February 2020 UME Master Gardener
State Office Announcements
2020 is underway and we're excited to share updates on the Maryland Master Gardener Conference, including the Keynote Speaker and the Conference Agenda!
We also share the details on upcoming Continuing Education events, the Grow It Eat It Statewide Meeting Agenda, and the updated Volunteer Manual.
Maryland Master Gardener Conference
Welcome our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Allan Armitage! Dr. Armitage is a well known writer, speaker, and horticulturist. He has worked with landscape plants and greenhouse crops in the North and South, and travels the world speaking and sharing his passion for plants. 
Dr. Armitage holds his B.Sc from McGill University in Montreal, his M.Sc. from University of Guelph, and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He has written 17 books, countless academic papers and hundreds of articles for both professional and weekend gardeners alike; including a monthly column in the national greenhouse publication, Greenhouse Grower, for over 30 years. Check out his YouTube channel and website!
We have posted the Conference Agenda for the Maryland Master Gardener Conference! We're excited to share all of the fantastic presentation topics and speakers that are on board for this year.

Keep up to date with conference updates on our website at the link below. Registration will open for the Conference in spring and we'll be sure to send an announcement!
Continuing Education
March 23, 2020 | 9 am- 4 pm
Growing Healthy Youth
Gardens Workshop
Montgomery County Extension

Join the University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener and Food Supplement Nutrition Education programs to learn about school gardens! Speakers include Heather Burtisch, Pam Hosimer, Jon Traunfeld, and Michael Andorsky. Tickets are $15, includes lunch. Register at Eventbrite.

April 1st, 2020 | 10 am- 12 pm
Plant This, Not That!
Washington County Extension

Join fellow MG Ann Aldrich to learn about excellent native plants that can be substituted for common, problematic invasive plants.
Register for free at Eventbrite.

Check out our website for updates on 2020's Continuing Education events as they become available.
Grow It Eat It Statewide Meeting
March 12, 2020 | 10 am-1:30 pm Maryland 4-H Foundation College Park, MD

This next GIEI Statewide Meeting is coming up soon and you're invited to attend! This meeting will include GIEI program updates, discussion topics, and a food safety presentation by Carole Allen.
Refreshments will be provided. No RSVP is required. Check out the previous meeting minutes here.
Updated UME MG Volunteer Manual
We are pleased to announce the release of our new UME Master Gardener Volunteer Manual! This document can be found  on UME's website under UME Master Gardener Policies and Guidelines . This manual will only live online; no print copies will be provided. The state office will continuously update the manual as changes to the policy are made. The most recent version will be the only version available online, and the revision date will always be on the cover of the manual.

Please be advised that there are no new policies or guidelines in this document, we are simply laying them all out in one place so they are easy to find for reference. For now, this manual will act as an informational reference. On future volunteer appointment agreements and renewals, there will be a signature required to agree to abide by these policies and guidelines, as well as those of UME / UMD in general. Further information and notification will be provided at that point.

Stephanie Mathias
UME Master Gardener State Coordinator
Jean Burchfield
Program Management Specialist