UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The National Association of County Agricultural Agents named Penn State Extension’s green industry team as one of three national finalists in the association’s Search for Excellence awards program.
The green industry team was a finalist in the Search for Excellence in Consumer or Commercial Horticulture, which recognizes outstanding extension educational programs in horticulture. The team consisted of 23 Penn State Extension educators and staff members who developed a hybrid educational program model to respond to evolving client needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and to lay the groundwork for programming in the post-pandemic era.
Clients could choose from asynchronous, on-demand webinars or in-person pest identification walks held around the state to access high-quality, relevant information and gain professional continuing education credits.
Margaret Pickoff, horticulture extension educator based in Bucks County, took the lead on this award and traveled to the national meeting in Iowa to accept the honor.
“I was honored to represent the green industry program team at the national meeting in Iowa and loved the opportunity to talk about our programming with some of our national colleagues,” Pickoff said. “I’m really impressed with the work we’ve accomplished as a team and think this hybrid program is a great example of how we respond to the needs of our clients.”
Over a two-year period, 20 educators delivered 89 programs to more than 2,000 participants, generating more than $21,000 to support future green industry programming in Pennsylvania.
Evaluation data indicate that the hybrid model was successful in conveying key educational concepts and that participants increased their knowledge, intended to adopt new practices, and earned the professional credits they needed. Registrants valued the option to choose their preferred educational delivery method, which accommodated travel constraints and personal preferences for in-person or at-home learning.
Green industry team members noted that the hybrid approach allowed for better geographical coverage and predictability of available professional continuing education credits for participants during the programming year. This approach also boosted the efficiency of educators in offering programming by concentrating planning tasks and reducing duplication of effort.
The green industry team offers resources on topics such as landscape services/grounds management; turfgrass management; greenhouse, ornamental and floriculture production; nursery and Christmas tree production; business planning; spotted lanternfly; workforce development; and other relevant subjects.