Kaufman County Master Gardeners held their annual appreciation dinner on December 5, 2022 at The Porch at FBC Kaufman. Pastor David Hunt offered the invocation before the group enjoyed a barbeque meal. In addition to Pastor Hunt, guests included Kaufman Count Judge Hal Richards, Commissioner Mike Hunt and wife, Commissioner Skeet Phillips and wife, Commissioner Terry Barber and wife, and Commissioner Ken Cates.
In 2022, Kaufman County Master Gardeners volunteered 2,710 hours. The rate per hour, set by the State Comptroller, is $29.95 for this year, which equals $81,141 in value to the county. Activities for this year included our fall seminar “Live, Love, Local, Learn,” a series of garden- and landscaping-related classes at Heartland, a hands-on seed-planting demonstration at The Center in Kaufman, several information booths at local events, and a number of presentations by Master Gardeners at local garden clubs and other organizations.
Our longtime County Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources, Ralph Davis, retired in August of last year, and in February of this year, we welcomed our new agent and sponsor, Tommy Phillips. In March, we receive word that we had won two awards at the Texas State Master Gardener Association meeting. Our project with Sharing the Love Foundation, the Children’s Legacy Garden in Forney was awarded second place in the Youth-Other category. Master Gardener Karel Halloway was awarded second place in the Written Education category for a series of gardening articles published in the Kaufman Herald.
Awards for years of service and hours of service in 2022 were presented by Judge Richards. See listing below.
The award dinner ended with the installation of officers for 2023 by Judge Hal Richards. Next year’s officers are Billie Henderson, President; Rebecca Morrow, Vice-President; Jim Burt, Treasurer, and Sandy Stahlman, Secretary.