Mike Ribblett

Who am I?

My name is Mike Ribblett and I just finished my freshman year at the University of Maryland, College Park (Go Terps!). I am a born-and-raised Maryland Native, living in Anne Arundel County.  At UMD, I am currently studying Ornamental Horticulture with the Institute of Applied Agriculture, which is a 2-year certificate program. This program is providing me with close, hands-on learning which wouldn't be possible elsewhere. After I complete my certificate I will be moving on to my bachelors degree studying Urban forestry, a branch within Plant Sciences. Both of these academic paths are within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UMD.

While growing up I have always participated in music, especially during high school. Although I’ve studied music for a long time and played Clarinet even longer, I have always had a love for Horticulture. Every year during the spring and summer months you can be sure to find me planting flowers or cutting grass in my yard. These seemingly boring (but really fun and meditative jobs) are what brought me to horticulture. In the future I hope to one day open my own greenhouse or plant nursery or work within the national park services.

This Summer I have been given the amazing opportunity to grow my skills and further my knowledge by being a part of the University of Maryland Agriculture Extension as an intern. This is a 10 week program where I am given the chance to apply my classroom skills to the field. Within the extension system I am located at the Anne Arundel Extension Office where I am working with my mentor Dave Myers in the Anne Arundel Urban Farm Research Clinic (AAURFC). Dave Myers is the principal Agent and Extension Educator for both Anne Arundel and Prince Georges counties and has an expertise in weed sciences. The Urban Farm is a project started by Dave in 2022 which focuses on how we, as people, can provide food for ourselves with a small amount of land. The Urban Farm is where I will spend the majority of my time, maintaining, harvesting and pruning plants. In addition to this, I will also be shadowing Dave as he travels to different Farms and visiting different research facilities in the UME system.

Overall I am extremely excited to be a part of the University of Maryland Extension team. Working with these talented and knowledgeable individuals will give me insights into the field of agriculture and expand my experience especially in the horticulture field.