Macy Cook

While it does not seem possible, this week I am officially halfway through the University of Maryland’s Workforce Development Extension Internship. As I conclude the fifth week of this program, I find myself reflecting on the experiences, personal growth, and opportunities I have had thus far. 

Performing insect counts on the
kale plants for our kale insect study.

This week I have been engaged in a variety of tasks across Talbot, Queen Anne’s, and Dorchester Counties. Monday and Tuesday, I spent my time at the Talbot County Office working on promotional materials for the Talbot County Fair, inputting commodity harvest data into a newly piloted database, checking website links, and participating in our weekly intern zoom connection. On Wednesday, I traveled to LESREC with Emily, my mentor from Dorchester County, to check the kale plants for our kale insect study and check the blueberry plants and the blackberry plants for their respective variety trials. Our kale plants are not yet drawing many insects, aside from a single fall army worm, and, unfortunately, the blueberries for the variety trial are being devoured by birds, so there were no blueberries for us to pick and catalogue. After completing our field work at LESREC, Emily and I bought ice cream sandwiches for the farm workers to have over the summer. When we returned to the office, I spent the afternoon inputting blueberry data, working on podcast editing for the Master Gardener Podcast, and continuing to check website links.

A lone fall army worm on
one of our kale plants.

In my time at the Talbot and Dorchester County offices, I also was able to participate in the AgriProspects Virtual Summit. This summit connected Extension professionals who are involved in workforce development programs to share about the various programs across the country. I especially enjoyed the AgriProspects Grant session, where recipients of the grants shared how they are utilizing the funds in their respective states and universities. I additionally enjoyed the breakout session I attended, where I learned from Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel about her business, Kriesel Certified Seed. On Thursday, I attended an educational session at the Wye Research and Education Center before traveling to the Queen Anne’s County Extension office for the afternoon. While at the Queen Anne’s County office on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, I continued my work on the curriculum for Agriculture Awareness Day.

Buying ice cream sandwiches
for the farm workers at LESREC.

While this internship has encompassed many exciting and educational experiences, there has also been a learning curve with many of the projects I am involved in. The largest area of difficulty for me has been time management and prioritization with the various projects I am working on across three different offices. However, with the assistance of my mentors, I have been able to overcome this challenge and focus on the most important tasks at hand. Thus far, the highlight of this internship has been the opportunity to meet my fellow interns and many University of Maryland staff and faculty. Networking with these individuals has produced fun and educational experiences across the five weeks I have been involved in the intern program. The first five weeks of my internship have flown by, and I am looking forward to the final weeks of hands-on experience, education, and professional development through the University of Maryland’s Workforce Development Extension Internship.