2024

  In the film, “Delmarva and the Ground for Change” what stood out to me the most was Harborview Farms and their no-till farming practices. One of their fields had a problem with wet spots when they got it and for a while, it was no-till until they put in vegetables and tilled the field. There was some heavy rain that year and they ended up dealing with the wet spots again whereas if they had not tilled the field this problem would not have arisen again. This really stood out to me because if they left the field as no-till they probably would not have had the problem of wet spots in the field again. I also found it fascinating how tilling a field can cause problems that were taken care of to come back because of tilling the soil. I have seen a lot of farmers practicing cover crops, no-till, and crop rotation. This a young deer I saw with my mentor Emily at LESREC after we had composted the rotten squash.  I am learning a lot more about cover crop and crop rotation through my i...

I envision the future of agriculture as sustainable and efficient. Sustainability in agriculture is protecting the health of the environment while ensuring enough food is produced to feed populations. Some examples of sustainable agricultural practices are utilizing cover crops and implementing crop rotations. This is necessary to ensure the longevity of agriculture, as having suitable media to grow a large number of crops is fundamental for food security as the human population increases.  Efficiency as it relates to agriculture is the optimization of resources for maximum crop yield. Some examples of efficient agricultural practices include vertical farming (space-use efficiency) and hydroponics (water-use efficiency). Agricultural efficiency is important because we want to make sure that resources are being used in the most suitable way so that nothing is being wasted. Efficiency is also important because it maximizes the outputs and minimizes inputs. This is necessary as we see...

 The video from last week's Weekly Connection was super helpful in defining and explaining all of the best management practices farmers are currently using and trying to implement in order to minimize environmental impact and maximize sustainability. Over the past decade, environmental impacts and sustainable practices have become a lot more apparent and popular with agriculture. We are now starting to realize we need to care for the Earth in order to keep feeding the world. A new practice that the video showed was planting green, I had heard of this practice a couple times before. The main time was while talking to one of my mentors, Dwayne Joseph, planting green was brought up and he helped briefly explain what it is. This practice which plants the crop directly into a living mix of cover crops is incredibly beneficial for soil sustainability and to protect the environment. The farmers at Harborview farms explain how the process of photosynthesis corrects and grounds Nitrogen int...

One of the kids' hands after doing out glo-germ experiment with a camp! This week was filled with tons of activities! On Tuesday, I went to one of our camps with Amelia, our SNAP-Ed educator. We created a germination experiment for the kids and gave them some vegetables to try, which they absolutely loved. On Thursday, I visited the senior center with Beverly to have a Fresh Conversations session. We discussed the Mediterranean Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, which focuses on what you need to eat to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Finally, on Friday, I went to a camp with April to show various activities and lessons for kids. We focused on germs, digestion, and handwashing.  The set-up for a SNAP-Ed education session we had at a local camp. We were teaching about germination in a glove. Through this internship, I’ve learned a lot about myself! Before starting, I never truly had community experience in a professional setting. I’ve l...

  This is me washing some PVC pipe that will be used to direct water flow in a rain catchment system. The project is taking place at Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm.     As a student learning is your life. You go to class, listen to a lecture, take notes, and then reflect on what you learned from that lecture. It is a structured way to gain knowledge. Extension has opened up a new way of learning both about myself, and other people. Being in a professional setting has changed my routine and forced me to learn more about myself and how I work outside of the classroom. I have always known that I like to work with my hands, but being in an office has made me want to pursue a career that forces me to be outside as much as possible. Getting outside helps me reset and be productive when I have busy work to do.       I also have enjoyed being able to meet so many new people through Extension. I have always been able to work in a team, and I typically ...

  Nourishing Neighbors produce delivery. Pictured is Mountain Laurel Medical Center staff who are ready to serve the community. Wow! What a busy week! We had another great afternoon in Barton. Our kids’ gardening classes have ended but don’t worry, we picked up on doing reading in the garden. Each week the kids gather around the raised beds and are read a children's book related to gardening. After the story had been read we gathered the kids and inspected the growth of their garden. Lots of veggies were booming. The kids were able to harvest some tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, beets and onions. It was so encouraging to see the kids walking through the garden and getting so excited about the produce being grown and able to harvest. Another week means packing up more veggie boxes! I assisted in packing up and delivering 100 veggie boxes for nourishing neighbors. It’s a good feeling to be able to have a hand in helping serve and nourish our community. Later in the week, I assiste...

  Hello from the Washington County Fair!  If there is one thing that the agricultural industry teaches you, it’s that you never know everything. In order to truly survive in an industry as diverse as the management and use of natural resources, you must be a lifelong learner. The individuals who I have seen struggle the most are the ones who believe that everything they know is the correct way of doing things. One of the biggest problems with that mindset in the agricultural industry is that the technological advancement in the last 50 years is astronomical. Learning the changes in preferences, the more efficient way to do things, the research that brings us better drugs or tells us not to use others, the introduction of advanced animal and plant genetics, and so many more things truly drive the world we live in today.  Working through this internship has enhanced my experiences of varying cultures, niches, people, and “typical” (if there is such a thing) farming practice...