Tony Bratsch provides leadership for horticulture educational programs for Extension units in east central and southeastern Illinois. With a focus on consumer horticulture, he works with both home gardeners and commercial interests covering a range of subject matter in ornamental and food crops horticulture.

Bratsch is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, where he received his B.S. in Plant and Soil Science with a specialization in ornamental horticulture and botany. His graduate work was conducted at Oregon State University, where he completed a Masters and Ph.D. in Horticulture, with an emphasis on vegetable crop production, soil science and plant pathology. He followed that work with a post-doctoral research appointment in irrigated vegetable crop management in the eastern desert region of Oregon.

He brings a broad range of previous employment history to the position, including private landscape industry and public park maintenance supervision in the Dallas, Texas area. From 1994 to 2001, he had previous service with the University of Illinois Extension as a Horticulture Educator in food crops, based at the Edwardsville Center. His return to U of I follows employment in the Horticulture Department at Virginia Tech, where he was a State Extension Specialist in small fruit and vegetable crop management. Tony has been involved internationally in extension activities, and has made several trips to Eastern Europe as a horticulture crop consultant for USAID supported pest management projects.

Program Offerings

At the Effingham Center, Tony coordinates a wide variety of horticulture programs, with a focus on consumer and homeowner outreach in the counties he serves. His primary program focus is the development and delivery of educational materials and public presentations on a wide range of horticultural topics. This includes turf management, shrub, tree and flower selection and care, as well as vegetable and fruit growing. He is the primary horticultural technical support and "answer" person for county Extension offices in the region. He helps to coordinate training sessions, teach and support Master Gardeners across the region, and supports the Home and Consumer Economics (HCE) train the trainer horticulture programs. He works to assist home gardeners through office visits, email and phone inquiries.

In addition he supports commercial landscape, nursery and garden centers in the region through direct consultation and on-site visits to diagnose problems. He works with industry and representative associations to identify issues and program needs, and provides educational seminars and informational materials as requested.

Home Horticulture

Horticulture is a growing area of interest in all communities. Home gardening and landscaping is a widely enjoyed activity for individuals and families, and for all age groups, levels of experience and garden sizes. Home gardeners can take advantage of a variety of information sources and educational meetings through University of Illinois Extension programs.

Property improvement and choosing the best trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals for home garden plantings, and maintaining them, is an important issue to home owners. Home vegetable and fruit gardening is on the increase as consumers grow their own produce, enjoying fresh out of the garden crops.

Horticultural information can be obtained through a variety of Extension websites, publications and local seminars and workshops. As part of a statewide horticulture team of educators, Bratsch utilizes a variety of methods to provide information to the public:

• Provide information and consultation through office visits, emails, and phone calls.
• In your county Extension office, home gardeners can submit samples for problem diagnosis through state of the art digital imaging network which links your problem with Bratsch and other experts at University of Illinois.
• Through print and web-based resources, seasonal information is provided on various topics from landscape planting and maintenance to growing quality fruits and vegetables in the home garden
• In response to local county extension requests, Bratsch is available to conduct educational seminars on a wide variety of horticultural topics. Presentations and workshops can be scheduled for industry, organizations and associations.

Examples of educational seminars include:

• Emerald Ash Borer and other Invasive Species Awareness
• Selecting Adapted Plants for Home Landscape Use
• Tree and Shrub Establishment and Care
• Lawn Management and Improvement
• Hands-on Demonstrations of Proper Pruning, Planting Techniques
• Pesticide Selection and Use in Home Gardens and Landscapes
• Garden Vegetable and Small Fruit Culture
• Season Extension Techniques for the Home Garden
• Spring Mushroom Hunting Safety

Master Gardener Training

Each winter Master Gardener classes are offered at various regional locations across the state. In the eastern and southern regions of Illinois, sessions are offered at 4 locations on a rotating site schedule. Bratsch helps to coordinate and teach the Effingham / Coles County rotation. For those interested in the program please contact your local county extension office.

Commercial Horticulture

Individuals and companies involved in horticulture on a professional and commercial basis have a variety of resources available to them to help their business. Extension provides educational opportunities through conferences, growers meetings, seminars, workshops and pesticide applicator training sessions. Extension works with professional organizations to provide expertise and support for their programs and meetings. Direct consultation is offered to assist growers and grounds maintenance professionals in the area of pest I.D. and management, nursery and greenhouse crop culture, and landscape maintenance.

Examples of Green Industry conferences coordinated by University of Illinois Extension include:

• The Gateway Green Industry Conference
• Southern Illinois Bedding Plants School and Trade Show
• Pesticide Safety and Applicators Training

Information about these and other important meetings and conferences can be obtained through your local Extension office or by contacting Bratsch directly at the Effingham Center.

Additional information about commercial horticulture is also available through a variety of Extension topical websites, electronic and subscription-based newsletters, factsheets and articles written by University of Illinois Extension horticulture staff. These links can be accessed at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/hort.html

Extension also provides professional, fee based Plant Clinic laboratory diagnostic services, as well as Distance Diagnostics through Digital Imaging (DDDI), a free service available at each county extension office that provides basic visual diagnostics of plant disease and insect problems from photo images. Information about the Plant Clinic and submitting samples can be found at: http://plantclinic.cropsci.uiuc.edu/

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