Master Gardener Program
Master Gardener Program
Cornell Cooperative Extension welcomes Shannon Rinow
JAMESTOWN - Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties have partnered together to bolster the Master Gardener Volunteer program in each of our counties. While the program in Chautauqua has been successful for several years now, it lacked the dedicated staff support that it deserves. Cattaraugus is currently redeveloping a Master Gardener Volunteer Program. “The Partnership just made sense,” remarked Dick Rivers and Emily Reynolds, Executive Directors. “Partnerships like this help Cornell Cooperative Extension meet the needs of the residents of our counties.”
CCE is very excited to welcome Shannon Rinow as Program Coordinator. She has provided a brief biography to introduce herself.
“My name is Shannon Rinow, and I am so excited to begin this new adventure as your new Master Gardener Volunteer Program Coordinator for Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties! Since I was a young girl, gardening and agriculture have been a passion of mine. I recall helping tie posts at my grandparent’s grape farm at a young age and harvesting vegetables and flowers from their home garden. I have had my own garden for the past decade, and each summer as the sweet smell of peonies return after a long winter, it always brings me back to those younger years helping at my grandparents' farm.”
“In recent years, I co-own and operate a small suburban farm, Bee Happy Farm & Apothecary, alongside my husband, Mike and two sons, Mason (13) and Kyle (19), where I am a beekeeper and raise livestock (pigs, sheep, goats, poultry). We love the quirky personalities of our animals and have learned so much as their caretakers. Each day is an adventure and always something new! My family and I are in the process of relocating to Ashville, NY from Amherst, NY, a suburb right outside of Buffalo. We purchased a small fixer-upper farm where we plan to expand and grow organic vegetables and cut flowers. In my free time, I enjoy speaking to our community about the importance of honeybees and advocating for environmental and land stewardship. On any given day, you can catch me bottle feeding an orphaned piglet, nursing a sick chicken back to health or caring for new ducks in my living room! There is always something to do or someone in need, and I would not want it any other way.”
“I recently learned to crochet and have a fondness for spinning wool (although I am still learning!) and making homemade soaps and wreaths. I love the simple joys of homesteading and no matter how many days, months, and years go by, I am equally as excited to get fresh eggs from my chicken coop as the first day! Cornell Cooperative Extension has been an invaluable resource to me, and I am grateful to be a part of giving back to our community.”
Mrs. Rinow will begin her work with CCE in February, please join us in welcoming her. She can be reached at smr336@cornell.edu.
The Master Gardener Volunteer Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cattaraugus County (CCE-Cattaraugus). CCE-Cattaraugus is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information call 716-699-2377 or visit www.cce.cornell.edu/cattaraugus. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.