Garden club helps SHS students attend MSU Horticulture Seminar

By Sue Blackbourn
For the Daily News

After completing a horticulture class at Starkville High School, Rusty Coats, instructor, selected Damien Poe and Delvin Robertson to attend the 40th Annual Mississippi State University Horticulture Seminar.Financial supports from Town and Country Garden Club, in cooperation with the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc., and MSU, made it possible for these student to attend. Considerable time was spent by the 150 federated garden clubs in Mississippi, including Town and Country Garden Club, to raise scholarship funds because their members believe education goes hand-in-hand with beautification of the earth.Dr. Richard Harkess, seminar director, told the high school scholarship winners that the horticulture industry was the fastest growing segment of the U.S. agriculture.“During the journey, we toured the MSU facilities, Reese Orchards and Mayhew Tomato Farm,” said Damien Poe. “It was a great introduction to college life where the professors expected you to step out of the box and think for yourself..”MSU Ag Communications writer, Patti Drapala, said that 40 years ago, the university joined forces with the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc. to sponsor a four-day event each summer for high school students to explore the world of plants.