What are ACB, ASHS and MACHS?

The Association of Collegiate Branches (ACB) is the undergraduate organization of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS).

 

ACB’s main purposes are to:

¨ encourage undergraduate participation in the ASHS,

¨ provide a forum of exchange from club and professional ideas,

¨ act as an official agent for undergraduate horticulture students.

 

The ACB is broken into four regional groups: Mid-America (MACHS), Northeast, Western America, and Southern regions.

 

MACHS stands for the Mid-American Collegiate Horticultural Society and includes collegiate horticulture clubs from 12 Mid-American states including: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MACHS consists of student horticultural organizations from schools throughout the Midwest. In other words it is just one big horticulture club with members from all over the place.

About MACHS/History

Updated: January 2008

Mid-American Collegiate

Horticultural Society

What happens at the MACHS conventions?

 

Until March 2007, The Mid-American Collegiate Horticultural Society held its annual convention each March during or around spring break. The University of Wisconsin, River Falls is the host of the next convention and decided to change the time of the convention in hopes to increase school participation. A different school in the region hosts the meeting (convention) each year. At this annual conference there are a number of items that take place, and there are also a bunch of events that take place for fun. Seminars, workshops, and student paper & poster presentations, as well as horticulture judging, identification, and general horticulture knowledge competitions are part of the convention. Don't worry, all of these things are for fun and you do not get graded! Individuals and schools who compete in the competitions are ranked and those with the highest scores do win prizes. The annual business meeting and a banquet are also held during the convention. The MACHS convention is definitely a good time and a great place to meet people in horticulture from the Mid-western states and should prove to be both academically and socially refreshing!

Who previously hosted MACHS and what events took place?

November 8-11, 2007 (35th)

University of Wisconsin, River Falls—Wisconsin

March 8-11, 2007 (34th)

Purdue University—Indiana

Regional Tours:

         -Visited Heartland Growers in Westfield, IN.  They have 22 acres (20 acres under greenhouse and 2 acres outside) for production and are the largest wholesale producer in Indiana.  Since their beginning in 1976, they have been steadily growing and they nearly doubled in size since 1984.  Their customer base has expanded to include Wal-Mart, Lowes, independent garden center, florist, and Marsh supermarkets.  Heartland Growers had a set-up to include Ebb and Flood water system, Boom and Echo irrigation system, and their newest addition of a MX greenhouse with an open roof feature.

         -Visited McNamara Florists and Enflora Flowers Design Center, Fishers, IN.  McNamara is a powerhouse in the floral industry.  They are ranked in the “Top 20” by FTD in the US and Canada with over 100 employees.  They source products directly from growers all around the world to deliver the highest standards of quality, freshness, selection, and value to their customers.

         -Visited the Indiana Flower and Patio Show with more than 45,000 square feet of gardens and 450 exhibitors.

         -Visited Engledow Group, Carmel, IN.

         -Lastly, MACHS participants traveled to downtown Indianapolis, IN to enjoy the city and all it has to offer!

March 15-18, 2006 (33rd)

University of Illinois—Illinois

March 2005 (32rd)

Colorado State University—Colorado

March 19-22, 2002 (29th)

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities—Minnesota

             -Some of the fun things included: bowling, MACHS Olympics, a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit a huge garden center, a large wholesale nursery, and of course the Mall of America (to check out the interiorscape, mind you, we would never want to shop or ride their roller coaster!).