Macy Cook

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I feel that these wise words of South African anti-apartheid activist and politician Nelson Mandela perfectly describe the educational goals I have for my summer internship with the University of Maryland Extension. I anticipate the knowledge and hands-on experiences I will gain this summer will not simply culminate at summer’s end but will indeed be the knowledge that will remain with me throughout my life and enable my pursuance of my future career path.

My name is Macy Cook. I was raised on my family’s multigenerational farm in Maryland where I was immersed in agriculture from an early age. Throughout my childhood, I was always the happiest while riding on the tractor with my grandfather or being chased through the pasture by our new baby lambs. However, it was not until I began managing my family’s asparagus business during my freshman year of high school that I envisioned a career path for myself in the agriculture industry. I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness with minors in Accounting and Mathematics at the University of Mount Olive, with the goal of working in extension or agricultural finance upon college graduation.

This summer, I will be working in three University of Maryland Extension office locations: Talbot County under the mentorship of Dr. Shannon Dill, Queen Anne’s County under the mentorship of Jennifer Rhodes, and Dorchester County under the mentorship of Emily Zobel. In Talbot County, I will be attending local and regional meetings and working on projects for the Corn Club, 4-H Horse Bowl, and farmer guidebooks. My projects in Queen Anne’s County include creating a formal curriculum for Queen Anne’s County’s Ag Awareness Day and helping prepare for the county fair in August. My primary responsibility in Dorchester County will be assisting with field research and data input for a kale insect study, however, I will also contribute to their newsletter and assist with their garden podcast and the 4-H Cloverbud Camp in July.

Through these positions and the guidance of my mentors, I will gain vast knowledge and experience in research, educational outreach, database management, organization, and publications while learning about the University of Maryland and the careers offered through University of Maryland Extension. Because I anticipate pursuing a career in the agriculture industry, each of these skills relate to and will be valued in any agricultural job field I pursue. Whether I do secure a job in extension or agricultural finance, or instead find employment in production agriculture, the skills, experience and knowledge I will gain through this internship will remain with me and ensure I am amply prepared for any career opportunity to positively influence agriculture and our community. 

May 30, 2025- My mentor, Emily Zobel, and I traveled to the 

Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center 

to plant kale plants for our kale insect study this summer.

May 27, 2025- My mentor, Dr. Shannon Dill, and I traveled to a local 

tomato grower's farm to collect a sample of his tomato plants to send to the

 UMD lab for testing after his plants began rapidly dying.