The Mid America Collegiate Horticulture Society (MACHS) is an organization comprised of university-affiliated horticulture clubs all across the Midwest. Every year students studying horticulture at these schools gather for a weekend of fun and competitive educational activities. The ISU Horticulture Club sends a group of enthusiastic members to compete at MACHS each year, and every group we send has a blast!
A different university hosts MACHS each year, giving students a great opportunity to travel around the Midwest and network with young professionals from other schools. Typically Friday morning is the competition, and the rest of the time (Friday afternoon and evening and all of Saturday) is dedicated to tours (local botanical gardens, greenhouses, nurseries, and more) and the awards banquet at the end.
MACHS is a great way for club members to get to know their fellow horties better, and to challenge themselves in a fun, professional environment. The competitions test students’ knowledge and experience in areas like perennial plant identification, produce judging, and a variety of other categories. Participants can compete both individually and as teams against students from other schools, and even engage in friendly competition with fellow Cyclones. At the end of the meet, awards are given to top-placing students and teams for each event.
Our participants put in a lot of time preparing for their events, and in honor of that commitment the club traditionally covers the travel expenses and hotel accommodations for the trip. Having fun and performing well at MACHS is very important to the Horticulture Club, so we make sure cost does not preclude any of our members from participating if they want to.
