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- 2022 Annual Report
Louisiana has an estimated 625,800 home gardens with a projected annual value of more than $334.8 million (2019 Louisiana Summary). There are also countless home landscapes requiring maintenance and development that relates to an ever- increasing need by consumers for horticulture information, training and timely access to the LSU AgCenter. The Louisiana Master Gardener (LMG) Program provides a network of volunteer support that strengthens and expands the capacity of the LSU AgCenter’s Cooperative Extension Service to effectively meet the educational needs of home gardeners in Louisiana. The program follows traditional Master Gardener format patterned after that of most states where volunteers complete the standardized LMG training course and return 40 hours of volunteer service the first year and 20 hours each year thereafter as gardening educators. The Louisiana Master Gardener program is administered and coordinated by LSU AgCenter Extension faculty who provide training and support to Master Gardener volunteer education and service projects that meet local parish needs.
| LMG Program | Graduates | # Registered Volunteers |
| Ascension | 0 | 73 |
| Beauregard | 4 | 18 |
| Cameron | 0 | 12 |
| Cenla | 14 | 54 |
| Darbonne | 0 | 11 |
| Delta | 12 | 10 |
| Downriver | 17 | 23 |
| EBR | 0 | 307 |
| Feliciana | 21 | 41 |
| Grant/LaSalle | 16 | 21 |
| Lafayette | 34 | 203 |
| LaTerre | 10 | 77 |
| Livingston | 35 | 16 |
| Natchitoches | 0 | 27 |
| North Central | 0 | 43 |
| Northeast | 18 | 39 |
| Northwest | 21 | 325 |
| MGGNO | 45 | 219 |
| Piney Hills | 17 | 76 |
| Pointe Coupee | 0 | 21 |
| River Region | 0 | 28 |
| River Ridge | 0 | 12 |
| Sabine | 0 | 35 |
| Southwest | 6 | 60 |
| St. Tammany | 28 | 309 |
| Tangipahoa | 12 | 50 |
| Washington | 0 | 20 |
| Westside | 9 | 21 |
| Winn | 0 | 18 |
| Totals | 319 | 2,169 |
The Louisiana Master Gardener program was started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1994 as a means of extending the educational outreach of the LSU AgCenter's Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. This pilot program was so successful that Master Gardener programs were started in 1998 in all the major metropolitan areas of Louisiana. Now in its 24th year statewide, there are 30 Louisiana Master Gardener volunteer training programs to reach participants throughout Louisiana. This LSU AgCenter signature program interacts with Habitat for Humanity, garden clubs and foundations, parish beautification programs, local farmers markets, school and community gardening programs, food banks, community and faith-based organizations, local master gardener associations, and Master Gardener programs in other states.
| Activity | Total Hours |
| 4-H and Other Youth Activities | 2,883 |
| Civic and Community Activities | 44,561 |
| Extension Activities | 14,675 |
| LMG Teaching Activities | 3,802 |
| Continuing Education | 774 |
| Meetings – Business and Administrative | 10,263 |
| Total Volunteer Hours Reported | 76,961 |
The increased need for consumer horticulture information and enhanced accessibility to the LSU AgCenter has proven that highly trained LMG volunteers presenting researched based information are recognized in their community as an important and critical resource for gardening education. In 2022, the Louisiana Master Gardener Program trained 319 new volunteers that increased the active number of LMG volunteers statewide to over 2,100. These volunteers donated 76,961 hours of their time to Extension horticulture education and service. Through the efforts of these volunteers, residents in Louisiana were provided research-based, consumer horticulture information and training. Additionally, volunteers continued their education by completing over 18,000 continuing education units (CEUs) in 2022.
| Year | Active Volunteers (Reporting) | Mass Contacts | Service Hours | Impact $ |
| 2018 | 1,410 | 2,333,021 | 77,035 | 2,220,452 |
| 2019 | 1,564 | 2,550,036 | 84,304 | 2,477,198 |
| 2020 | 1,318 | 1,751,409 | 39,788 | 1,203,143 |
| 2021 | 1,630 | 1,502,098 | 54,477 | 1,631,586 |
| 2022 | 2,169 | 1,108,707 | 76,961 | 2,304,981 |
| 5 Year Average | 1,618 | 1,849,054 | 66,513 |
1,967,472 |
| Contribution | |
| Louisiana Master Gardeners Trained in 2022 | 319 |
| LMGs Returning from Previous Years (# Reporting) | 2,169 |
| Active LMGs (# Registered in LMG Reporting Site) | 2,436 |
| Volunteer Retention (#Reporting/#Registered) | 89% |
| Volunteer Service Hours for 2022 | 76,961 |
| Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Value | 39.31 |
| Average Individual LMG Hours | 32 |
| Value of Volunteer Hours @ $29.95/hr | $2,304,981 |
| Total Volunteer Contacts (Mass Contacts) | 1,108,707 |
| Total Volunteer Contacts (Individual Contacts) | 597,427 |
| Average LMG Contacts (Mass Contacts) | 786 |
| CEU Hours for 2022 | 18,890 |
| Average Individual CEU (6 hrs per LMG required) | 8 |
| LMG Mileage for 2022 (All activities) | 412,861 |
| Value of LMG Mileage @ $.14 (All activities) | $57,800 |
| Unreimbursed LMG Volunteer Expenses (All activities) | $49,519 |
| Total LMG Volunteer Value for 2022 | $2,412,300 |
