On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County officially recognized Jan Smith for her 20+ years of volunteer service as a Master Gardener educator. Master Gardeners are trained CCE volunteer educators who help provide garden-based education to local residents of Oswego County. Master Gardeners help integrate practical garden skills and experience with research-based knowledge so residents of Oswego County are better equipped to manage gardens, lawns, and home landscapes.
Jan completed her master gardener volunteer training in 1996 and has continued to play an important role for the Oswego County extension office. Over her many years of service, Jan has done countless presentations, workshops, garden demonstration projects, horticultural judging at the county fair, as well as answering questions through the CCE Oswego horticulture hotline. Jan also received her CCE Master Food Preservation certificate and continues to help answer questions related to canning. Alongside her service as a Master Gardener volunteer, Jan was a 4-H volunteer for over 30 years from 1986 through 2016.
On behalf of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego, Executive Director, Paul Forestiere says, “Jan is a valued member of our Cooperative Extension team. Her dedication to our public education programs, and her wonderful ability to teach those programs, is widely recognized by both staff and volunteers.”
For more information about the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County and how you can become a volunteer, please go to thatscooperativeextension.org. For specific questions about the Master Gardener Volunteer Program, please contact Joshua Vrooman, Agriculture Educator for CCE Oswego County at 315-963-7286 ext. 200 or jwv33@cornell.edu.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities, and provides equal program and employment opportunities. Please contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County office if you have any special needs. For more information, please call 315-963-7286 or go online to www.thatscooperativeextension.org.
