For the convenience of local residents, here are maps you can view or print, showing the location of the Alachua County Extension Office in an Alachua County map and in a Gainesville map the Union County Extension Office in a Union County map The Extension Agent CES agents are university-trained professionals dedicated to sharing scientific information on every aspect of agriculture and horticulture. Although they have a field of specialty, they all receive in-depth training in many subjects to prepare them for a diverse clientele. When a question is over their head, they can tap resources of the state university system and other CES offices across the nation. In rural areas, CES may focus on the needs of farmers, their families, and their communities. In more metropolitan areas, CES also responds to small gardeners, city planners, school personnel, transportation engineers, park superintendents, and others with horticultural questions.
Gardeners tend to be less vocal than farmers.
In response to growing numbers of gardening inquiries from homeowners, a unique organization of auxiliary experts, the Master Gardeners, has joined forces with cooperative extension. Master Gardeners are volunteers who must pass intensive short courses in horticulture. In return for their certification, they provide 50 hours of horticulture-related service to their community. This Master Gardener network now has over 40,000 members in the U.S. and Canada. You can put yourself on the other side of the CES counter if you like gardening, like helping people, and are willing to take the intensive training.