with the local extension office.

Maggie Black

Office Manager blackmag@missouri.edu Joined Spring 2015

Extension Partner Meetings st

County Commission Meetings: 1 and 3rd Mondays of month; confirm agenda at http://www.greenecountymo.org/commission.

Commission building, Springfield, at 9:30 a.m.

Park Board Meetings: Second Fr iday of each month, 8:30 a.m. Call 864-1049 to confirm.

4-H Leader’s Council Meetings: 3r d Thursday of month (except July),7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran, 2852 S Dayton Ave, Springfield.

Greene County 4-H Foundation: meets 3rd Thursday of each month at Panera Bread on Battlefield (across from the Mall) starting at 6 p.m.

Master Gardeners of Greene County— board meeting: Fir st Monday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at the Botanical Center.

Master Naturalists Board Meetings: board meets at 5:30 p.m. at the MDC regional office, on the second Wednesday of the month.

Greene County Farm Bureau: Second Monday of the month at Farm Bureau 2530 S Campbell Ave, Springfield. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Friends of the Garden — board meeting: 2nd Thur sday of the month at 5 p.m, large room, Springfield Botanical Center, 2400. S. Scenic Ave.

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene