Macy Cook

It is hard to believe that I have reached the time for my last blog post. The past nine weeks of this internship have flown by, and I am sad to see this experience come to a close. This summer has been filled with events, tasks, research, and meetings that have taught me so much about myself, the agriculture industry, and my work preferences. While I enjoyed every aspect of my internship and the individuals I met, there was definitely a learning curve that I had to overcome.

July 24- Fellow intern, Elise Lankford, and I
at this week's Maryland Commodity Classic

Many of the tasks I completed throughout my internship, such as data input and sorting, community outreach, and field work, I had prior experience with through my family’s farm and my work at college. The challenge for me was realizing that many extension tasks require tedious attention and a longer timeframe to complete. In the first few weeks of my internship, I greatly struggled with feeling like I was unproductive. While I was working on a variety of tasks, it felt as though I was taking an abnormally long amount of time to complete some of these. Many projects I returned to week after week, and this left me feeling discouraged and a bit overwhelmed. It was not until I spoke with other extension professionals in the various offices I was in that I realized this is normal. Many extension projects require thorough attention to detail, and while some can require a long, tedious process, it is better to be patient and thorough than to be rushed and inadequate.

One of my favorite aspects of this internship has been the opportunity to attend events and meetings and participate in research outside of the office. Through this internship, I have learned that I cannot work in a profession that requires me to be in the office full-time. My favorite weeks were weeks when I spent less than two full days in the office because I enjoyed getting hands-on experience participating in programs outside of the office. Likewise, I have learned that the workplace environment is very important to me. I really enjoyed getting to know the various extension employees in the three offices I have worked in as well as the office at LESREC this summer. Every office has had a welcoming environment that I have found pleasure working in over the past nine weeks. The attitude and environment of those around you can have a substantial impact on your own outlook, and these employees have made my work experience exceptionally enjoyable. Looking forward, I now realize that wherever I pursue my future career, the work environment will be one of the most important considerations for me.

July 24- Maryland Commodity Classic

This week, my time was spent completing many of the tasks that had been put aside for events, meetings, and camps throughout the summer. I finished putting together the data and report for the Winter Agronomy Meetings, began and finalized my presentation for the internship graduation ceremony on July 31^st, entered commodity harvest data, updated social media images I had made for the Talbot County Fair sponsor posts, completed some administrative tasks with pay and reimbursements, began working on my final blog post, and had a site visit from my instructor for my internship class through my university. On Thursday, I attended the Maryland Commodity Classic, where I networked with local businesses, producers, and other UMD interns and heard updates on the Maryland Grain Producers Association and the global wheat market.

In my time with the University of Maryland Extension, the people I have met, connections I have made, skills I have learned, and events I have participated in will serve me extremely well in my future and be invaluable for whichever career path I choose. Whether I decide to pursue a career in extension, another field in the agriculture industry, or even a field outside of the agriculture industry, I have no doubt I will look back on this summer and be immensely grateful for the personal and professional growth, skills, and connections this internship has granted me.