This was the first stop on the MACAA (Maryland Association of County Agriculture Agents)tour, This was a greenhouse tunnel with various produce, some grown to target the needs of ethnic groups. The goal of this tunnel is to show the ease and high yield when growing produce.
Throughout my internship I have played a part in various activities and projects. The two main projects I have worked on have involved Miscanthus trials and preparing for a cover crop project with local farmers. Progress made thus far includes assembling a cover crop guide with images of various cover crops including legumes, non-legumes and grasses. This guide will be helpful for visualization of potential crops of interest for the farmers and aid in the process of choosing which crop is best according to specific circumstances and needs. I also have been making progress on creating a cover crop seed supplier directory. The directory will hopefully be a useful resource for individuals looking to buy cover crop seeds. Calling local companies has been helpful to understand accessibility of their inventory and the timeline for ordering to get planting in the fall. Involvement in the Miscanthus project has also progressed because the fields have just recently been planted with rhizomes. Due to unexpected fields being planted, we have worked on marking plots and transects for soil and future biomass samples and observations. This week I went to the farm to mark plots on the second field and obtain soil samples. The soil samples will be a reference point for the trial and will allow for a better understanding of the Miscanthus growing conditions and its effects on progression.
Participating in this internship has allowed me to use critical thinking in many aspects. I particularly have used critical thinking skills such as observation, analysis and communication. In order to better understand the cover crop and Miscanthus project I have paid close attention to Dr. Hirsh’s protocols, and information on projects and meetings. In these scenarios I am able to accumulate information and prior experiences to be involved in field work and better understand the goals of her projects.
Another example of use of critical thinking and problem solving occurred at the AgFS summer
in service training that I was fortunately able to attend this week. During the conference the topic
of farm safety was discussed among agents located in varying counties in Maryland.
Contemplating farm safety is important when planning a trip to visit a farmer. It is necessary to think of all possible situations, have emergency contacts and office members keeping track of the agent's field activities. Potential solutions and precautions to practice safety were discussed through observations, accounts of personal experience and communication. Many good ideas were discussed between agents such as sharing one's location with someone else and having a shared google calendar, or bringing a coworker. The discussion we had caused me to reflect and be more conscious of personal safety when visiting new places. It was great to meet and talk with different agents across the state and hear their experiences. Lastly, I was able to experience the MACAA tour. We visited and learned about University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension, their projects and research. During this tour we learned about the trials and productions of herbs and also the importance of cultivating produce that pertain to specific ethnic groups. We also visited UMES and their pear orchard varieties. M&C Vessey Farm was another place on the route that we toured, a well known sufficient “you pick farm”. Our last stop was a tour of a poultry farm with Perdue chickens. It was interesting to learn about their living conditions and the many requirements of the farmers to allow them to live comfortably in the process. I enjoyed networking and being able to meet some people that I have worked with virtually, in person.
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