Dr. Elmer Krehbiel retired in 1992 from Oklahoma State University where he was an Extension educator. He trained in 1993 as a Master Gardener in Comanche County, Lawton, Oklahoma, and transferred to Brazos County in 1994.
Elmer served 2 terms as president of the Brazos County Master Gardeners and has chaired numerous committees. He was instrumental in the creation and management of the original Demonstration Garden. In 2005, he received Honorable Mention as Texas Master Gardener of the Year.
During his 25 plus years as a Brazos County Master Gardener, Elmer typically gave 400-600 volunteer hours annually. Hundreds of county residents have benefitted from one-on-one consultations with Elmer and he has answered thousands of questions for Extension clients. He has presented countless programs at civic and garden clubs, senior citizen groups and garden centers in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes and Washington Counties, and has judged numerous garden shows. Among his fellow Master Gardeners, he is famous for his planting sticks, his compost bin, and his generosity with the “fruits of his labor.”
In 1996, he began writing a weekly news column, for The Eagle newspaper, composing more than 680 articles, earning him respect across the county as the “go to man” for vegetable gardening. Elmer authored the Brazos County Vegetable Planting and Variety Guide, the single most requested publication from Brazos County Extension.
In 2008, he received Brazos County Extension Office’s highest honor for a volunteer, the “Friend of Extension” award, and in 2015 was honored as their Ag & Natural Resources volunteer of the year.