Me with cows! Just got done collect forage samples from the pasture they were in!
Hi everyone! My name is Nathan Villiger, and I am from Darnestown, Maryland in Montgomery County. I am currently based at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center, working with Sarah Potts, Amanda Grev, and Jeff Semler
I myself grew up working on my aunt and uncle’s horse farm in Poolesville, Maryland, where I came to love summers spent outside and hard work in the sun. As I grew older, I also started helping out on a few neighboring farms, doing chores and stacking hay. When I went off to college – at St. Mary’s College of Maryland – I was excited to work on our campus’s vegetable farm, where I learned a lot about sustainable, small-scale, organic agriculture. However, my real agricultural interests lie in horses, hay, and forage. After years of buying poor-quality hay that my horses won’t eat, I wanted to learn what good hay looks like, and how exactly to grow it. Thus, my placement at WMREC working with hay, forage, and animals, could not be more appropriate.
At WMREC, my mentors are Dr. Potts, Dr. Grev, and Mr. Semler. Dr. Potts specializes in dairy and beef cattle, while Dr. Grev is a hay and forage specialist. Mr. Semler, meanwhile, is the principal extension agent for Washington County, and also has expertise in beef, dairy, and forage as well. Working with three mentors allows me a high degree of flexibility; I get to experience each aspect of extension work. With Dr. Potts and Dr. Grev, I get to take a deep dive into hay and forage through research at WMREC and CMREC. Meanwhile, as the principle Washington County Extension Agent Mr. Semler deals with a wider variety of subjects in addition to more traditional research. Specifically, there are three main projects I am assisting with this summer. First, Dr. Potts and Dr. Grev are conducting an orchard grass variety trial, testing the suitability of different varieties to the Maryland climate. In addition to the orchard grass trial, they are also conducting research with the dairy herd at CMREC, comparing the health of cows in an intensive grazing rotation to those that are fed a traditional ration. Mr. Semler is also conducting research, analyzing long-term trends in local manure sample composition. In addition, I have worked with my mentors to create a list of projects I can contribute to on my own, including website renovations, factsheet and newsletter writing, and my own research. All ready this week I have gone on a pasture walk at a dairy in Washington County, and collected forage samples at CMREC as part of current research.
The best part about all these different projects is the opportunity to experience all the different parts of extension, from research to outreach and education. As someone who is entirely new to the extension system, this allows me to take a broad approach and learn about all aspects of extension over the course of my internship instead of being confined to a single topic or area. Ultimately, I believe that this internship will be the perfect preparation for a career with extension or in the agricultural industry in general. I have often considered continuing my education with a graduate-level agriculture degree, and spending the summer working with extension is an excellent way to decide if that is the best path forward.
Part of the CMREC research dairy herd, being studied by Dr. Potts and Dr. Grev
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