The annual Illinois State Master Gardener conference is typically held each year on the Thursday and Friday following Labor Day. This conference serves as an opportunity to recognize our amazing volunteers through our state awards ceremony, as well as an opportunity for volunteers to network and receive continuing education.
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2024 Master Gardener State Conference | September 12 to 13, 2024
- Conference Location: iHotel and Illinois Conference Center, 111 St Mary’s Rd., Champaign, IL 61820
- Registration: go.illinois.edu/MGConference2024
- Register by: Sunday, September 8
- Click here for the full 2024 conference schedule.
Conference Schedule Summary
September 12, 2024: Full- and Half-Day Tours
9:45 AM to 3 PM: Guided Tour at Allerton Park in Monticello, IL (Full-Day Tour, Registration Required)
- Destination: Allerton Park
- Transportation: Self-driving; no charter bus provided for travel.
- Guided Tour: 9:45 AM to 3 PM
9 AM to Noon: Morning Campus Tour (Half-Day Tour, Registration Required)
- Destination: Take a short, 5-minute bus ride to the Champaign County Master Gardener Idea Garden and Japan House.
- Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Illinois Conference Center.
- Departs: 9:00 AM
- Returns: by Noon
9 AM to Noon: Delight Flower Farm Tour (Half-Day Tour, Registration Required)
- Destination: Take a 20-minute bus ride to experience Delight Flower Farm.
- Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Illinois Conference Center.
- Departs: 9:30 AM
- Returns: by Noon
1 to 5 PM: Afternoon Campus Tour (Half-Day Tour) - TOUR FULL/REGISTRATION CLOSED
- Destination: Take a 5-minute bus ride to the south side of campus to explore the Red Oak Rain Garden, Herbarium/ Paleontology Fossil Collections, and Plant Biology Greenhouse.
- Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Illinois Conference Center.
- Departs: 1 PM
- Returns: by 5 PM
1 to 5 PM: Afternoon Vegetable Farm Tour (Half-Day Tour, Registration Required)
- Destination: Take a 10-minute bus ride to visit the Sustainable Student Farm (campus) and nearby Sola Gratia Farm (Urbana).
- Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Illinois Conference Center.
- Departs: 1 PM
- Returns: by 5 PM
6:30 to 8 PM: Mixer at the Conference Center (Registration Required)
September 13, 2024: Conference Schedule
- 8 AM: Registration, Coffee and Light Continental Breakfast Station, and Silent Auction open
- 9 AM: Welcome Message
- 9:15 to 10:15 AM: Keynote Speaker – May Berenbaum, Head and Professor, Entomology; Swanlund Endowed Chair; Director, Center for Advanced Study
- 10:30 to 11:30 AM: Breakout Session 1 (Attend one of three sessions.)
- Soil Lead: Cause for Concern? Evidence from Chicago Backyard Gardens
- The What and Why of Urban Tree Diversity
- Growing Microgreens and Sprouts at Home
- 11:30 to 12:30 PM: Vendors, Silent Auction, and Lunch (buffet)
- 12:30 to 1:30 PM: Awards Ceremony
- 1:30 PM: Silent Auction closes
- 1:45 to 2:45 PM: Breakout Session 2 (Attend one of three sessions.)
- This Isn't Your Grandparents’ Gardening Weather
- Is this Apple Organic? A Primer on Organic Production Practices
- Landscaping: Fact or Fiction
- 3 to 4 PM: Breakout Session 3 (Attend one of three sessions.)
- Planting Perennials for Native Insects or Humans? Designing a Planting Where Everyone Wins.
- Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts Training
- Does Local Matter? Embracing Horticultural Food Systems of Illinois
- 3:00 to 4:30 PM: Silent Auction Pay/Pick Up
- 4:30 PM: Conference Concludes
Past Conference Summaries
2023 Master Gardener State Conference
The 2023 State Master Gardener Conference was held in Peoria, IL on September 7 and 8.
2022 Master Gardener State Conference
The 2022 State Master Gardener Conference was held in Will County on September 8 and 9.